These teams last met in a fiery 2024 SEC Tournament championship game
The SEC has been the toughest conference this women’s college basketball season, and Friday features a marquee showdown between No. 2 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU. The Tigers are one of only two teams in the country still undefeated, and they will face their most difficult test so far in Columbia.
“Any victory on the road in our league is an accomplishment, but we know what we face next — a tremendous challenge to play the defending champions and do it at their place,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said.
The game was originally scheduled for Thursday but was pushed back to Friday due to weather-related travel issues as a historic winter storm swept across the South this week. According to the National Weather Service, Baton Rouge — where LSU is located — received between six and eight inches of snow. Columbia, South Carolina, also was hit with a few inches of snow.
When these teams do finally hit the court Friday, it will be a matchup of the two most recent national champions. LSU won it all in 2023 while South Carolina followed suit the next year. Their most recent meeting was the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game, a contest South Carolina won 79-72 after a fight broke out in the fourth quarter.
South Carolina returned most of the key players from its 2023-24 roster, minus 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso. Freshman forward Joyce Edwards has been a revelation for the Gamecocks this season, however.
Meanwhile, LSU lost last season’s leading scorer and rebounder Angel Reese, who is now Cardoso’s teammate with the Chicago Sky. Despite her departure, Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson have embraced bigger roles and got the Tigers off to a 20-0 start.
Where to watch No. 5 LSU vs. No. 2 South Carolina
- When: Friday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. ET
- Where: Colonial Life Arena — Columbia, South Carolina
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: fubo (try for free)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
South Carolina powering through tough schedule
The Gamecocks are 18-1 with their lone loss coming against UCLA in Los Angeles in late November. Besides that one slip up, Dawn Staley’s team has been taking care of business with a tough schedule. In fact, according to Warren Nolan, the Gamecocks rank No. 1 in strength of schedule this season.
South Carolina has beaten seven AP top 25 opponents so far, all by double digits. The Gamecocks are fresh off a 101-60 win over No. 13 Oklahoma, and that 41-point margin of victory is the largest against a ranked opponent in school history.
Their success comes from a deep roster in which no individual player constantly has to take over. Six Gamecocks are averaging over seven points per game, led by Joyce Edwards’ 12.1. Guards MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao follow with just over 11 points per game. Edwards and Fulwiley come off the bench, which speaks to the strength and depth of the roster. The South Carolina bench leads the nation in scoring with 42.2 points per game.
Morrow, Johnson leading LSU’s hot start
Although the Tigers haven’t faced the same strength of schedule as South Carolina, being one of the last two undefeated teams in the nation is still an incredible accomplishment. Kim Mulkey has said this team might not blow out top opponents because of its new faces and roles, but the Tigers have still collected strong wins against NC State and Tennessee.
Angel Reese was LSU’s leading scoring and rebounding last year, but Aneesah Morrow wasn’t too far behind and has continued to shine this season. Morrow is averaging 18.7 points and 14.2 rebounds while leading the nation with 17 double-doubles. She also has a team-high 50 steals this season.
Flau’jae Johnson has also stepped into a bigger role and leads LSU with 19.9 points per game. LSU has two other double-digit scorers in Mikaylah Williams and Kailyn Gilbert, who are averaging 16.4 and 11.2 points per game, respectively.
