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LSU drops in AP Poll, remains two-seed in ESPN Bracketology

On3 imageby:Matthew Brune•01/27/25•

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Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers head Ccoach Kim Mulkey claps for her players on the court during the first half against the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

After a weekend with two games in three days with travel from South Carolina and back, LSU split its contests against South Carolina and Texas A&M, moving its record to 21-1 and 5-1 in SEC play.

The game against South Carolina had the attention of basketball fans across the country and it was a solid showing from the Tigers against one of the top teams in the nation on the road, despite losing 66-56. As a result, LSU dropped from No. 5 to No. 7 in the latest AP Poll released on Monday morning, returning to their ranking from the preseason.

LSU has picked up solid wins against NC State, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, but remains a question mark in the eyes of many, as reflected from a drop in the AP Poll.

“I learned we can hang with the best in the country,” Mulkey said after the loss to South Carolina. “We had critical turnovers at the wrong times and the momentum shifted. Just little things like that we have to mature, grow up and be prepared for.”

Early Bracketology outlook

While the AP Poll dropped LSU after the loss, Charlie Creme at ESPN released his latest Bracketology on Saturday and kept LSU as a two-seed in his NCAA Tournament bracket. The Tigers are in the same region as No. 1 USC and would also host No. 7 Baylor in his projections, albeit still a ways out from the real thing.

Kim Mulkey always talks about the importance of hosting in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and the Tigers seem poised to reach that mark for a fourth straight year as they head into the back half of SEC play.

“We’re mentally strong,” Junior Flau’Jae Johnson said. “Your mental has to be ten times your physical when you play these games. It’s the SEC so you’re playing good teams every day, you have to be mentally sharp, you have to let the last game go, and focus between the lines. We’re a young team, but mentally, we’re strong.”

LSU faces No. 13 Oklahoma in the PMAC on Thursday at 6 p.m., looking for another ranked win to further bolster their resume, but it will be another challenge.

Johnson is one of the leaders of the team and now looks for her and her teammates to grow as they head into this final stretch of games before the postseason.

“We sat and watched film. We looked at the things we did well, and for me I was pissed, I’m a competitor, I could barely sleep, but I was like all the things we did wrong all of those things are fixable. Turnovers we had, free throws, all of them are fixable so it gave me a little chip. We didn’t play our best. We’re going to be alright.”

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