Like a lot of teams, LSU women’s basketball typically eases into a season with some matchups that are almost sure wins.
The Tigers won each of their first five games last year by at least 54 points.
Despite being the defending national champion and the preseason No. 1-ranked team, there’s no easing in this year for head coach Kim Mulkey’s team.
On Monday, the 20th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes will open their season against LSU at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (5:30 p.m., TNT). Coming off its first Sweet 16 appearance in 20 years, CU certainly has Mulkey’s attention.
“The first thing I notice is upperclassmen: seniors, graduates,” Mulkey said in a press conference this week. “Seven of their eight top players return. It’s a Sweet 16 team that only lost to (national runner-up) Iowa by 10, so that tells you before you ever even look at film that they’re going to be very poised.”
There’s no question Buffs are loaded with experience and leadership and that’s helped head coach JR Payne prepare for this season. The Buffs had an exhibition game against Adams State on Saturday, and Payne said this week has been about cleaning things up before the LSU game.
“We’re taking what we saw and didn’t see in that exhibition game and trying to make sure those things are air tight,” Payne said. “For us, there’s nothing new schematically that’s going in in the next few days, but definitely prioritizing the details of what we’re supposed to do with execution, offensively, defensively, on the glass – all of those things become critical pretty quickly.”
Mulkey believes that experience benefits CU in the opener, despite the fact that LSU might be the most talented team in the country.
The Tigers return, among others, first-team All-American forward Angel Reese, who was the Final Four most outstanding player, and SEC freshman of the year Flau’jae Johnson. They also added Hailey Van Lith, an honorable mention All-American last year at Louisville; and Aneesah Morrow, a third-team All-American last year at DePaul.
Reese and Morrow were the only two players in the country last year to rank top-10 nationally in both scoring and rebounding.
Mulkey believes CU can give her squad a significant challenge on Monday, though.
“They’re going to have played lots of games together and that’s a concern, because I don’t care how talented you are, experience matters and they’re outstanding,” Mulkey said. “They’re a very good team. They’ve got everything you need. They’ve got quickness at the point guard that creates and makes a lot of things happen. They’ve got big inside and then they’ve got 3-point shooters.”
CU and LSU both played Iowa in the NCAA Tournament last year, but Mulkey said she has spent more time watching the Buffs’ second-round overtime upset of Duke as she prepares for this matchup.
“What jumped out is exactly what would jump out: outstanding team, very well coached,” she said. “They run a Princeton offense that just gives teams fits. They’re good and much respect. I don’t know the coach for Colorado, so watching her from afar, what a tremendous job she has done there.”
As good as LSU is on paper, Mulkey said her Tigers will have some challenges this season and it starts Monday against CU.
“We’re not going to go undefeated,” she said. “Colorado is more poised than us right now. Colorado is playing LSU at the right time, I really believe that, because they’re that good. They’re that good. We’re still trying to move people in and out. I’m still trying to figure out who our defensive stoppers are. Colorado doesn’t have that issue right now. When you have seven of eight returning players, it’s running a lot smoother in November than LSU is.”