Despite Angel Reese’s Roaring Comeback, What’re Kim Mulkey’s Lady Tigers Missing?

Kim Mulkey is a court marshal for a reason. She knows her game and girls. The LSU matriarch is quite notorious to take unpopular decisions to unsettle the popular moves and methods. She took one such decision this season and faced bad press and fan fury. But keeping Angel Reese out of action didn’t cost Kim much as her pack of freshmen and sophomores floated her ship after an early storm. Now when the star is back, the spirit is high. But even then, the Lady Tigers aren’t roaring like the last time.

Barring initial hitch, the LSU squad did make a resounding start to their title defense this NCAA season. The reigning national champions are currently sitting second in the SEC. After their season opener embarrassment at Vegas against the Lady Buffs, LSU have made a strong comeback by winning all their next 12 games in a row. However, there are still some gray areas they need to address if they want to keep their name up and win back-to-back championships this season.

What’re the flaws that devalue LSU’s promising start?

The LSU Tigers were one of the pre-tournament favorites before they started their campaign. Head Coach Kim Mulkey made sure to make the team even more formidable. This is when she recruited two new players to join the LSU ranks. With this, Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow were brought in through the transfer portal. As a result, LSU was the preseason No. 1 team. Unfortunately, the defending champions received a major reality check as they became the first national champions to lose their opening game since 1995. Following this, they came back with a vengeance and landed 100-plus points in games against Queens, Mississippi Valley State and Kent State. Consequently, they won each of these games by a margin of 30 in each game.

Despite their impressive comeback, LSU are facing some serious lapses in their game. The lack of chemistry was clearly visible in their game against Kent State. The Tigers looked out of sorts before halftime as they trailed against a team that hasn’t been a part of the NCAA tournament for more than 20 years. In addition to this, there are some undisclosed internal issues that have headlined their season. A surprising move to bench Angel Reese against Kent which was later followed by her 4-game suspension. Moreover, the sudden exclusion of their No.55 Kateri Poole from the team also caused quite a stir considering she was an integral part of their championship journey last season.

There is a handful of numbers that suggest that the national champions are not in their best shape.

What do the stats say about the LSU Tigers?

LSU Tigers have clearly proven that their name and game should be remembered. After their previous season’s win where they had an amazing record of 34-2, the LSU Tigers seemed unstoppable. Further, they seem to have the highest versatility in the team at present. When compared to the other finalist team Iowa Hawkeyes, the LSU Tigers seem to have a lesser efficiency from the 3-point range. On the downside, the 3-pointers of LSU have horribly reduced to 29.8 per game from 34.6 per game from last season. Comparatively, Iowa stands at 35.6 per game.

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We can also see that there is no significant improvement in their rebound rate. Last season, their rebounds were at 46.1 per game and in 2023 they are at 46.8 per game. In addition to this, LSU’s defense does not even stand in the top ten ranking of the NCAA. Their current defensive rebound average is of 29.8 per game. The LSU Tigers also do not appear anywhere in the top ten teams when it comes to their winning percentage. This is due to their loss in the season opener against the then-number 20 seated Colorado Buffaloes.

Most importantly, the Lady Tigers’ defensive strategies pose a serious threat to their overall game.

Problems on the defensive front

The Tigers seem to be struggling with their internal defense. It was evident in their first game when they conceded 42 points against Colorado. Following this, LSU’s 3-point defense against weak nonconference opponents was also under questionable. Evidently, these teams had more than a 40% success rate from the 3-point arc. Lack of trust and communication in the back had teams like Kent State breach them and finish 14-for-33. Furthermore, the individual defensive miscues due to their lack of energy or effort even with such a lively and young bunch are concerning.

Apart from these team stats, the Lady Tigers are not giving out their best performance individually either. Evidently, there is no LSU member in the list of top ten points per game or rebounds per game-scoring players. Moreover, the NCAA Most Outstanding Player of 2023 from LSU, Angel Reese, is no longer the top 5 draft pick for the WNBA. With the degrading image of this team, the Lady Tigers sure need to significantly improve their statistics both as a team and individually.

Despite chinks in their armour, Kim Mulkey is a warden of warriors. The seasoned coach knows how to play chess on court. With the return of the Bayou Barbie, the old team charisma is definitely back. Besides, her preseason campus recruits will face an inevitable litmus test now. They’ve to live up to their matron’s expectations as a unit. Going forward, much depends on the team chemistry now.

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And then, it also depends on the ‘beast mode’ that often gets activated in the sidelined/snubbed stars. The stage is set. And the occasion is only getting big by day. Let Barbie return from Manhattan. Who knows what Santa has blessed her with this time around. Maybe, a midas touch that made her steal thunder from Caitlin Clark’s camp last year. Or, maybe a performance that will hush her haters who pounced on her for dropping the season opener. The Lady Tigers are clearly flawed, but their forte lies in their sense of being the reining champions. Who knows they will end up at the top of the food chain, again. After all, a sense of achievement is a great motivation.