Kim Mulkey Explains Controversial LSU Decision to Skip National Anthem
Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers were knocked from the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday night, as Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes nabbed a Final Four spot with a 94-87 win over the defending national champions.
Clark stole the headlines with a stellar performance, ripping off 41 points with 12 assists and seven rebounds on the night, as the Hawkeyes exacted revenge for their loss to LSU a season ago.
While Clark stole the spotlight at the end of the game, it was Mulkey’s Tigers who took center stage ahead of the contest, and it wasn’t for something that happened on the court. In fact, it was more about what didn’t happen on the court.
Before the game tipped off, several fans noticed that the Tigers didn’t come out for the National Anthem. For a team that’s been shrouded in controversy all season, many believed it was some sort of gesture. However, Mulkey explains that it wasn’t done intentionally but just happened to fall in line with their pregame routine.
“Honestly, I don’t even know when the Anthem was played,” Kim Mulkey said. “We kind of have a routine where we are on the floor and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. We just — I don’t know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry — listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”
A year after cutting down the final nets of the year in Dallas, LSU will now have to sit and watch the rest of the tournament play out after being eliminated in the Elite Eight.
Meanwhile, Clark and the No. 1-seeded Hawkeyes will move on to face UConn in the Final Four.
