One of the biggest games of the regular season for the Alabama women’s basketball team is here.  

The Crimson Tide (15-4, 4-2 SEC) is slated to battle the undefeated LSU Tigers, ranked third in the country, on Monday. Alabama has won three straight games, with two of those three wins coming away from home, but the Tigers (19-0, 7-0 SEC) are a significant step up in competition as one of the best teams in the nation.  

“They’re elite,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “They’re elite on the glass, they’re elite in transition. They have a player of the year candidate in Angel Reese, who’s dominant, and great balance and talent around her. They’re extremely well coached. Kim [Mulkey] knows how to win.” 

Reese is averaging a double-double this season at 24 points and 15 rebounds. Curry said her team has improved defensively from a season ago, and the players have honed in on it as an improvement. It will be imperative for Alabama to show out defensively against a team averaging 88 points a game. The Crimson Tide surrendered 46 points in its win against Texas A&M.  

“To win, you’ve got to rebound, you’ve got to defend, and that starts in transition. We’ve got to limit layups [and] paint points,” Curry said. “Our defense has to be elite. [If we] give up second and third chance points more than a couple of times, it’s going to cause us problems.”  

Alabama’s offense has played well, and a big part of that is success from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide has been working on its mechanics before taking shots.  

“As shooters, we have to be shot-ready on the catch,” senior guard Hannah Barber said. “Sometimes, we’re not going to get a better shot than a catch-and-shoot three, so we have to be ready to step up and knock those down.”  

In two straight games, Alabama has had a player post a double-double. Curry said it will take more than that to secure the upset win against the Tigers.  

“[LSU] is so balanced, and our balance is going to have to equal that,” she said. “We’re going to have to have more than one or two. We’re going to have to have four in double figures, we’re going to have to stay close on the boards. … The passion that they play with — we have to match that energy and passion.” 

A win for Alabama has the potential to place the loaded SEC on notice, and be an impressive feather in the Crimson Tide’s cap. The momentum leading into Monday’s matchup is positive, with a string of quality wins already on Alabama’s ledger as of late. 

Tipoff for the contest is set for 6 p.m. CT, Jan. 23, in Coleman Coliseum.  

Questions or comments? Email Blake Byler (Sports Editor) at [email protected]