Preview and Predictions: No. 7 LSU vs. Texas A&M, Kim Mulkey Chasing Perfection

The No. 7 LSU Tigers (14-0, 2-0 SEC) will be in the PMAC Thursday night with an opportunity to tie the best start in program history when they take on Texas A&M (5-7, 0-2 SEC) at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

LSU had its best start in 2002-03 when it started 15-0 during Seimone’ Augustus’ freshman season. The Tigers have the nation’s No. 1 offense, scoring 92.4 points per game with the third best shooting percentage at 50.7-percent. LSU holds opponents to 51.2 points per game, the fourth fewest in the NCAA.

“We’re not good enough to look past anybody,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “We are still a work in progress. We’re a very talented team, but we haven’t done anything yet.”

How to Watch

Game Information: LSU Tigers vs Texas A&M

Current Records: LSU Tigers (14-0) vs Texas A&M (5-7)

Date/Time: Thursday, January 5 at 8 p.m. CT

Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center - Baton Rouge, La.

TV/Streaming/Radio: SEC Network, LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM

Angel Reese’s stats/national rankings:

PER: 50.4 (1st)
Win shares: 8.6 (1st)
Win shares/40: 0.78 (1st)
PPG: 23.9 (6th)
RPG: 14.9 (2nd)
Off. Rtg.: 137.4 (10th)
Def. Rtg.: 61.3 (8th)
Reb. %3 24.0 (5th)

The Truth. pic.twitter.com/9LrS8V0qYM
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) January 5, 2023

Players to Know

Angel Reese recorded her 14th double-double in as many games this season against Vanderbilt last game while Alexis Morris earned her first career double-double that included dishing out a career-high 12 assists, the most by a SEC player in a game this season. Both Reese and Flau'jae Johnson finished the game with 20 or more points.

Johnson earned her third SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. She has scored in double figures in 11 games this season and has started every game for the Tigers. She also ranks No. 10 in the SEC with 6.79 rebounds per game.

Reese has played as one of the top players in the country, recording a double-double every game this season. She is the only player in the SEC to average over 20 points per game (23.9 ppg) and the only player to average over 10 rebounds (14.93). She grabs more rebounds per game than any other player in the country. Reese has scored at least 20 points in 10 of the past 11 games, including a stretch of nine straight game as she was the first Tiger to accomplish that feat since Seimone Augustus during her senior season.

Morris has begun to find her footing in an updated role from last season. Needed to play the point guard position more this season, Morris has continued to score the ball (13.4 ppg) with 10 double figure games, but she has added a dangerous passing element to her game as well. Her 5.0 assists per game are tied for the third best mark in the SEC. In Sunday’s 12-assist performance, Morris turned the ball over only one time. She has the second-best assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 2.41.

You gotta love everything @LDazhia does to help the team win 💪 pic.twitter.com/1W9haGfhk4
— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) January 4, 2023

Predictions

LSU will have their work cut out for them in this one, but the force Reese has been this season will be the deciding factor. Between Reese and Morris controlling the pace, paired with Johnson getting into a groove in the scoring department, the Lady Tigers simply have too much talent for the Aggies to keep up.

This squad is a well oiled machine with Mulkey at the helm and will simply be too much for Texas A&M to handle.

Score Prediction: LSU 79, Texas A&M 57