"How is Kim Mulkey not called for a technical": Fans irate as controversial no-call during LSU vs UCLA goes in Tigers' favor

Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, losing 72-65 to UCLA. In the Elite Eight showdown, despite a strong performance from Flau'jae Johnson with 28 points, LSU could not overcome the Bruins.

With 2:31 left in the fourth quarter, UCLA was up 57-53 when a controversial play occurred. LSU was on the attack when Bruins star Lauren Betts grabbed a defensive rebound after Aneesah Morrow missed a shot. However, the Tigers quickly tried to steal the ball back and crowded the Bruins player.

LSU's Kailyn Gilbert and UCLA's Kiki Rice dove for the loose ball, fighting for possession. The ball went out of bounds, last touched by Rice, but the officials awarded it to the Bruins instead.

In a video uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) by @ShowCaseShabazz, which shows the chaotic sequence, Kim Mulkey can be seen on the court, nearly interfering with the play, which infuriated some fans online.

Here are some of the reactions:

"How is Kim Mulkey not called for a technical for being on the court!? Looks likes to me me the ball almost hit on the way out of bounds!" one fan wrote.

"yeah mulkey on the court nearly touching the ball, how do they miss that," another added.

"Why didn’t Mulkey get on the floor. She had the best shot at it!!" one fan joked.

"If they would’ve reviewed, they would’ve called either a foul on Rice or a tech for Mulky being on the court. Or both," a fan commented.

"I’m either calling a tech on the coach for being on the court or a foul on the LSU player on that," one user said.

"Where’s the tech on Mulkey for 2 feet on the court? Not the first time this game, either," another wrote.

Kim Mulkey suffers eighth Elite Eight defeat of her career

The LSU Tigers’ loss to UCLA marked Kim Mulkey's eighth defeat in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. With that, her record drops to 5-8 in the regional finals.

Mulkey is a highly successful coach in women's basketball, but she often has trouble getting past this round. However, whenever her team does make it past the Elite Eight, they usually go on to win the national championship—four out of five times, to be exact.

Baylor won three national titles under her leadership in 2005, 2012 and 2019, but lost in the Final Four in 2010. At LSU, Mulkey has advanced past the round of eight just once, in 2023, when the Tigers won their first national title.