LSU’s Reese available to play against Virginia Tech

LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese will be available to play against No. 9 Virginia Tech on Thursday, coach Kim Mulkey said Wednesday. Reese has missed four straight games for the No. 7 Tigers.

Reese hasn’t played since he was benched in the second half of LSU’s win over Kent State on Nov. 14. Mulkey has declined to provide many details about Reese’s absence.

When Mulkey was asked for an explanation after LSU’s win over Kent State, she said she “could” give one, “but I won’t.” It was just a coach’s decision.” After the win over Southeast Louisiana on November 17, Mulkey responded to Reese’s absence by saying, “It’s very clear that Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner rather than later.

After the Tigers’ win over Texas Southern on Nov. 20, Mulkey added: “You’re always dealing with locker room issues. That’s just part of coaching.” Reese, the standout player at last year’s Final Four, was not scheduled for the two games at the Cayman Islands Classic against Niagara and Virginia last weekend.

Through four games this season, Reese is averaging 17 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46.9 percent.

Mulkey also said Wednesday that reserve guard Kateri Poole — who was also benched in the game against Kent State and has played limited minutes since — is still not with the team, and that forward Sa’Myah Smith is done for the season with a torn MCL, ACL and meniscus.

What to look for on Reese’s return

The same thing I was looking for before her absence and during her absence: LSU’s overall flow. From the beginning, we knew it would take longer for LSU to come together on the floor due to the number of new key players and because this schedule did not include an offseason trip abroad (which would have allowed the Tigers to do 10 additional practices over the summer). Through seven games, LSU hasn’t established a consistent flow. Some of that is due to player availability, but even when every player was available, that flow didn’t show up consistently. In a game against a strong Virginia Tech team, can LSU push through 40 minutes in a way we haven’t seen yet this season?

I’ll also look at Reese’s minute load. She hasn’t played a game in more than two weeks, but Mulkey did say Reese was practicing. (She did not specify for how long.) Smith’s injury will likely require an increase in Reese’s minutes overall this season. As for Thursday night’s game, it will be interesting to see exactly how many points Reese gets. — Chantel Jennings, senior women’s basketball writer

How much will LSU miss Smith?

Awesome. The sophomore had started the 2023-24 season strong, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game. The Tigers will miss her length on both ends of the floor, but especially on the offensive glass where she has been cleaning up this season.

The Tigers’ forward line was already quite thin, so her absence will mean an even greater reliance on Reese and Aneesah Morrow, who haven’t shown great on-court chemistry yet this season – even in the games in which both have played. Smith’s minutes could go to a number of players. The Tigers have more guards, so we could see them opting for a smaller lineup. But against bigger SEC teams, that likely means junior Amani Bartlett — who has averaged less than six minutes per game this season — will be thrust into the heavy rotation, or LSU will rely even more heavily on 6-foot-4 players. freshman Aalyah Del Rosario will play minutes in the paint.

Against Virginia Tech, it will be interesting to see what direction the Tigers go – especially in the starting lineup – dealing with 6-6 All-American Elizabeth Kitley. It appears there’s a decent chance LSU selects Del Rosario to deal with Kitley’s size, and the Tigers will adjust elsewhere as the game progresses. — Jennings

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(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)