M.A. Voepel, ESPN.comJun 21, 2023, 10: 40 PM ET
- M.A. Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Defending women’s basketball champion LSU will open the 2023-24 season against Colorado in the Hall of Fame series, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
The game will be part of a college basketball quadruple-header at T-Mobile Arena that also features Ohio State–USC on the women’s side.
In the other games, USC‘s men’s team will take on Kansas State, with Georgia set to face Oregon.
Among LSU’s returnees are forward Angel Reese, the Most Outstanding Player from the women’s Final Four, and guard Flau’jae Johnson, the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year. Along with a highly touted freshman class that includes No. 2-ranked Mikaylah Williams, LSU added top transfers Hailey Van Lith at guard and Aneesah Morrow at forward.
Colorado brings back standouts Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod from its Sweet 16 team last season. The Buffs fell in the NCAA tournament to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who went on to face LSU for the national championship.
Ohio State upset UConn in the Sweet 16, then lost in the Elite Eight to Virginia Tech.
USC, coming off a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament to South Dakota State, brings in the No. 1-ranked recruit in Juju Watkins.