PREVIEW: Kentucky plays LSU on the road to open SEC play

Kentucky had a pretty good run in the non-conference, going 13-1 while beating Louisville by double digits on the road and blowing out Miami in the SEC/ACC Challenge with their only loss coming to No. 7 Maryland on a neutral court. Now, however, the real stuff starts. It’s time for SEC play, and what better way to get started than by playing Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers on the road?

Oh, and it sounds like newly-named LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin will be in attendance for the big-time game.

. @LSUfootball @Lane_Kiffin is expected to attend @LSUwbkb SEC opener at the PMAC tonight vs @KentuckyWBB, per #LSU. Kiffin eager to see @KimMulkey and her No. 5 Tigers on the floor.

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) January 1, 2026

KSR has everything you need to know and more before the high-profile matchup.

Bio Blast

If you just go by the AP Poll and other national rankings, LSU is the best team Kentucky will have played so far. The Tigers sit at No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the NET rankings as well. Mulkey is in her fifth season in Baton Rouge after being at Baylor from 2000-2021. In the 2022-23 season, LSU climbed to the mountaintop of the sport, going 34-2 and winning the first national championship in program history.

Fast forward to this season, and LSU is off to a 14-0 start and looking like one of the more dangerous teams in the country. Perhaps the scariest thing about LSU is their historically high-scoring offense. The Tigers have hit the century mark 11 times this season with their lowest point total in any game this season being 87. LSU averages 108 points per game — far and away the best in the country.

A year ago, Kenny Brooks and Kentucky looked like they were about to slay the beast in Lexington as Georgia Amoore tipped the ball around to get an incredible transition bucket to make it a 36-20 game, but of course, LSU would end up coming back and winning that one 65-58.

Scouting Report

You want to know what else is scary about LSU? Perhaps their best player, South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley, doesn’t even start. Averaging just 20.3 minutes per game, the star guard puts up 15.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and four steals per game.

Her teammate, Flau’jae Johnson, happens to be one of the best players in the country as well. The 5-foot-10 senior also averages 15.1 points per game, reels in 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, but she is also shooting 51.1% from deep this year. As a team, LSU shoots 38.8% from beyond the arc, good enough for 9th in the nation.

You could keep going down the list of high-profile players on LSU’s roster — Mikaylah Williams, Grace Knox, Jada Richard and Kentucky native ZaKiyah Johnson just to rattle off some — but 6-foot-5 sophomore Kate Koval will play a big factor in this one. The Notre Dame transfer is averaging 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. It’ll be interesting to see how she matches up against Clara Strack and Kentucky’s bigs.

LSU Tigers roster

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SEC Student-Athlete Initial Availability Report

Projected Kentucky Starters

#5 – Tonie Morgan

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – SENIOR

12.9 PPG – 8.4 APG – 3.2 RPG

#0 – Jordan Obi

6-FOOT-1 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

11.2 PPG – 6.7 RPG – 1.1 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – SENIOR

10.5 PPG – 6.1 RPG – 1.9 APG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-5 – FORWARD – SENIOR

11 PPG – 5.8 RPG – 1.6 BPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – JUNIOR

16.8 PPG – 9.9 RPG – 3.1 BPG

Phoenix’s Prediction

Score: 87-83, Kentucky

MVP: Clara Strack

When you look at LSU’s schedule to this point, you’ll quickly realize that the Tigers haven’t really played anyone that’s really that good. Their best win of the year is Duke. Yes, that’s a Duke team that entered the season ranked No. 7 in the country, but that’s also a Duke team that is now 7-6. Point being, Kentucky is the best team LSU has seen all season to this point, and I believe the Cats will open SEC play with a bang.

How to Watch/Listen

Location	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, LA)	8 p.m. ET	SEC Network+ (Lyn Rollins and Victor Howell)	630 WLAP, 790 WKRD, SiriusXM channel 392 (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).