LSU's Flau'jae Johnson "questionable" for Top 5 matchup vs. Texas

In one of the most-anticipated Southeastern Conference games of the women’s basketball season, LSU may be without one of the team’s stars.

LSU star Flau’jae Johnson was listed as questionable to play when the SEC’s initial injury report was released on Saturday night.

If Johnson isn’t able to suit up, the matchup between No. 5 LSU and No. 3 Texas brings with it a much different look at the talent the Tigers are bringing to Austin.

Johnson has started in every game across LSU’s 25-1 start this season, and coming off an All-SEC nod as a sophomore a year ago, the talented guard out of the Peach State is averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game. Johnson has also hit 37% from 3-point range on the season, adding an average of nearly six rebounds per game.

Johnson has been joined in the starting lineup for LSU in all 26 games this season by the program’s other top two scorers in Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams.

If LSU head coach Kim Mulkey doesn’t have Johnson in the lineup, the next names up at the guard spot would be Kailyn Gilbert, Mjracle Sheppard and Jada Richard. Gilbert scored 23 points for the Tigers in a 5-point win over No. 15 Tennessee one week ago.

With the release of the SEC injury report, FanDuel’s spread for the Top 5 matchup between LSU and Texas shifted into double-digits – moving from Texas as 7.5 point favorites at home on Saturday to the Longhorns were listed as 10.5 point favorites on Sunday morning, though the line has dipped back down to 9.5 points since the movement.

The Matchup Breakdown: No. 5 LSU vs. No. 3 Texas

(The following is the game preview from LSU Athletics)

AUSTIN, Texas – With both teams in a three-way tie atop the SEC, No. 5 LSU (25-1, 10-1 SEC) will face a road challenge on Sunday at No. 3 Texas (25-2, 11-1 SEC) at 2 p.m. CT in the Moody Center on ABC.

Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck will be featured on ABC’s production. Fans can also listen to Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the LSU Sports Radio Network.

Over LSU’s final five regular season games, the Tigers have three road games against teams currently ranked in the AP Poll. In addition to Sunday’s top-5 matchup at Texas, LSU still has road trips to No. 8 Kentucky and No. 21 Alabama. LSU’s final two home games are against Georgia and Ole Miss who upset Kentucky on Monday. The Tigers are 4-1 this season against ranked teams with their only loss coming on the road at No. 2 South Carolina.

After taking down Tennessee for the second time this season, LSU was off on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s top-5 showdown. Texas handed South Carolina its first conference loss of the season last Sunday in Austin as the Longhorns split their regular season series with the Gamecocks. On Thursday, Texas battled to a hard-fought road win at Kentucky and the Longhorns have won nine in a row. Sunday’s game will go a long way in determining seeding in both the SEC and NCAA Tournament.

LSU’s bench came up big for the Tigers last Sunday against Tennessee. Kailyn Gilbert scored 21 of her 23 points in the second half and came up clutch for LSU when both Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow were in foul trouble during the third quarter. Mjracle Sheppard came off the bench to contribute 8 points and 5 rebounds while the freshman Jada Richard had 5 points in 5 minutes of action. With their production, LSU’s bench outscored Tennessee’s bench, 36-6.

Texas, like LSU, does not rely heavily on the three ball to win games. The Longhorns attempt and make the fewest three pointers per game in the SEC. LSU ranks in the bottom half in the conference for both three pointers attempted and made. When they do shoot beyond the arc, the Tigers shoot at a significantly higher clip than the longhorns do. Both teams excel as two of the top four three-point defenses in the SEC.

The Longhorns have won 20 consecutive games at home going back to last season. Madison Booker leads Texas with 16.5 points per game and Taylor Jones chips in 12.4 points per game. Those are the Longhorns’ only two players averaging double-figures, but they feature a balanced scoring attack in which nine players average north of six points each game.