By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – It’s Kim Mulkey’s favorite month of the year.
Why?
Her annual appointment with the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s hard to believe I’ve done it this many years,” said Mulkey, who now has taken teams to the NCAA tourney in 24 of her 26 years as the second-winningest women’s coach ever in March Madness (66-19, including 53-16 in 19 appearances at Baylor, 13-4 in four appearances at LSU). “I’ll always be excited as long as I have a breath to cheer, pump my fist and do things, because I just don’t take it for granted. It’s darn hard to win championships.”
LSU (27-5), the No. 2 seed in the Sacramento Region 2, will host No. 15 Atlantic Sun Conference tourney winner Jacksonville (24-8) Friday at 5 p.m. in a Baton Rouge Regional first-round game in Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The winner will play in Sunday’s second round vs. the winner of Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game between No. 7 seed Texas Tech (25-7) and No. 10 seed Villanova (25-7).
“Everything you’ve done is history,” Mulkey said, “Scratch it off and put a big `X’ on it and go. Let’s start the real season now.”
Under Mulkey, the Tigers won their first-ever national championship in 2023. LSU lost in the regional finals to Iowa in 2024 and UCLA in 2025.
LSU enters this year’s tourney with two things it didn’t have last season – a completely healthy Flau’Jae Johnson and a deep bench.
Last year, Johnson sprained an ankle in the last week of the regular season and sat out three games, including two in the SEC tournament.
Also, the Tigers’ bench didn’t stretch past three reserves, and none of them were explosive scorers.
This season, senior guard Johnson (13.8 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game) and junior first-team All-SEC guard Mikaylah Williams of Bossier City Parkway (13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) have started all 32 games.
But Johnson, Williams and the rest of the starters haven’t had to carry all the load.
LSU’s bench, led by South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley (14.6 ppg, 3.8), is averaging a nation-leading 39.1 points. A trio of freshmen – Grace Knox, Bella Hines and ZaKiyah Johnson – are averaging a combined 22.9 points and 12.6 rebounds, mostly off the bench.
“We’ve played at eight, nine, sometimes the whole bench, depending on the score of the game,” Mulkey said. “I’m not afraid to play them.
“You’ve got to have depth. And when you do have depth that’s seasoned and comfortable and confident, it helps you.”
Mulkey isn’t worried that her freshmen will melt under college basketball’s brightest and most intense spotlight.
“We’re going to continue to do what we do,” Mulkey said. “I think we have some seasoned young ones. Now, when you go through the SEC, it’s kind of a breath of fresh air to get out of there and just start the playoffs.”
The SEC had 10 teams receive NCAA tournament bids, including No. 1 seeds Texas and South Carolina, No. 2 seeds LSU and Vanderbilt, No. 4 seed Oklahoma, No. 5 seeds Ole Miss and Kentucky, No. 6 seed Alabama, No. 7 seed Georgia and No. 10 seed Tennessee.
“I want them all to do good,” Mulkey said of her SEC counterparts. “I hope we see SEC teams when we all get to the Elite Eight.”
NCAA BATON ROUGE REGIONAL FIRST ROUND
No. 2 seed LSU (27-5) vs. No. 15 seed Jacksonville (24-8), Friday, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
LSU
NCAA tournament appearances and record: 30, 56-29 (65.4 percent)
Last appearance: 2025, beat San Diego State 103-48, Florida State 101-71 and N.C. State 80-73, lost to UCLA 72-65
Head coach: Kim Mulkey (773-129 in 26 seasons overall, 143-25 in five seasons at LSU)
Starting lineup: G Flau’Jae Johnson, 5-10, Sr. (13.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G Mikaylah Williams 6-0, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Jada Richard, 5-7, So. (9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg), G ZaKiyah Johnson, 6-2, Fr. (9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg), F Amiya Joyner, 6-2, Sr. (9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Top reserves: G MiLaysia Fulwiley, 5-10, Jr. (14.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg), F Kate Koval, 6-5, So. (8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg), F Grace Knox, 6-2, Fr. (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Bella Hines, 5-10, Fr. (4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
JACKSONVILLE
NCAA tournament appearances and record: 1, 0-1
Last and only appearance: 2016, lost in first round 77-41 to South Carolina
Head coach: Special Jennings (49-45 in three seasons overall and at Jacksonville)
Starting lineup: G Priscilla Williams, 6-4, Gr. (15.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg), G Comari Mitchell, 5-8, So. (6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), F Carmayn Bowman, 5-10, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Makiya Miller, 5-7, Sr. (9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg), F Tatum Brown, 5-6, Fr. (10 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Top reserves: G Bailey Burns, 5-10, Jr. (6.4 ppg, 2 rpg), F Mariah Knight, 6-1, So. (4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg), G Aniah Smith, 5-4, Fr. (7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
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