The LSU women's basketball squad is not off to a great start to the 2023-24 season. While they have won both of their last two games, the Tigers have already suffered a loss when they got stunned by the No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes on Nov. 6 to the tune of a 92-78 score.

Unsurprisingly, LSU women's basketball has taken a plunge from atop the Associated Poll rankings, sliding from the No. 1 spot down to No. 7. If that sounds wild, it's because it is, with ESPN Stats & Info noting that it's just the first time ever that a No. 1 team failed to crack the top five the following week.

“The LSU women dropped from No. 1 to No. 7 in this week's AP poll. The Tigers are the first team to fall outside the top 5 after being atop the poll the previous week.”

LSU women's basketball's loss to Colorado stings Tigers' stock

Images of LSU women's basketball player Angel Reese

The loss to Colorado hit LSU's stock hard and it showed in the latest AP Poll rankings, If anything, the Tigers still have plenty of time to recover. They have already rebounded from that loss by beating Queens University (112-55) and the Mississippi State Valley Devilettes (109-47).

“I'm disappointed and surprised in some individual players that I thought would just be tougher and have a little fight and leadership about them,” LSU women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey said after the loss to Colorado, per Michael Voepel of ESPN. “But I knew what we faced. When you have that many kids that played that many minutes together [as Colorado], we had our hands full. Colorado did exactly what I thought they would do.”

The reigning national champions are scheduled to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes this Tuesday at home before closing their schedule this week with a road meeting with the SE Louisiana Lady Lions on Friday. Things are looking up again for LSU women's basketball, but it has yet to defeat a notable opponent. In any case, the Tigers can't afford another loss to a lowly opponent if they are to secure a No. 1 seed down the road.

Sa'Myah Smith and Reese currently lead LSU women's basketball — which beat Iowa to win the title last season — in scoring with 19.3 and 19.0 points per game, respectively.