For the 18th time in a row, LSU women’s basketball lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night in the PMAC.
Those numbers don’t sit right with head coach Kim Mulkey and her team.
“This game is tough,” said Mulkey in the post-game press conference. She’s referring to the deep-rooted rivalry against the Gamecocks.
This isn’t just a feared opponent — it’s the women’s basketball equivalent of Ole Miss vs. LSU in football.
Back in 2023, when the Tigers won their first national championship, they had two losses from the season: Tennessee and South Carolina.
That’s been the trend since Jan. 12, 2012, which was the last time LSU beat South Carolina. Way before Mulkey was LSU’s coach.
During her time at Baylor, Mulkey was able to beat South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley twice. At LSU, Mulkey has gone 0-6 in her matchups with Staley.
Clearly, the 0-6 record isn’t the problem — the matchup is.
Staley is a legend in Columbia, becoming the winningest coach for the Gamecocks back in 2017. She’s been named the national coach of the year five times: in 2014, 2020, 2022, 2023 and again in 2024.
She’s earned these awards through her built-up dynasty over the years. Mulkey, on the other hand, was quick to build her legacy, immediately winning a title in her second season at LSU.
On paper, the two are similar. They pull from the same top recruits each off-season, forming a similar, talented team, making the matchup all the more exciting. With that talent, the annual conference matchup is more often than not two top-10 teams going against each other.
This not only puts the two coaches up against each other to see who has the most power in the SEC, but also describes the distinction between the two, which is reflected in their coaching tactics.
As a coach, Staley built her team on consistency, defensive domination and relentless rebounding, which makes LSU play slower than they want to. Mulkey’s teams thrive on transition, quick momentum and emotion.
The rivalry matchups often test each player’s abilities. It becomes a half-court battle, exactly where Staley is comfortable, and the Tigers lose their momentum. Looking at the box scores, LSU’s scoring output has been lower than season norms against the Gamecocks, sometimes dropping to the 50s.
The real difference in the game comes down to control. When LSU dictates the pace of the game, the Tigers look confident and explosive. When South Carolina dictates the pace, the Tigers look frustrated.
While it’s understandable, the frustration can’t sit with the Tigers for long. LSU has four regular-season games left, all conference matchups, before the SEC tournament starts. There is no time to dwell on another loss to the Gamecocks.
The team will head to Oxford on Thursday to battle the No. 17 Rebels, then host the Mizzou Tigers over the weekend. No. 21 Tennessee comes to visit the PMAC the following week, and the Tigers close out their regular season back in Mississippi to face Mississippi State.
The SEC tournament could bring another matchup against the Gamecocks, but with higher stakes. A post-season Tigers win wouldn’t just end a streak. It would reset the hierarchy.
Mulkey and her team must stick with what they do best — maintaining pressure.
They can’t look at the numbers of the history of the matchup. If the goal is a conference championship title, the Tigers should enter each game, no matter the opponent, with a clean slate, a tough attitude and strong composure.
