Months after South Carolina upset, Kim Mulkey refuses to address upcoming Dawn Staley matchup: "Let me and the team enjoy this victory"

LSU coach Kim Mulkey refused to talk about the Lady Tigers' next game against Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday as she wanted her team to enjoy Sunday's win against Florida.

LSU extended its winning streak to 20 games with an 80-63 victory over the Gators. The team is half a game behind the Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) in conference standings with a 5-0 mark.

In her postgame press conference, Mulkey was asked to comment about last season's SEC Tournament final, where they were upset by South Carolina 79-72 in the leadup to Thursday's encounter.

She politely asked the reporter to focus on the Lady Tigers' win against the Gators. The four-time national champion coach also indicated that there's a possibility that they won't be able to properly prepare against South Carolina due to the bad weather that is forecast to affect Louisiana.

"Let's talk about the Florida game and you may not get me because we got bad weather coming to Louisiana," Mulkey said. (7:39) "I may not even get to practice (the team). I don't know when we'll get to South Carolina. But let let me and the team enjoy this victory tonight or today."

The Gamecocks beat LSU twice en route to sweeping the 2023-24 season. They clobbered Iowa in the national final 87-75 to win their third women's college basketball title.

Since signing up to coach LSU in 2021, Mulkey has met South Carolina four times and failed to win all of them.

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LSU faces biggest test of 2024-25 women's college basketball season against South Carolina

No. 5-ranked LSU has been smooth sailing in its first 20 games, winning all but three by 10 points or higher. The Tigers have only faced two top 25 teams in the AP poll, but NC State and Tennessee aren't the caliber of South Carolina, who has been in No. 2 for five straight weeks.

The Gamecocks, meanwhile, have beaten AP Top 25 teams Iowa State, Duke, TCU, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma. The lack of competition may affect LSU and be stunned by the sudden upgrade of competition in South Carolina.

However, with the way Flau'jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams are playing, the Lady Tigers have a chance to beat South Carolina. Aside from the trio, LSU has also seen the emergence of Kailyn Gilbert as a dependable off-the-bench contributor.

As mentioned in the interview, the weather could likewise play a factor in the team's upcoming game. College basketball fans hope Louisiana State may find a way to prepare for the game against South Carolina despite the unfavorable weather forecast in the lead-up to the much-anticipated clash.