Latest on LSU's Last-Tear Poa's health before NCAA Tournament

It was a scary scene when Last-Tear Poa was carted off the court in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament earlier this month. Now, nearly two weeks later, Poa has gone through her first full practice and is expected to be ready to go on Friday afternoon when LSU takes on Rice in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

“She should be available unless has changed overnight,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “She did practice yesterday. So if you’re out there practicing, I’m assuming you’re cleared. But, honestly, I didn’t even ask. We just went to work. So unless something has happened between yesterday’s practice and today, I assume I’ll see her today, and she’ll be good to go.”

Poa’s impact on this team’s defense and ball-handling are substantial. Her presence gives the Tigers added flexibility, especially with Hailey Van Lith beginning to hit her stride as a scorer late in the year. We’ll see how much Poa can go on Friday.

Mikaylah Williams’ status

LSU’s star freshman missed three games late in the season out of precaution as her foot didn’t feel right. Kim Mulkey said she could have kept playing but they wanted her to be 100 percent for the postseason. Williams played in the SEC championship game after not playing or practicing for two weeks and looked rusty, but now with two weeks off, the hope is she’s rounding back into form.

“She hasn’t missed a beat in practice,” Mulkey said. “She’s been out there every possession. And Mikaylah to me is one of the best mid-range shooters that I’ve ever coached. And she can shoot the three ball. She can take you hard and be strong off the dribble, but she’s got to get back in the flow on the floor during a game. And I thought we gave her enough minutes in the SEC Championship. She some hit buckets in that game. And if you ask Mikaylah, she’ll tell you she needed to do more. And that’s what competitors do.”

In the early portion of practice on Thursday, Williams was excellent, firing jumpers and knocking them down against the practice team and exploding off the catch to the basket. Williams could be the X-factor for the Tigers this year and it’s almost time for her to make her NCAA Tournament debut.

“This will be her first shot at a playoff game,” Mulkey said, “Hopefully she’ll be excited and have those butterflies and then do what she does, and that’s play basketball.”

Impact of LSU’s depth

Janae Kent got the start against South Carolina, potentially giving her more confidence going into the tournament, while Aalyah Del Rosario grows with every passing day and game as a 6-foot-6 freshman. Poa rounds out the bench and gives LSU adequate depth necessary to make this run. Staying healthy is going to be key, but getting the bench to be a positive is also going to play a role in this potential NCAA Tournament run.

“We didn’t have the most talented team last year and won the championship,” Angel Reese said. “This year we have one of the most talented teams in the country. So it’s a different shift to understanding what it’s really going to take to win this thing. We won the national championship because of the bench. Me, Alexis, and Kateri didn’t play really much that Iowa game. Jas and Poa came in. That bench is going to be what’s going to be important. And Coach keeps emphasizing, Janae, we’re going to need you. Aalyah, we’re going to need you. Everybody from the bench, we’re going to need you guys.”