With Angel Reese back, No. 7 LSU faces measuring-stick game against No. 9 Virginia Tech in Final Four rematch
No team in the country had more hype heading into the season than LSU.
Coming off a national title, and holding the No. 1 ranking in the preseason poll, there was plenty to discuss — on and off the court — when it came to the Tigers. Angel Reese became a basketball celebrity, appearing in music videos, raking in endorsements and posing for photo shoots. Flau’jae Johnson’s stardom continued to grow as well, as she reportedly raked in $2 million of NIL deals.
On the court, LSU further bolstered its roster, adding two of the top transfers in the country in Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville. They also secured two top-10 recruits in Mikaylah Williams and Aalyah Del Rosario.
Everything seemed to be coming together. But an opening loss to Colorado raised questions, and just four games into the season, Reese was benched.
Kateri Poole, a junior guard and close friend of Reese, has also been absent. LSU has not addressed whether or not the two absences are related or due to separate circumstances.
Reese missed the team’s last four contests, but LSU announced Wednesday she will play against Virginia Tech, in a Final Four rematch, on Thursday. Prior to her absence, Reese averaged 17 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
LSU’s start to the season has been colored by the absence of its star player, and coach Kim Mulkey’s refusal to address the circumstances surrounding the issue. That, coupled with social-media drama involving LSU family members and Mulkey’s news conference antics, have driven the news cycle surrounding the defending champions.
Despite the chaos, basketball is still being played, and LSU has a test coming up Thursday, when the No. 7 Tigers take on No. 9 Virginia Tech. After playing the Hokies, LSU plays UL-Lafayette, McNeese State, Northwestern State, Coppin State and Jacksonville before heading into SEC play.
Much like last season, analyzing just how good LSU truly is becomes a difficult task due to the team’s schedule. But a lot has changed since the Colorado loss, and basketball-wise, Virginia Tech can serve as a measuring stick for LSU prior to conference play.
And despite the chaos, a season-ending injury for sophomore Sa’Myah Smith, and the disappointing first-game loss, it hasn’t been all bad for LSU.
From Game 1, Williams has been a bright spot for the Tigers as part of college basketball’s crop of talented, and fearless freshmen. Colorado had every part of LSU’s game figured out, except for Williams, who led the Tigers with 17 points in the loss. She’s been relatively consistent since then, scoring in double digits in six of her team’s eight games, including 42 points against Kent State on Nov. 14. There seems to be no limit in the ways Williams can score either, as the freshman is shooting 54% from the field, 56% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line.
It’s rare a freshman serves as the calming force on a team, but Williams has proven she can be counted on, which bodes well for LSU in this season, and beyond.
Morrow has also been consistent for the Tigers, barring one difficult game against Colorado. If there are any concerns about Morrow only performing against the lesser competition LSU has played so far, there shouldn’t be. The junior spent the previous two seasons dominating top competition at DePaul, averaging 25.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks last season as a sophomore.
Morrow is an ideal big because she understands spacing and how to move without the ball, meaning offense can still flow when she’s playing inside. Meanwhile, if the Tigers need a bucket, they know where to find one. That was the case in a close competition with Virginia on Saturday, when LSU needed every one of Morrow’s 37 points (and 16 rebounds) to win 76-73.
LSU’s point guard spot was the biggest question mark this offseason, as Alexis Morris graduated. And while Johnson and Williams are excellent off-ball scorers, LSU seemed to answer its point guard concern with the addition of Van Lith, who played at point and shooting guard for Louisville. So far this season, she’s split time running the offense with junior Last-Tear Poa.
Van Lith has received criticism in the past because of her turnovers and inconsistent 3-point shooting. She’s still looking to improve from beyond the arc (she’s 7 of 23 so far this season for 30.4%), but Van Lith’s assist-to-turnover numbers are the best they’ve ever been. Last season she averaged 3.2 assists and 3.7 turnovers, but so far for LSU, Van Lith is dishing out five assists and committing 2.8 turnovers per game. It’s clearly been a focus for the guard, and it’s helping the flow of LSU’s offense as the Tigers continue putting the pieces together.
Reese’s return to the court brings up more questions about LSU’s play, particularly how the team will integrate the junior back into the offense.
Off-court questions will continue to swirl until Mulkey speaks on Reese, or Reese addresses the issues herself. On the court, the Tigers can answer, or create, more questions, depending on how they play against Virginia Tech.
