Dawn Staley’s South Carolina vs Kim Mulkey’s LSU is almost a rivalry now, claims women’s basketball analyst

Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks are on top of the NCAA women's basketball scene. They are 16-1 overall with an unblemished 4-0 record in the SEC after dismantling the Texas Longhorns on Sunday, 67-50, as they are vying for a potential national championship three-peat.

On the other hand, coach Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers are pursuing a return to national title glory after winning it all in 2023. They are a staggering 19-0 overall while also having an unbeaten 4-0 standing in conference play after an 83-77 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Monday.

With both powerhouse programs playing in the SEC, a budding rivalry could be in the works for them given the battles they have had in recent memory. This is what women's basketball analysts Megan McKeown and Zora Stephenson pointed out on the latest episode of NBC Sports' "Got Next w/ Meghan & Zora," wherein the former shared her thoughts on the defending champions' upcoming schedule.

"Yikes, first off. That's a wild schedule. According to the standings right now, Oklahoma is a middle-of-the-pack team, which is crazy. That's not going to be the same at the end of the day. LSU, that's become kind of like a fun, almost rivalry that we've seen pop up over the last couple of years," McKeown shared. (Timestamp: 14:33).

Stephenson responded:

"That's appointment television, put it in your calendars," to which McKeown continued saying, "Alabama's not getting enough love for what they've been able to do this season. I love watching Tennessee, another team that is just so much fun to watch."

The analysts looked at the conference games that Staley and the Gamecocks will have in the next couple of weeks. They'll be facing the aforementioned nationally-ranked teams over the course of the month but as they pointed out, the fixture against Mulkey and the Tigers is must-watch television.

Staley's Gamecocks has the advantage over Mulkey's Tigers with a 5-2 head-to-head record. Before they face off once again on Jan. 23, however, South Carolina will have to focus on their next matchups against Alabama and Oklahoma on Jan. 16 and 19, respectively, while LSU will only have a meeting against Florida on Sunday.

Meghan McKeown says South Carolina's advantage is their depth

With Dawn Staley having a winning record against Kim Mulkey, it seems as though she has the confidence that she'll take care of business against the conference rival again. For McKeown, she observed that the edge of Staley's team is their depth, to which she detailed:

"What stood out to me the most about the Gamecocks is the depth they have. That's what makes South Carolina special. They have some big names (like) Te-Hina Paopao...But, there's so many different pieces on that team. There's so much depth, that's why they're so good. They're averaging 43 bench points a game." (15:12)

Staley's Gamecocks and Mulkey's Tigers have amounted to the last three national championships, with the former winning it in 2022 and last season while Mulkey got her first with LSU in 2023. Both squads are expected to go far once again come March as they are two of the favorites to win it all in the national tournament.