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Just like that, LSU's season is over. A year after Kim Mulkey and LSU sent UCLA packing in the Sweet 16, the Bruins returned the favor in the Elite Eight.
And for the second straight season, LSU came up one game short of the Final Four. Last year, it was Caitlin Clark and Iowa who got the best of the Tigers.
It's hard to make sense of what this means for LSU yet, but we're going to try. In some ways, this year was a reset for LSU. That doesn't mean it was a rebuild, but the Tigers were navigating life without star Angel Reese.
Reese was LSU's headliner for two years. She led the Tigers to a national championship in 2023 and was one of the country's top scorers, rebounders, and defenders the entire time she was in Baton Rouge. LSU remained talented, but you don't replace Reese.
Also gone was Hailey Van Lith, who entered the transfer portal again after a one-year stay at LSU. Van Lith wasn't an elite scorer with the Tigers, but LSU relied on Van Lith at the point guard position.
Despite the exits of Reese and Van Lith, expectations remained high in Baton Rouge. Flau'Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Mikaylah Williams all returned. At their best, all three are All-American caliber players. Enough to build a national title team around if you have the right pieces elsewhere.
But LSU just didn't have enough.
Against elite teams this year, LSU came up just short. Good enough to be competitive, but a lack of depth gave opponents more juice in the second half.
It happened against South Carolina, it happened vs. Texas, and it happened vs. UCLA.
Think back to LSU's national championship win over Iowa in 2023. Jasmine Carson provided a spark off the bench, scoring 22 points. LSU didn't have anything like that this year.
LSU also got 21 points from point guard Alexis Morris in that game. The Tigers haven't found consistency at the point guard position since.
That's what LSU was missing in 2025. The Tigers didn't need a Morris and a Carson, but a little extra scoring from somewhere would have gone a long way towards taking pressure of LSU's big three and giving defenses another threat to worry about.
When Betts went to the bench in foul trouble, UCLA didn't miss a beat. LSU didn't have the depth do to something similar when its stars were hurt, in foul trouble, or just not feeling it.
That being said, Mulkey changed the standard at LSU. Five years ago, being disappointed with an Elite Eight run would have been unthinkable. Now, this is the standard at LSU. Mulkey has a program that expects to be in the Final Four. LSU expects to compete for national championships.
When November rolls around, LSU will begin another season ranked in the preseason top ten with its eyes set on returning to the Final Four.
LSU enters the offseason in a similar spot as last year. The Tigers have key pieces like Flau'Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams returning but are losing their top post player in Aneesah Morrow.
Replacing Morrow will be priority No. 1 from a roster-building standpoint. Expect LSU to be involved with the transfer portal's top forwards. LSU will count on players like Aalyah Del Rosario and Sa'Myah Smith to take a step forward, but they haven't shown the potential to match the offensive firepower of Reese or Morrow. Mulkey wants her go-to post-option to be dynamic.
With Johnson and Williams back, LSU will have one of the top backcourts in the country. But LSU will take a look at the point guard market in the transfer portal.
LSU's NIL resources are among the best in women's college basketball and Mulkey has shown a tendency to be aggressive in the portal, adding Van Lith and Morrow in 2023. Those are the type of additions LSU will look to make this offseason.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU women's basketball loses to UCLA: Where do Tigers go from here?
Continue reading...
And for the second straight season, LSU came up one game short of the Final Four. Last year, it was Caitlin Clark and Iowa who got the best of the Tigers.
It's hard to make sense of what this means for LSU yet, but we're going to try. In some ways, this year was a reset for LSU. That doesn't mean it was a rebuild, but the Tigers were navigating life without star Angel Reese.
Reese was LSU's headliner for two years. She led the Tigers to a national championship in 2023 and was one of the country's top scorers, rebounders, and defenders the entire time she was in Baton Rouge. LSU remained talented, but you don't replace Reese.
Also gone was Hailey Van Lith, who entered the transfer portal again after a one-year stay at LSU. Van Lith wasn't an elite scorer with the Tigers, but LSU relied on Van Lith at the point guard position.
Despite the exits of Reese and Van Lith, expectations remained high in Baton Rouge. Flau'Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Mikaylah Williams all returned. At their best, all three are All-American caliber players. Enough to build a national title team around if you have the right pieces elsewhere.
But LSU just didn't have enough.
Against elite teams this year, LSU came up just short. Good enough to be competitive, but a lack of depth gave opponents more juice in the second half.
It happened against South Carolina, it happened vs. Texas, and it happened vs. UCLA.
Think back to LSU's national championship win over Iowa in 2023. Jasmine Carson provided a spark off the bench, scoring 22 points. LSU didn't have anything like that this year.
LSU also got 21 points from point guard Alexis Morris in that game. The Tigers haven't found consistency at the point guard position since.
That's what LSU was missing in 2025. The Tigers didn't need a Morris and a Carson, but a little extra scoring from somewhere would have gone a long way towards taking pressure of LSU's big three and giving defenses another threat to worry about.
When Betts went to the bench in foul trouble, UCLA didn't miss a beat. LSU didn't have the depth do to something similar when its stars were hurt, in foul trouble, or just not feeling it.
That being said, Mulkey changed the standard at LSU. Five years ago, being disappointed with an Elite Eight run would have been unthinkable. Now, this is the standard at LSU. Mulkey has a program that expects to be in the Final Four. LSU expects to compete for national championships.
When November rolls around, LSU will begin another season ranked in the preseason top ten with its eyes set on returning to the Final Four.
What's next for LSU?
LSU enters the offseason in a similar spot as last year. The Tigers have key pieces like Flau'Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams returning but are losing their top post player in Aneesah Morrow.
Replacing Morrow will be priority No. 1 from a roster-building standpoint. Expect LSU to be involved with the transfer portal's top forwards. LSU will count on players like Aalyah Del Rosario and Sa'Myah Smith to take a step forward, but they haven't shown the potential to match the offensive firepower of Reese or Morrow. Mulkey wants her go-to post-option to be dynamic.
With Johnson and Williams back, LSU will have one of the top backcourts in the country. But LSU will take a look at the point guard market in the transfer portal.
LSU's NIL resources are among the best in women's college basketball and Mulkey has shown a tendency to be aggressive in the portal, adding Van Lith and Morrow in 2023. Those are the type of additions LSU will look to make this offseason.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU women's basketball loses to UCLA: Where do Tigers go from here?
Continue reading...
