Women’s college basketball seems to be gearing up for the showdown between No. 4 LSU and No. 1 South Carolina in two weeks.
But the Tigers have a matchup that qualifies as way more than just another appetizer.
Unranked and wounded women’s basketball blue blood Tennessee comes to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Monday with a share of the Southeastern Conference lead with LSU (20-0, 8-0) and South Carolina at stake. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Lady Vols (16-7, 8-0) have battled through perhaps the toughest schedule in the nation and a key injury to stay in the hunt for the league championship and face the Tigers in what could be their breakthrough game.
“I don’t know how they’re not a top 25 team,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “They’ve played everybody. Name somebody they haven’t played.”
The list is long and full of ranked opposition. Tennessee is coming off an 84-67 nonconference loss to No. 5 UConn, which snapped a nine-game winning streak. It also has losses to No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Indiana, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Gonzaga, with a win against No. 25 Colorado.
Mulkey and her team are bracing for a challenge. The game is a near sellout with a limited number of standing room only tickets that may be available at tipoff. Fans are being asked to wear white to create a ‘White Out’ effect against a program that was once an Orange wave in the sport.
“They are a matchup nightmare,” Mulkey said. “They’ve played enough games against the best we have in the game right now. Coming here in front of the crowd we expect to have will not be a big deal to them.”
Fighting to regain their prominence fostered under legendary late coach Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols, under former Summitt player Kellie Harper, got off to their worst start (2-4) since 1981-82. In early December they lost stalwart senior center Tamari Key for the season with blood clots in her lungs.
Tennessee has played better in the past month, having won 14 of its last 17 behind 6-foot-2 forward Rickea Jackson and 6-2 guard Jordan Horston, both expected to be first-round picks in this year’s WNBA draft.
Jackson, who transferred from Mississippi State before the season, is averaging 20.1 points per game in SEC play, second only to LSU’s Angel Reese (22.4), and comes off the bench. Horston is averaging 14 points, eight rebounds and 4.7 assists.
The Lady Vols play an inside-out game similar to LSU, focusing on the posts but with the ability to score from the perimeter. Tess Darby is second in the SEC with 20 3-point baskets in conference games. Tennessee is second in field-goal percentage and third in rebound margin. Mulkey was particularly impressed with their offensive rebounds, averaging 15.5 per game.
“They have everything you need to be very good,” Mulkey said. “They are outstanding rebounding the ball.”
LSU's first game in a week will test Reese's record streak of 20 consecutive double-doubles. She leads the conference in scoring (23.7) and rebounding (15.5).
Reese said the Tigers, a program that started the season with nine new faces, have jelled in recent weeks.
“I think we’re in a really good space right now,” she said. “We played together well in the pre-conference and now in conference. We’re meshing together well. Being able to be at home for a really big game like this, Tennessee is a really good team. We’re going in with a positive mindset and doing whatever it takes to win.”