Pressure hit fast in Baton Rouge. Two SEC games in, LSU was already searching for answers. After losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt dropped the Tigers to 0–2 in conference play, rebounding failures were no longer a small concern. They were defining games. Kentucky grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Vanderbilt sealed its win with late boards off missed free throws. For a roster still adjusting without Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, the cracks were obvious.

That is when Bob Starkey stepped in with a fix that cost just $160.

Starkey’s solution was simple but deliberate. After reviewing film from the Kentucky loss, he ordered a rebounding training device known simply as “the bubble.” The plastic attachment snaps onto the rim and sends missed shots caroming in unpredictable directions, forcing players to react instead of anticipating clean bounces.

Since LSU began using it, the results have been immediate. The Tigers now snap the bubble onto the rim in practice almost every day. Since its introduction, they have not lost a single rebounding battle.

That shift mattered because LSU no longer has the luxury it once did. Reese and Morrow accounted for 37 percent of the program’s rebounds from 2022 through 2025. Without them, early SEC games exposed just how thin the margin had become. Against Kentucky, LSU’s four frontcourt players combined for only 13 rebounds. Flau’jae Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley had one each.

Starkey said the tool forced urgency back into practice. “We needed to do something to change our attitude about rebounding.”

The bubble was only part of the adjustment. Kim Mulkey doubled down by reintroducing rebounding drills that are typically avoided during the middle of a season because of injury risk. “Kim put in some rebounding drills,” Starkey said. “Some of her favorite rebounding drills that generally you don’t do in the middle of the season because you could get a player hurt. They’re pretty violent drills.”

However, LSU needed the reset. The goal was not just technique. It was mentality. That combination has flipped the Tigers’ season. LSU has now won seven straight games, the longest active streak in the SEC. They currently lead the conference with a plus-12.6 rebounding margin and remain firmly in the hunt for both the SEC regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

LSU Tigers Demolish Alabama in Historic Offensive Showcase

The turnaround was on full display Sunday night.

LSU dismantled No. 24 Alabama 103–63, extending the streak and sending a message across the conference. It marked the Tigers’ 12th game this season scoring at least 100 points, an SEC record that now places them fourth all-time in NCAA history.

Sophomore point guard Jada Richard led the way with surgical efficiency. She finished with 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, missing only one free throw. Because of the margin, LSU’s stars barely broke a sweat. Mikaylah Williams played 25 minutes. Flau’jae Johnson logged just 21. That opened the door for the next wave.

Freshman ZaKiyah Johnson delivered her best performance yet, posting 15 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. MiLaysia Fulwiley added 10 points, four assists, and three made three-pointers. Fellow freshmen Bella Hines and Divine Bourrage chipped in 11 points each. Every LSU player who entered the game scored.

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The dominance extended beyond shooting. LSU finished with a plus-15 rebounding advantage, outscored Alabama by 16 points in the paint, and continued to control the glass that once betrayed them. Kate Koval grabbed nine rebounds in just 14 minutes, reinforcing how quickly depth has become a strength.

A $160 piece of plastic did not magically fix LSU on its own. But it forced accountability, urgency, and physicality back into the program. That recalibration has pushed LSU to 21–2 and restored its identity at the exact moment the schedule stiffens. February brings five ranked opponents, beginning with a road trip to No. 4 Texas on Thursday.

The bubble changed how LSU rebounds. The next month will show how far that edge can carry them.