The undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks are heading to Baton Rouge to face the defending champion LSU Tigers in the highly anticipated SEC matchup. ESPN’s College GameDay will be covering the game on Thursday, January 25, the first time the show will be held at LSU. Here is a look at both teams and what to expect from the game.
LSU Tigers
After winning their first national championship, the big story for LSU was the talent that transferred to the program with the hopes of winning another championship. Although they had an early season loss to Colorado and recently fell to Auburn, this is a team with lots of different options that will likely have a deep postseason run.
Even with new faces on the team, forward Angel Reese is still leading the way for the Tigers and is currently averaging a double-double of 20.1 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game. The junior knows what it is like to play in big games and will be a player South Carolina has to focus on on defense.
Aneesah Morrow, the junior guard transfer from DePaul, has had a successful start to her first season at LSU on both sides of the ball. She leads the team with 2.7 steals per game and will need to bring her defensive presence to the game against a tough South Carolina offense. On the offensive end, her 18.4 points per game are second on the team behind Reese.
South Carolina Gamecocks
As the only remaining undefeated team in the country, South Carolina will look to continue their dominance as the No.1 team. With a balanced offense, look for the Gamecocks to utilize their scoring options and make LSU work hard on defense.
One of the focal points of the team is senior center Kamilla Cardoso. As a dominant presence in the post on both offense and defense, she is averaging 13.1 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game.
Another player to keep an eye on in this game will be guard Raven Johnson. The sophomore has been a key component of the team this season both in scoring (9.5 points per game) and in distributing the ball (5.3 assists per game). On defense, she is averaging a team-high 2.5 steals per game and will be tasked with slowing down the LSU guards.
What To Watch For
Each team is loaded with star power and has excellent offense, with both teams averaging over 90 points per game. But with so much talent on the floor, defense will be key to slowing down their opponents. Head coaches Kim Mulkey for LSU and Dawn Staley at South Carolina are experienced, championship-winning coaches and will likely need to make adjustments and try to use their depth to their advantage.
Tune in to ESPN on January 25 to watch the game. College Gameday coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST and tipoff is at 8 p.m. EST.
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