Get your popcorn ready.
No. 4 LSU women’s basketball, after dispatching of Missouri 71-60 on the road Thursday night is set to square up with No. 17 Tennessee again on Super Bowl Sunday this weekend inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The two SEC powers exchanged blow after blow the first time they matched up this season in Knoxville with LSU’s Kailyn Gilbert playing the hero by hitting the game-winning layup with a second to go, lifting the Tigers to an 89-87 win.
But this game should have even more juice than it had the first contest as the Lady Vols (17-5, 4-5 SEC) come into Sunday’s rematch off a massive 80-76 win over No. 5 UConn on Thursday.
“I would imagine beating UConn — that’s good for the SEC, I love that,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said after LSU won at Mizzou on Thursday night. “But I would think they’re coming in sky-high.”
Here’s a quick look at where both Tennessee and LSU (24-1, 9-1) are ahead of their rematch.
LSU BLOWS GAME OPEN AT MISSOURI LSU women’s basketball blows game open in second half, defeats Missouri for SEC road win
KIM MULKEY DANCING AT PRACTICE Kim Mulkey, LSU women’s basketball dances during practice ahead of showdown with Missouri
Why Kim Mulkey, LSU women’s basketball should have confidence vs Tennessee Lady Vols
LSU’s defense has been much better since the first meeting between the two programs. That the Tigers are holding teams to 69.1 points per game in the past seven games likely won’t wow anyone. But Mulkey and Bob Starkey’s defense has held five of its past seven opponents to 38% shooting or worse, including No. 2 South Carolina on the road.
Stars Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams have caught fire from the perimeter. Williams has made 14 of her last 24 3-point attempts and has scored 75 points in the past three games. Johnson is 9 for 16 from behind the arc in the past three games and she has made at least 50% of her attempts in as many games.
The wildcard here for LSU is the potential emergence of sophomore Mjracle Sheppard. She had her best game in purple and gold Thursday at Missouri, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds. But her biggest impact came on the defensive end as she handled Mizzou standout guard Grace Slaughter. Her defensive activity could be a factor in the rematch with Tennessee.
Lady Vols pose problems. What makes Tennessee, Kim Caldwell’s system so difficult?
Mulkey said she’s never coached against anyone that runs a system that Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell operates in Rocky Top.
Constant full-court pressure, running up and down the floor with little breaks and offensive design to shoot the ball early in the shot clock, there’s such a small amount of time for teams playing Tennessee to get their feet under them. If teams can’t play sped up, they struggle.
Tennessee, including the first game against LSU, has found itself in a lot of close games, coming up short in most of them. The close win over UConn could provide ample confidence for the Lady Vols heading into Baton Rouge.
Talaysia Cooper is playing better for Tennessee and it got a monumental performance down the stretch from 6-foot-4 forward Zee Spearman against the Huskies. The duo gives the Lady Vols a threat inside and out of the paint.
“It went down to the wire when we played them at Tennessee earlier in the year,” Mulkey said. “I would imagine it’s going to be another good game.”
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Kim Mulkey: LSU-Tennessee on Super Bowl Sunday ‘should be good one’
