Is Angel Reese playing tonight vs Mississippi State? LSU forward's status explored

During the early part of the 2023-2024 season, there were fears about an undisclosed issue between Angel Reese and LSU coach Kim Mulkey. The LSU star was absent from the courts for a big chunk of November, and speculation led to rumors.

The situation got so out of hand that the "Bayou Barbie" herself had to address the issue at the time:

However, Angel Reese is back to being a staple of the LSU Lady Tigers and will almost surely play tonight against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the SEC clash at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. She has featured for the Lady Tigers in every game of 2024.

Reese explained that her absence from the courts was due to a personal need to recharge the batteries, being quoted by the AP as follows:

"Taking time for yourself is really important, I feel like that's something that was important, resetting and focusing within the team. My mental health is the most important before anything, and I'm gonna make sure I'm OK before anything, because I don't wanna cause any harm or cancer in the locker room... people (need) to realize I'm not just an athlete – I'm a human too.

"I go through things, we all go through things, and just being able to have so many people that were super supportive to me in this past week and a half really showed me a lot."

Angel Reese under the wing of Shaquille O'Neal

One of the most prominent features of her leave of absence was Reese's lack of use of social media. It seems that she was following the advice of a powerful mentor, none other than LSU's own Shaquille O'Neal:

"One thing I always remember he said (O'Neal) is, I have the world at my (fingertips). I could post right now on Instagram that I bought a million-dollar home, and people are going to believe it because that’s how social media works, so when all of that was happening, he was coaching me up."

She seems to have really appreciated the advice of O'Neal, saying that:

"He told me every day, like, 'This, too, shall pass,' just being able to have somebody like that was something that was really good for me. He told me when I was right. He told me when I was wrong. He told me what I needed to do to get back to where I am."

Angel Reese's performance against South Carolina

Angel Reese and the Lady Tigers fell Thursday to the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks 76-70. Reese managed to score 15 points and record four assists and eight rebounds during the game. Forward Aneesah Morrow was the school's top scorer with one more point than Reese, while Mikayla Williams led LSU in assists with six.

Guard Hailey Van Lith scored 13 points and had three assists and two rebounds.