The season opener offers the LSU women an easier test than last year LSU

A year ago, the LSU women's basketball team began its season 1,400 miles from home with a game against one of the best teams in the country.

The start of the season is much easier.

The No. 7 Tigers won't face an opponent like Colorado, a ranked team that faced LSU between two runs to the Sweet 16. In the opening game of last season, the Buffaloes upset the Tigers, forcing the then-reigning champions — who had added the best transfer and freshman classes in the country — to realize they had to work out problems before they could position themselves for a return to the Final Four .

This year, LSU can start the new season relaxed. There's a slim chance coach Kim Mulkey's fourth Tigers team won't play a ranked non-conference opponent at all. If that's the case, play won't begin until Thanksgiving week — after LSU has already played seven teams that are heavily favored to lose. Only one of these opponents (Washington) takes part in a power conference.

The first of those seven teams is Eastern Kentucky, a team from the Atlantic Sun Conference, which will visit the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Monday at 7 p.m. (SEC Network+). The Colonels lost in the first round of last season's WNIT. Now they face an LSU team that has won its two exhibition games by an average margin of 71 points.

“It's hard to really evaluate things in these two games,” Mulkey said Wednesday. “So let’s just be completely fair and honest. Our defense, especially in man-to-man mode, needs to get better on the perimeter and stop penetration. And we will.”

LSU has several chances to fix this problem — and recover from injuries — before it gets a chance to get a win to add to its NCAA Tournamentesume.

The Tigers can play up to three power conference teams before Southeastern Conference play begins: Washington on Nov. 25, No. 9 NC State on November 27th and Stanford on December 5th. Before LSU can face the Wolfpack, a team that reached the Final Four last season, it must first beat Washington in a tournament in the Bahamas and then see if NC State can prevail against Southern.

Last season, LSU also scheduled three non-conference games against Power Five teams. But two of those opponents – Colorado and Virginia Tech – were counted. Neither Stanford nor Washington were expected to finish in the top five of their new conference.

By the time the potential game against NC State begins, LSU could be near full strength.

Mississippi State transfer guard Mjracle Sheppard will miss the first few weeks of the season as she recovers from an injury that Mulkey described as a stress reaction. Senior guard Last-Tear Poa is also expected to miss the start of the year so she can “take care of business off the field,” as Mulkey said after LSU’s first exhibition game.

Because of these absences, LSU is down to two true point guards. But both Miami transfer Shayeann Day-Wilson (hip) and Lafayette freshman Jada Richard (ankle) have minor injuries. Day-Wilson sat at LSU's second exhibition game as a precaution, Mulkey said, and Richard left the contest after logging 10 minutes.

LSU has high hopes for Day-Wilson, a senior with 71 career starts. Mulkey said at SEC Media Day on Oct. 16 that she expected the 5-foot-11 ball-handler to play “just point guard.”

“I think once she understands everything that's required of her as a point guard,” Mulkey said, “she'll shine.” She can shoot the 3-ball. She's lightning fast. Your final year of college. She has university experience. We’re definitely excited to have her on our team.”