LSU WBB vs. South Carolina preview part 1: What's on the line in a budding rivalry

It was just over 13 months ago when head coach Dawn Staley brought her No. 1 seeded South Carolina team to Baton Rouge to take on an upstart LSU team led by first-year coach Kim Mulkey. The Tigers clawed and scrapped for the duration of the game, but ultimately lost 66-60 to the eventual national champions.

If you asked LSU fans what they remember about that game, though, it’s probably what Staley said after the win, when asked about how improved the team was under Mulkey.

“They still play with the same grit,” Staley said. “I thought Nikki did a great job getting the most out of them. If she got the support that Kim is getting, the energy in the building is going to raise the level of play. The people in the building allow that to happen. If Nikki had a chance to get that, maybe she’d still be sitting here.”

The comments sparked outrage from LSU fans across the state who were thrilled to have Mulkey in place and in a position to bring the women’s basketball program back to relevance. Fargas was a respected coach and figure in women’s basketball, so perhaps Staley just wanted to give Fargas some respect, but either way, fans now had an easy target.

No one knows how Mulkey reacted to the comment in private, but over a year later, she made clear that there was no issue.

“The comments [about] Nikki, you’d have to ask her exactly what she meant, but I didn’t take offense to any of that.” Mulkey said on Thursday.

Even as water under the bridge, it’s yet another talking point when looking at what surrounds this game.

No. 3 LSU and No. 1 South Carolina meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Columbia, South Carolina on ESPN in perhaps the biggest regular season game in LSU women’s basketball history. Let’s look at the storylines to follow in the build up for this game.

On the cusp of a rivalry?

We have the two elite head coaches in the same conference, ensuring they play every year, but other than that, there’s still a long way to go before this turns into a true rivalry. How can that change quickly? LSU wins on Sunday.

Sure, there could be some trash talk or physical moments, but a win would mark a true battle for the top spot in the SEC. Neither program is going anywhere. Under these two head coaches, LSU and South Carolina will continue to boast top five teams in the country year in and year out. This very likely will turn to a rivalry in the coming years, but for now, it’s hard to have anyone as a rival to South Carolina with the dominance they have on the sport.

“I don’t view it as a rivalry in any way, no one is on their level,” Mulkey said. “I don’t think anyone is a rival to them, they’re that good. We’re just another school in the SEC that’s trying to do what they have done.”

Going all-in?

South Carolina’s last victory came against No. 5 UConn on the road on Sunday, yet another statement win for the Gamecocks in their perfect season. It’s the other side of the coin that stood out to Mulkey though.

The Huskies were unable to respond after the loss, going on the road and losing to Marquette on Wednesday night. It was the first back-to-back loss in UConn women’s basketball since 1993.

Mulkey isn’t afraid of losing to South Carolina on Sunday. Mulkey is concerned about the result impacting the games that follow.

“Here’s what you hope doesn’t happen. UConn lost last night. Did they spend all of their energy in that one game?” Mulkey said. “We only play eight players, so it’s been a long season. I understood exactly what Geno was saying. They were spent. No matter what happens in this game, you have to prepare that there’s more games to be played against good teams. That’s where I spend a lot of time preparing for the one in front of us, but no matter what happens, we have to get ready for Ole Miss. We know who we are. We don’t pretend to be South Carolina, but let’s go see what we have to do to reach that elite level.

“We won’t allow it to be too big. If you win, all it does is it gives you a leg up on winning the SEC. There are bigger games for both programs down the road. You love the sold out crowd. You love the media attention. I’m glad our name is a part of this, no matter what happens in the game.”

Putting LSU WBB on the map for good

Last year felt like an appetizer. This year, Mulkey has the team ready to play on the national stage. Everyone knows about Kim Mulkey, but when talking about women’s basketball, there’s still work to do for LSU to reach the recognition of some of the other power programs in the country.

“We’re relevant now, but we haven’t arrived. What have we done? We’ve just won basketball games. We haven’t won championships,” Mulkey said. “ We want to build the program to someday we’re getting to Final Fours year in and year out and maybe win some SEC Championships and that doesn’t happen overnight. Honestly, what we’re doing in a lot of ways is ridiculous, but that’s OK. We got a jump start and what helped us get there was the transfer portal.”

How much would a win on Sunday do for the program? It would launch them to the No. 1 seed in the country. It would all but secure a one-seed in the NCAA tournament. It would generate unmatched excitement about the program.

Still, the veteran head coach refuses to let the “what-ifs” get in the way of what this team can be.

“The word perspective comes as you get older in coaching,” Mulkey said. “If we get blown out or if we lose at the buzzer, or if we win, you keep perspective. We’re not going to get too high or too low over one game. We’re excited that we can be a part of something that’s good for basketball, but we know that we are not supposed to win. We’re not just going to throw in the white flag, though. That’s not what competitors do.”

Stay tuned for part two: The Xs and Os