Everything you need to know ahead of South Carolina-LSU matchup in women’s college hoops

When the Gamecocks and Tigers meet on the court, it’s always must-see television

Winter Storm Enzo came through the Southeast and brought snow, ice and frigid temperatures to areas normally boasting warm weather throughout the winter months. College basketball felt the storm front, with Thursday’s battle between No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 5 LSU Tigers moved back a day.

Originally scheduled in a sea of top-25 games on Thursday, this matchup is now arguably in its right place — the lone ranked game of the night. Friday afternoon, all eyes will be fixed on Columbia, South Carolina when one of the best rivalries in basketball renews between the Gamecocks and Tigers. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.

The last time these two programs played, it ended with a bench-clearing fight resulting in suspensions, apologies and a team’s family member arrested for joining the melee. It was in the final two minutes of a contentious matchup in the SEC Tournament.

It’s easy to make this fight the focal point of Friday night’s matchup, but LSU and South Carolina is much more. It’s a matchup between the last three national champions, includes some of the best players in the country and the programs are two of only three head active coaches with multiple Division I titles.

This season, the two sides only play once, making it possibly the only time the two top-five teams in the country play each other all year. It’s a by-product of an expanded SEC conference leading to less home-and-homes for every team.

South Carolina enters the rivalry with 16 straight wins over LSU, which on the surface doesn’t help the argument that it’s a strong rivalry. After all, many people subscribe to the idea that the results have to go different ways for a rivalry to flourish.

Since head coach Kim Mulkey joined the Tigers for the 2020-21 season, the four matchups that followed have been close, mostly. In Mulkey’s third SEC game and her first year as LSU’s coach ,the Tigers narrowly lost to the eventual national title winners 66-60. Outside of a lopsided loss for LSU in the 21-22 season, an 88-64 Gamecocks victory, the two powerhouse programs play close games, with three of the four outings ending in a margin of victory less than seven points.

That’s regardless of who is on the roster. Each team has lost key players to graduation and the professional ranks, like LSU’s Angel Reese and a pair of South Carolina bigs in Aaliyah Boston and Kamila Cardoso. Even with a rotating cast of athletes, these two SEC teams are always in the conversation as some of the best in the country.

“They do all the same things. I think Kim [Mulkey] does a great job. She loses a player to graduation or WNBA (and) inserts another player. She plays her same style, which has been very good and successful,” said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. “For us, we got to do the same thing. The things that we’ve built our success on, it has to be on display tomorrow night.”

South Carolina’s defense has the 18-1 team back near the top of the country. In the AP rankings, the Gamecocks are second to the lone side to beat them this season, the UCLA Bruins. Look at the NET rankings and the data shows South Carolina is the No. 1 team in the country.

The Gamecocks are so dangerous because of their defensive ability and keeping legs fresh. South Carolina allows the second lowest points per game in the conference (55.1) and held the No. 5 Texas Longhorns to a season low 50 point for a side that averaged 90.4 points per game on offense until they played in Columbia.

Staley’s side uses a nine-player rotation where each person averages at least 15 minutes per game, with only senior leader Te-Hina Paopao playing at least 25 minutes per game. That means players give their all when they’re on the court, and get relieved relatively quickly. Think of it more like a hockey line change than a substitution.

Against LSU, the Gamecocks will need all that energy. The Tigers are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation.

Mulkey’s team features individual playmakers who at any point will take over a game. Led by guard Flau’Jae Johnson and forward Aneesah Morrow, LSU won close games thanks to these leaders but also through standout performances from others on the roster.

For example, against the then No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers, junior guard Kailyn Gilbert hit a theatrical layup in the closing seconds to win 89-87, two of her 22 points in the victory.

Earlier in the season, sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams scored five points in the final 33 seconds to send the game to overtime, and then led the Tigers with six points in the overtime period to come away with the 94-88 LSU win.

“They’re not going to come in here, think we’re going to walk all over them,” said Staley. “I think their M.O. is coming in here wanting to win, wanting to silence the crowd and continuing to be undefeated.”

Nobody outside of the game loses when South Carolina and LSU step onto the court, well maybe ESPN. With the date change, “College Gameday” cancelled their trip to Columbia to add additional coverage for the rivalry matchup, which is a shame. This game deserves all the attention and analysis. The result could ultimately decide who wins the SEC regular season championship and has an easier road in the SEC Tournament.

Extra coverage or not, fans will be tuning in Friday, and it’s not because of a fight. It’s all about watching two of the best programs in the nation.