What's wrong with LSU, and why is the reigning champ struggling? - ESPN

The reigning national champion LSU Tigers were the talk of the offseason after a summer that spurred predictions they'd become women's basketball's next superteam. Coach Kim Mulkey brought in two star players from the transfer portal — Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow — to join forces with Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese and a top-ranked recruiting class, earning the Tigers the preseason No. 1 ranking.

But the early goings in Baton Rouge have featured mixed results. LSU became the first national champion to drop its season opener since 1995, losing to then-No. 20 Colorado 92-78 on the first day of the 2023-24 season. The Tigers have produced 100-plus points and won by at least 30 in each game since — against Queens, Mississippi Valley State and Kent State — but their deficiencies more than their dominance have been the story.

They led by just two at halftime Tuesday against Kent State, which hasn't played in the NCAA tournament in over 20 years, and even trailed early in the third quarter before going on a huge second-half run to win comfortably, largely fueled by the exceptional shooting of freshman Mikaylah Williams.

Mulkey has been most concerned with LSU's defense, but also seems to be working through some personnel issues. Aside from early difficulties stemming from lack of chemistry and playing time together, Reese was benched for the second half of the Kent State game, and Kateri Poole, who started down the stretch of LSU's championship run, did not play the entire game. Mulkey chalked up the absences to a «coach's decision.»

Ahead of LSU's fifth game of the season — Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) at Southeastern Louisiana, which gave the Tigers trouble last year, we break down what we've learned so