Although sporting a record that sparkles as much as head coach Kim Mulkey’s outfit du jour, the No. 6 LSU Tigers haven’t really been tested, facing only one ranked team on their way to their shiny 17-0 mark.
That changes on Thursday night, when Mulkey’s Krewe travels to Knoxville to take on the erstwhile unbeaten and No. 16-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols, who dropped their first game of the season on Sunday after a late comeback came up short.
Expect the game to be a high-scoring contrast of styles that will inform the true quality of the Tigers and Lady Vols. Has a soft schedule masked weakness for LSU? Or, does their average margin of victory of almost 32 points per game show that, regardless of schedule, the Tigers are a team to be feared? Was Tennessee’s hot start a product of their high-variance style? Or, has new head coach Kim Caldwell implemented a sustainable system that can survive the rigors of the SEC?
We’ll find out when the Tigers and Vols tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET (SECN+). Here’s a look at what could be the most determinative areas of the game:
Which offense will have the edge?
