LSU's Angel Reese to Return from 4-Game Absence vs. Virginia Tech, Kim Mulkey Says

The No. 7 LSU Tigers are set to get one of their best players back on the floor ahead of Thursday's marquee matchup against the No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies.

Per Brett Martel of the San Diego Union-Tribune, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said star forward Angel Reese will return after missing the last four games for undisclosed reasons.

Mulkey didn't clarify whether Reese will be starting or coming off the bench against the Hokies. While the junior has been away from the team for the past two weeks, Mulkey has declined to offer an explanation for her absence beyond saying it was due to unspecified "locker room issues." LSU (7-1) managed to win all four of its games without her.

Reese, who is one of the most popular players in all of college basketball, missed the Tigers' wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Southern and also didn't travel with the team for the Cayman Islands Classic over Thanksgiving weekend. LSU defeated Niagra and Virginia in the holiday tournament.

Reese started the first four games of the season before being benched for the second half of LSU's victory against Kent State on Nov. 14. She averaged 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds, but she connected on just 46.9 percent of her field goals.

All those numbers are down from Reese's immaculate 2022-23 campaign in which she was named a unanimous All-American after averaging 23.0 points, 15.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. She set an NCAA record with 34 double-doubles and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after leading LSU to its first national championship in program history.

Getting Reese back will surely boost LSU's chances of duplicating its success from last season in 2023-24.