How To Watch: No. 1 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU

In less than 24 hours, South Carolina's women's basketball team will clash against the LSU Tigers. Here's what to watch and how to watch the game!

Author:
Andrew Lyon
Publish date:
Jan 24, 2024 11:10 PM EST

The game South Carolina women's basketball fans have been waiting for is finally upon them. Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are set to do battle against the defending national champs in the No. 9 LSU Tigers. Carolina has played several games against Top 25 teams and has been willing to leave the comforts of their home in the Colonial Life Arena to challenge themselves, but this will arguably be their toughest test to this point in the season.

LSU may have two losses on their résumé and therefore be a few steps behind the Gamecocks in the SEC regular season title race, but Kim Mulkey's squad excels at two things, both on the offensive end: making shots fall and earning trips to the foul line. The Tigers have four legitimate No. 1 options in their starting lineup: Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow, Mikaylah Williams, and Hailey Van Lith, all of whom bring something different to the floor.

Raven Johnson putting up a shot against LSU's Last-Tear Poa in last season's matchup (12th Feb., 2023) — **Raven Johnson** putting up a shot against LSU's **Last-Tear Poa** in last season's matchup (12th Feb., 2023)
Jeff Blake | USA Today Network

This individual offensive firepower stretches opposing defenses thin throughout games, as evidenced by LSU's team shooting percentage of 48.7 percent, good for the 11th-best mark in women's college basketball. Although anyone can take the ball at any given time, much like last season, Mulkey's offense runs primarily through Reese, whose combination of effort, physicality, and positioning leads to her drawing a whopping 9.8 free throws per game.

The one aspect, however, that could separate South Carolina from LSU is the depth they possess on their roster. The Gamecocks have eight players who they can consistently rely on to go on the floor and make meaningful contributions, while Kim Mulkey admitted on Wednesday that she's getting more comfortable using eight players in her rotation but that she wants to stick with her starting five as much as possible.

If Carolina sees several key starters get into foul trouble, it could be the catalyst behind an upset in the Pete Maravich Center on Thursday night. If the Gamecocks can get into an early rhythm and dictate the game's pace however they wish to, it could be a long night for the Tigers.