Basketball Mailbag: What are the ceilings for LSU's two teams?

Both mens and women LSU basketball teams continue their trek through the first half of conference play, both over .500 and looking competitive among the top of the conference.

The men’s team has a road game at Georgia on Wednesday night, while the women’s team has a blockbuster showdown with South Carolina on Thursday night in the PMAC.

With a good chunk of conference play down, I wanted to host a Q&A for Bengal Tiger subscribers to ask questions about either one of the basketball teams. Thank you all for the questions. Let’s get into it.

Men’s basketball Qs

Tigerfan498: “I’m not sure how much of the rebounding is fixable at this time. I’m guessing they will have to look to the portal to add some quality bigs who can protect the rim this off-season but 3-2 so far is better than I expect”

Answer: Their rebounding has taken significant steps forward since the beginning of the season, but it’s clearly not a great rebounding team when Hunter Dean is your best rebounder. I think if Daimion Collins was healthy all year he would have had a bigger role and helped them with rim protection. Bring him back another year and I’d be optimistic.

CapitalCityTiger21: “What’s the ceiling for the men’s team on conference wins and tourney seeding and what’s a realistic finish in conference? Does the mens team make the field of 64?”

A: I think the ceiling is 9-9 in conference play and that would put them around 7th or 8th in conference most likely. I don’t think the men’s team makes the NCAA Tournament. They needed more non-conference wins against teams like Texas, Kansas State, and Syracuse, three teams that are on the bubble right now themselves. 

AZTigerfan: “How many guys will MM take from the Portal or late signing period for next season? Is a PG one of those MM is recruiting? When Cook is not on the floor the team flow isn’t the same and apparent there’s no true PG on the court.”

Answer: Their rebounding has taken significant steps forward since the beginning of the season, but it’s clearly not a great rebounding team when Hunter Dean is your best rebounder. I think if Daimion Collins was healthy all year he would have had a bigger role and helped them with rim protection. Bring him back another year and I’d be optimistic.

If I’m reading your second question right, I think Cook is pivotal for this offense’s success, even if he has moments where you wish he’d take better care of the ball or take better shots.

JaredRyan: “This mbb team doesn’t play with basketball IQ except for Jordan Wright at times… Even with Jalen Cook in the game, the decisions they make offensively as far as shot selection is poor and the toughness and positioning for offensive boards isn’t there. Can this be coached up?”

A: I don’t think shot selection is a massive problem, outside of Jalen Cook’s 3-pointers. They move the ball well offensively, 6th in the SEC in assist rate, and are top half in field goal percentage. They don’t prioritize offensive rebounding because they don’t have good rebounding personnel. In general, yes these can be coached up, to answer your question.

NolaFan33: “What do you think of the development we have seen from the guys that were on the team last year, specifically Jalen Reed and Tyrell Ward?”

A: Both Reed and Ward have taken significant steps forward this season. For Ward, he’s become a 41 percent 3-point shooter and his defense has taken a huge leap which allows him to be on the court for longer stretches. Reed has been a lot stronger and more efficient on his drives, now shooting 60 percent from two on the season. He has a great handle and is a mismatch for a lot of forwards.

Madiqeaux: “What’s the ceiling for the MBB team under MM for the next 3-4 years?”

A: Without knowing anything about his personnel in the coming years, I think he’s shown the ability to compete for multiple top 50 recruits as he did in the 2024 class, plus the success with guys like Jalen Cook and Jordan Wright from the portal is also encouraging. Absolute ceiling is difficult, but top three in the conference is certainly on the table if everything breaks right. He’s a good coach.

Jflag: “Is rebounding a legit issue going forward for us? Or was this more of A&M being very aggressive on the offensive boards?”

A: Rebounding was actually a strength through the first four games of conference, but A&M just outmuscled and outwilled them in that last game. If LSU can get back to being a high-level defensive rebounding team, this team is in good shape. They’re now No. 5 in defensive rebounding percentage in the conference.

Women’s basketball Qs

Tigerfan498: “How do you think LSU staff feels they stand with Sarah Strong? I have to think Jazz walked away from her visit impressed after yesterday. The team is starting to shape into form.”

A: My read on the situation is that every staff that is/was recruiting Strong is just kind of waiting. It’s impossible to get a great read on the situation when Strong has changed her timeline multiple times and has leaned different directions this entire process. Still, LSU is right there in the hunt, as we’ve talked about.

Jazzy Davidson surely had to be impressed with her visit, getting to see LSU vs. Arkansas on Sunday especially.

LWT: “I know Angel only made that one 3 pointer. But against SC, I think they need to get Cardoso out of the paint and Angel probably need to be in the high pick and roll. How do you think Mulkey tweaks the offense vs SC? Or what do you think she should do?”

A: It was great to see Angel hit three jump shots in that game against Arkansas, but I don’t think she’s an efficient shooter by any means, still. Defenses will give her that shot and we’ll see if she takes them in games with more at stake and more pressure. 

Cardoso is clearly a huge problem for LSU going into this one, but I think Aneesah Morrow at the four is the real key. She has to be efficient and much better all around for LSU to have a shot. 

Having covered Kim Mulkey for three years now, I don’t think the offense changes much at all for a regular season game. LSU should be looking to take 3-pointers if SC gives them space, but other than that it will be the same offense as usual.

DenhamTiger90: “Any word on Kim using all her scholarships next year… being heavy in the portal?”

A: Currently, they’re focused on finishing out the 2024 class first, getting a jump start on 2025, and then figuring out what they need in the portal afterwards. In my opinion, they need to be more aggressive in the portal to fill the roster out to 13 or so next year. It’s pretty rare a wbb team uses all 15 scholarships they are allotted.

Krissie: “Can we realistically expect the WBB team’s bench to develop significantly at this point in the season? If so, who from the bench will really improve, and, if the bench doesn’t improve significantly, what is your prediction on the range of how far the team is likely to advance?”

A: When talking about the bench, people really are just asking about the trio of Janae Kent, Angelica Velez, and Amani Bartlett. We know what LSU is getting from Last-Tear Poa, while Aalyah Del Rosario has made great progress, but is still a project.

In that sense, no I don’t think you can expect anyone besides Del Rosario to develop significantly. Kent is going to be a fine player in the future, but she still needs time to let the game slow down for her and to sharpen her offensive game.

Kateri Poole and Sa’Myah Smith not playing anymore give this team a wider variance of outcomes, but the talent is too great to see anything less than a Sweet 16 run. Give Mulkey and her staff another month and a half and I expect this team to look significantly better once the tournament arrives. Winning another national title feels like a stretch this year, but making a Final Four is certainly on the table if things break right.