“Had to play the hottest team with Caitlin Clark”: Kim Mulkey recalls NC State’s last season bracket & how LSU’s match-up this season was different

Kim Mulkey’s LSU won a last-second battle against Washington (68-67) in the opening game of the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships in the Bahamas in November. A clutch, last-second play by Flau'jae Johnson and Kailyn Gilbert helped the Tigers hold on as the clock ran out. In their next matchup, the Tigers dominated NC State, a team that had reached the Final Four the previous season.

On Tuesday's episode of 104.5 ESPN's "Off the Bench" podcast, Mulkey was asked about her team's mindset and how they managed to bounce back from the intense opening game.

The coach quickly referenced last season's NCAA bracket, noting that NC State made it to the Final Four after defeating Texas, while LSU faced the eventual national finalists, the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Caitlin Clark.

"In the NC State game, it wasn't a ra-ra game where you meet with them in the locker room and you say 'Hey they were in the spot we should have been last year,'" Mulkey said. "We were the ones that had to play the hottest team in the country with Caitlin Clark. NC State got the better part of the bracket."

"Hey, we didn't get it, they did. Different team, go play. And I thought that the players really defended NC State guards who are outstanding." (4:50)

At the end of the first quarter, LSU led NC State by five points. The Wolfpack rallied, cutting the lead to just three points (28-25) in the second quarter. However, the Tigers took control from there, holding a lead of at least nine points for the remainder of the game.

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Kim Mulkey shuts down criticism around LSU's scheduling

Kim Mulkey also addressed the criticism surrounding LSU's early-season schedule on the podcast. The coach cited her 40 years of coaching experience and questioned the logic behind team rankings.

"I know what I'm doing with my non-conference schedule," Mulkey said. "It's worked for 40 years, I don't care how many analytics come up with new ideas to me. That's a shortcut in a lazy way. It's kind of like scouting, get off your rum and go scout kids." (5:50)

LSU began the season ranked in the top 10 of the AP women’s basketball poll but has faced only one ranked team — NC State — through their first nine games.

The next ranked game for Kim Mulkey's squad is scheduled for January when the Tigers visit defending champions South Carolina Gamecocks.