{"id":36988,"date":"2023-11-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swishappeal.com\/ncaa\/2023\/11\/1\/23937617\/ncaa-sec-preview-lsu-reese-van-lith-mulkey-south-carolina-staley-cardoso-tennessee-harper-jackson"},"modified":"2023-11-01T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T12:00:00","slug":"sec-preview-can-any-team-take-down-lsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/01\/sec-preview-can-any-team-take-down-lsu\/","title":{"rendered":"SEC preview: Can any team take down LSU?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \"NCAA
Flau\u2019jae Johnson, Angel Reese and the LSU Lady Tigers begin the season at the top of the SEC, and national, rankings. | Photo by Rebecca Warren\/NCAA Photos via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The No. 1 team in the nation, the LSU Lady Tigers also lead the SEC entering the 2023-24 season. The South Carolina Gamecocks and Tennessee Lady Vols are equipped to challenge the defending the champs for conference supremacy. <\/p>\n

Last season, the South Carolina Gamecocks captured the SEC regular season and tournament championships. Yet, it was the LSU<\/a> Lady Tigers who took the ultimate crown, winning the program\u2019s first national championship. <\/p>\n

With the triumph, LSU deservedly enters the season at the top, both of the SEC standings and national rankings. The Gamecocks and Tennessee Lady Vols, however, promise to present a challenge to the Lady Tigers. A number of teams below the top three, such as the Ole Miss Rebels<\/a> or Texas A&M Aggies<\/a>, could surge above expectations and enter the conference contender conversation. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how SEC coaches<\/a> expect the conference to shake out in 2023-24:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. LSU <\/li>\n
  2. South Carolina<\/li>\n
  3. Tennessee<\/li>\n
  4. Ole Miss<\/li>\n
  5. Mississippi State<\/li>\n
  6. Texas A&M<\/li>\n
  7. Arkansas<\/li>\n
  8. Alabama<\/li>\n
  9. Georgia<\/li>\n
  10. Florida<\/li>\n
  11. Missouri<\/li>\n
  12. Auburn<\/li>\n
  13. Vanderbilt<\/li>\n
  14. Kentucky<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And here are our thoughts on the class of the conference\u2014LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee\u2014and the other tiers of SEC teams: <\/p>\n

    \n

    LSU <\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n \"NCAA
    \n Photo by C. Morgan Engel\/NCAA Photos via Getty Images<\/cite>
    LSU\u2019s Angel Reese is the Preseason SEC Player of the Year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    If the superteam trend has filtered down from the WNBA<\/a> to the NCAA, it\u2019s epicenter is Baton Rouge. <\/p>\n

    The defending national champs brought the top-ranked recruiting and transfer classes to the Bayou, giving the Lady Tigers an absolutely stacked roster. Arriving via Louisville, grad student Hailey Van Lith, a Preseason All-SEC First-Team nominee, fills LSU\u2019s point guard vacancy and, as our Josh Felton analyzed<\/a>, will have the opportunity to showcase her underrated playmaking skills by setting up scores for the likes of Aneesah Morrow, the junior wing who transferred to LSU from DePaul. Depended on to get lots of tough buckets for the Blue Demons, Morrow, voted to the Preseason All-SEC Second-Team, should thrive as an efficient, tertiary option for the Lady Tigers, while also fortifying LSU\u2019s domination of the boards. The same should be true for freshman guard Mikaylah Williams<\/a>, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023. Although she possess the ability to carry a heavy creation burden, she instead should find herself in advantageous offensive positions. <\/p>\n

    In large part, that\u2019s because of Preseason SEC Player of the Year Angel Reese. While she has emerged as an off-court phenomenon since cutting down the national championship nets last spring, it shouldn\u2019t be lost that the 6-foot-3 junior also is an on-court phenom. Willing to bang in the paint and battle for boards, she also can unleash her guard-like skills, especially as a grab-and-go threat. Like Reese, returning sophomore guard Flau\u2019jae Johnson brings the pizzaz, both off and on the court. As emphasized by our Eric Nemchock<\/a>, Johnson is an elite athlete, which she put to use on both ends of the floor last season. She\u2019s expected to do the same this season, as she is the third Lady Tiger to earn a spot on the Preseason All-SEC First-Team.<\/p>\n

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    \n

    Things We Love To See: \u2935\ufe0f<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/t.co\/9Go4QLHXqE<\/a> | @Flaujae<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/U7RZ631P29<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 LSU Women’s Basketball (@LSUwbkb) October 27, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n