ACC/SEC Challenge Takeaways: Angel Reese Is Back and So Is LSU’s Title Threat

The star forward found her groove again in her return, as did the rest of the Tigers’ lineup. Plus, Tennessee’s collapse and other women’s basketball notes.

The inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge was split on the women’s side: The conferences took seven games apiece. That included giving us Angel Reese back with LSU, South Carolina gutting out a gritty win over North Carolina and more. Here’s some of what we learned.

Jackson, who was averaging a double-double before her lower-leg injury, has missed the last five games for Tennessee.  :: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel/USA TODAY Network

Tennessee desperately misses Rickea Jackson

Yes, we’re starting by stating the obvious. But it bears repeating: The Lady Vols are a different team without their star forward. The fifth-year senior has been sidelined with a lower leg injury for weeks now and last played Nov. 9. In her absence, No. 20 Tennessee has gone 3–2—though it seemed for three quarters as if it would be picking up another win versus No. 18 Notre Dame. But the Lady Vols couldn’t shut the door on the Irish, collapsing in the fourth quarter and losing, 74–69.

There was a lot going wrong there for Tennessee. (And a lot going right for Notre Dame, including a poised, well-rounded performance down the stretch by freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo.) But the mismatch was most apparent on the glass. This should have been an area where the Lady Vols dominated: They’re among the five best rebounding teams in the country. But they allowed themselves to get beat on the boards, getting outrebounded by Notre Dame 40 to 33, including just seven offensive rebounds. There’s a lot they miss from Jackson: her ability to finish at the rim, her midrange game, her talent for getting to the foul line. But they really miss her crashing the boards. That’s perhaps never been as clear as it was against Notre Dame on Wednesday.

The potential WNBA lottery pick had been averaging a double-double—22 points and 12 rebounds—before her injury. There’s no substitute on this roster for that kind of production. Tennessee has said Jackson is being evaluated day-to-day, with no hard timeline for her return, but the program had better hope it’s sooner rather than later.

In her first game back from a mysterious two-week absence, Reese had 19 points and nine rebounds against the Hokies.  :: Matthew Hinton/USA TODAY Sports

This is what LSU can be at its best

It’s been a dramatic, mysterious few weeks around the Tigers. Star forward Reese was kept out for more than two weeks. Guard Kateri Poole is still out indefinitely without a publicly stated reason. Sophomore forward Sa’Myah Smith went down with a knee injury and is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. The team played well through this stretch. (Particularly junior transfer Aneesah Morrow, who slid into the starting lineup and shone, posting three double-doubles in four games.) But the major questions here—about chemistry, about cohesion, about how this group of reigning champs and new additions would split its roles—remained a mystery. Those had been problems early on. So how would the Tigers look with Reese back in the lineup against tougher competition?

Phenomenal, as it turns out! No. 7 LSU trounced No. 9 Virginia Tech by a score of 82–64. This was the best look we’ve had yet at how these pieces can fit together. Morrow continued to look stellar: She had 19 points and 15 rebounds and was effective both in the paint and from midrange. She also worked defensively to limit Hokies center Elizabeth Kitley, usually their leading scorer, who fouled out and finished below her average with 16 points. Reese was dominant on the boards early with five rebounds in the first quarter. Even on an off night for guard Hailey Van Lith, she was trusted to bring the ball up and facilitate the offense. And freshman Mikaylah Williams shone—LSU’s leading scorer Thursday with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.

In other words, for the first time this year, LSU looked like a true championship threat. If the Tigers are going to go back-to-back? They’re going to do it playing like they did Thursday.

South Carolina was averaging more than 100 points per game this season, but the Tar Heels held the Gamecocks to just 65 on Thursday.  :: Ben McKeown/AP

Underestimate UNC at your own risk

It’s been a bumpy season for No. 24 UNC. The Tar Heels came into their matchup with No. 1 South Carolina after two straight losses—to No. 14 Kansas State and unranked Florida Gulf Coast—and with a few near-misses on their record. They struggled to eke out wins over programs like Davidson and Vermont. Yet against the consensus best team in the country? They looked more competitive than ever. Yes, UNC ultimately lost, 65–58, after failing to execute down the stretch. But the Tar Heels’ tough defensive presence created pressure for the Gamecocks unlike anything they’ve seen this year. A South Carolina team that was averaging more than 100 points a game could barely get to 60. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Gamecocks and forced them into more turnovers and more fouls than usual. No opponent had tested South Carolina so much this year.

This Tar Heel offense still faces some questions. (Getting Lexi Donarski more looks from beyond the arc would be a start.) But UNC’s defense proved Thursday it can go up with the best of them. It’s been a rocky start to the season. Yet these are the kinds of challenges early in the season that can pay dividends in March.

NC State really is this good

Which you probably knew after the victories over then No. 2 UConn and then No. 3 Colorado. But the Wolfpack underscored the point this week with their 70–62 win over Vanderbilt. Guard Saniya Rivers has blossomed here and found her footing as a scoring threat, River Baldwin is a force at center, and Zoe Brooks can be lethal as a freshman spark off the bench. If you thought it would be a transitional year for NC State—which started the season unranked and has shot up to No. 5—think again. This is a legitimate Final Four contender.