BATON ROUGE — LSU women's basketball lost some of its star power with the exit of Angel Reese to the WNBA but those around women's college basketball still expect plenty out of Kim Mulkey's team in the 2024-25 season.

With junior sensation Flau'jae Johnson, senior forward Aneeash Morrow and last season's breakout star Mikaylah Williams back to shoulder the load for a heavily turned-over roster, the Tigers have a lot of talent, skill and firepower that can compete with anyone in the country.

LSU welcomed four transfers including three guards in Shyeann Day-Wilson, sophomore Mjracle Sheppard and Kailyn Gilbert, and one senior forward in Jersey Wolfenbarger from Arkansas.

Jada Richard, who many around the program believe will have an impact on this season's team, was the lone freshman signee for the Tigers in the 2024 class.

Mulkey and the Tigers open the season against Eastern Kentucky inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Nov. 4 (7 p.m., SEC Network+).

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LSU women's basketball rankings update

For second straight season, LSU opens the season ranked inside the top 10 in both the USA Today Coaches as well as the Associated Press poll. The Tigers are ranked No. 7 in both polls. This season, LSU will face three preseason top-10 opponents — No. 1 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma — and potentially a fourth in North Carolina State if they meet in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship Tournament over Thanksgiving in the Bahamas.

Women's college basketball rankings, preseason

USA Today Sports Coaches Poll

1. South Carolina

2. UConn

3. USC

4. Texas

5. Notre Dame

6. UCLA

7. LSU

8. North Carolina State

9. Iowa State

10. Oklahoma

11. Duke

12. Baylor

13. Kansas State

14. Ohio State

15. West Virginia

16. North Carolina

17. Louisville

18. Maryland

19. Florida State

20. Creighton

21. Ole Miss

22. Kentucky

23. Nebraska

24. Indiana

25. Alabama

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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU women's basketball in rankings: Kim Mulkey, Tigers ranked No. 7