VIDEO: LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey Explains The Team’s Controversial National Anthem Decision

Kim Mulkey speaking to reporters

Kim Mulkey
The LSU women’s basketball team stirred controversy on Monday night and now head coach Kim Mulkey is trying her best to explain it.

Led by head coach Kim Mulkey, the LSU Tigers entered the Elite Eight against the Iowa Hawkeyes looking to advance to their second straight Final Four and continue defending their National Championship run from last year.

Before the game, a major controversy kicked off when fans inside the stadium noticed that LSU didn’t come out for the National Anthem.

A video from OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske showed Iowa players holding hands during the rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” LSU had left the court right before the anthem was played.

After the game, Kim Mulkey explained to reporters that their absence on the court was something that was “nothing intentionally done.” She basically chalked it up to “routine.”

“Honestly, I don’t even know when the Anthem was played,” Mulkey said. “We kind of have a routine where we’re on the floor and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know. We come in and do our pre-game stuff.”

 

It has also been noted that LSU wasn’t on the floor for the national anthem before they played Iowa for the national championship and that also sparked major controversy as well.

Unlike that game, the LSU Tigers would not come out on top as Caitlin Clark wasn’t having it on Monday night.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark tied a women’s NCAA Tournament record Monday night by hitting nine 3-pointers, many from well beyond the arc, as Kim Mulkey was unable to make the necessary adjustments to figure out how to stop her. Not helping matters was the fact that Clark’s teammates were playing much better which made it difficult for the Tigers to try and double her as much as they would’ve liked to.

Caitlin Clark Was A Menace To Kim Mulkey And The LSU Tigers During Elite 8 Matchup

ALBANY, NEW YORK – APRIL 01: Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers reacts during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark wasn’t shooting just regular three-pointers on Monday night, many of them were well behind the arc as she knocked down nine of them as she tied the mark set by Purdue’s Courtney Moses in 2012 and later matched by UConn’s Kia Nurse in 2017.

The look on the faces of several LSU players as well as head coach Kim Mulkey told the story of the night as they knew she was on her game and there was nothing they could do to stop her.

The senior finished with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. She hit 13 of her 29 shots, was 9 of 20 from behind the arc, and was named the region’s most outstanding player, via WTOP.com.