“They ain't got no 7-footer to sit in the paint now”: Flau'jae Johnson talks about biggest challenge facing Dawn Staley’s South Carolina
LSU star Flau'jae Johnson is aware of the stakes going into Friday's matchup against the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks, led by head coach Dawn Staley. She even noted a key difference regarding this year's version of the reigning national champions.
Johnson uploaded the latest episode of the "Best of Both Worlds with Flau'jae Johnson" podcast to YouTube on Thursday. LSU men's basketball player Trace Young was the special guest, and the pair discussed the team chemistry on the men’s side, his mid-year transfer to LSU, and working with Coach McMahon.
Another topic discussed was Johnson's thoughts about facing the Gamecocks. She didn't take long to point out one trait about her upcoming opponents.
"Everybody is really excited about this game, especially on Twitter, our fan base, their fan base, but we're a new team, like we are a totally different team. So I don't know, I think we're different from them. And I feel like they're the same team, but they're different as well. So it's gonna be a good battle," Johnson said at the 6:19 mark.
"They ain't got no seven-footer just sitting in the paint now. So, you know, it ain't gonna be like that. That was the biggest challenge, bro. Like, they definitely got rim protectors this year, not gonna lie."
How Flau'jae Johnson, LSU enter matchup with South Carolina
Facing their conference rivals, the defending champions no less, will be tough for Flau'jae Johnson and LSU. This marks the eighth encounter between head coaches Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey. Staley leads the head-to-head record 5-2, winning the last matchup in the 2024 SEC Championship game.
The Tigers enter Friday with a perfect 20-0 overall record, having won their first five games in league play. Their potent offense is producing 90.6 points on 48.9% shooting from the field and 33.2% from beyond the arc, blowing out opponents by a margin of 28.4 points per game.
Flau'jae Johnson leads the way with 19.9 points, six rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals. Aneesah Morrow follows suit with a double-double of 18.7 points and 14.2 rebounds, while Mikaylah Williams puts up 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
After this game, the No. 5 Tigers will return home to host the Texas A&M Aggies at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Jan. 26 at 4 p.m. ET.