Where LSU women's basketball ranked in the latest coaches' poll

LSU women’s basketball has maintained its dominant play that has been the team’s defining trait under head coach Kim Mulkey’s time in Baton Rouge. They’re currently 12-0, hot off a 91-33 win over Morgan State on Tuesday.

Despite their 12-0 start, the Fighting Tigers are only ranked fifth in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. Their ranking has remained steady so far this season, as they began the year in the same spot they are now.

The reason they've been unable to move up is the team’s relatively easy strength of schedule, with their toughest opponent so far being 4-6 Duke. According to Sports Reference, the Fighting Tigers’ strength of schedule so far ranks 315th out of 363 teams.

The good news is that they’ve performed exactly how they should against these lower-caliber opponents. Their 135.0 offensive rating is the top mark in the country, and their defensive rating isn’t far behind, ranking second.

They’ll soon get the opportunity to prove why they deserve a higher ranking, either way. LSU opens up its SEC schedule against Kentucky on New Year’s Day, and the competition will only ramp up from there, with two matchups against second-ranked Texas, one against eighth-ranked Oklahoma, and another against third-ranked South Carolina. That stretch will determine their position in the Coaches Poll, but more importantly, their postseason seeding.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Where LSU women's basketball ranked in the latest coaches' poll