Oklahoma at LSU women's basketball: Storylines, how to watch as Flau'jae Johnson faces Raegan Beers
Two of the SEC's best and most balanced offenses get a national stage Thursday night, with Jennie Baranczyk's Oklahoma Sooners cast as road underdogs against Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers. The Tigers are at +3000 (seventh in the odds) to win the National Championship, while the Sooners are at +10000 (13th). Both teams avenged gnarly losses to South Carolina by winning on Sunday, albeit against inferior opponents. This game carries weight in a competitive and crowded conference.
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LSU's big three can ball with the best of them. Junior Flau'jae Johnson is fifth in the SEC with 19.7 points per game. Senior Aneesah Morrow is a menace, averaging 14 rebounds (best in the nation) and three stocks (steals + blocks). Sophomore Mikaylah Williams averages 15.9 points per game and shoots 90.2 percent from the foul line.
But this electric offense has been temporarily grounded. The Tigers had topped 80 points in 12 of 13 contests before back-to-back struggles last week. They shot just 31.9 percent in Sunday's win over Texas A&M, while Johnson went 0-for-5 from behind the arc. They were an especially disagreeable 29.9 percent in the South Carolina loss.
LSU could use a get-right game. The same goes for these Sooners. Oklahoma achieved its highest AP ranking (eighth) since 2008-09 but has since gone 4-3, with a loss to rival Texas and a heartbreaker at Mississippi State.
If the Sooners are to pull off the upset, they will need 2024 All-American Raegan Beers at her best. She's an interior presence but has actually made 4 of 7 treys since the New Year. More confidence on the long ball would really open up this offense. Off the strength of Beers, Oklahoma is third in the country in total rebounding and first in the SEC in 2-point percentage.
The Sooners also have the conference's highest assist rate, thanks to clever senior guard Payton Verhulst and fifth-year bench spark Nevaeh Tot. The main problem has been their negative turnover differential.
From senior writer Chantel Jennings: 'The South Carolina game was the first genuine measuring stick for LSU this season after a non-conference slate that had just one top-25 opponent (then-No. 20 NC State in the SEC-ACC Challenge). Holding South Carolina to 66 points is certainly an impressive feat — the only lower-scoring game for the Gamecocks this season was their loss to UCLA. However, the Tigers couldn't find enough of an offensive spark and cohesion to match.'
Oklahoma:
LSU:
(Photo of Flau'jae Johnson: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
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