LSU Women Picked 3rd In SEC At Media Days, Which Means Tigers Likely To Finish Higher

Tiger Rag News Services

LSU’s women’s basketball team will likely finish first or second in the Southeastern Conference this season, because reporters at the SEC Media Days in on Monday in Birmingham, Alabama, picked the Tigers to finish third behind South Carolina and Texas.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey has finished higher or as predicted by reporters at Media Days in three of her four seasons as coach.

After being picked seventh before Mulkey’s first season in 2021-22, she led LSU to a second place finish. After being predicted to finish third before the 2022-23 season, she finished second and won the first basketball national championship in LSU history. After being slated for a third place finish in 2024-25, she finished third.

The only time she came under the prediction was in the 2023-24 season when the defending national champions were the pick to win the league, but she finished runner-up.

LSU will be led this season by 2024-25 All-SEC players Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, who each were named to the pre-season All-SEC team on Monday – Johnson to the first team and Williams to the second team.

Johnson enters her fourth season at LSU as one of the top returning guards in the country. She led the Tigers to their second straight Elite Eight finish last season with 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Williams, who will be a junior, averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. South Carolina

2. Texas

3. LSU

4. Tennessee

5. Oklahoma

6. Ole Miss

7. Vanderbilt

8. Kentucky

9. Alabama

10. Mississippi State

11. Florida

12. Georgia

13. Missouri

14. Texas A&M

15. Auburn

16. Arkansas

Preseason Player of the Year – Madison Booker, Texas

Preseason All-SEC First-Team – Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU; Reagan Beers, Oklahoma; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Madison Booker, Texas; Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt.

Preseason All-SEC Second Team – Clara Strack, Kentucky; Mikaylah Williams, LSU; Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss; Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina; Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee; Rori Harmon, Texas.

LSU UPCOMING GAMES

The Tigers will host two exhibition games open to the public this month – Mississippi College on Oct. 23 and Langston on Oct. 30. Both will be at 7 p.m.

LSU’s season opener will be Nov. 4 at home against Houston Christian (7 p.m., SEC Network+).