"Thoughts and prayers are with the entire Mulkey family": Fans support Kim Mulkey after death of family friend keeps LSU HC distant from Florida game

College basketball fans expressed support for LSU Lady Tigers coach Kim Mulkey, who suited up for the SEC Tournament quarterfinal game against Florida on Friday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina despite grieving the unexpected demise of a very close family friend.

Mulkey, whose intense coaching style gave her four national titles with Baylor and LSU, sat down and watched from the bench as associate head coach Bob Starkey took over.

A tweet from WAFB-TV sports director Jacques Douchet revealed that the close family friend knew Mulkey during her days as a student at Louisiana Tech.

The untimely news forced Mulkey to be absent during the team's preparations for the SEC Tournament. She traveled to Greenville on Friday to watch the game, (per On3 and ESPN).

Fans gave their sympathies and condolences to the veteran coach, with one college basketball enthusiast offering his thoughts and prayers for the family.

"Thoughts and prayers are with the entire Mulkey family after an unexpected loss. Coach Kim Mulkey still showed up for the team in today’s matchup against Florida. We love you, Coach! 💜," one fan tweeted.

Mulkey's presence further inspired LSU to perform well, and podcast show Tigers Avenue took note of this in a tweet.

"Wow @LSUwbkb probably has their most impressive half in conference play without Flau'jae playing a without Kim Mulkey coaching! Finish strong girls!!!," it said.

Other fans gave their take on the untimely passing of Mulkey's close family friend and how the Lady Tigers responded despite the sad news.

"Kudos to Mulkey for showing up for her team tonight," the fan wrote.

"Sending my condolences and hugs to you Coach… 🙏🏾 @KimMulkey," another user added.

"I don’t know, seeing ADR get that basket and then Mulkey stand up and clap for her just made me happy," the fan wrote.

"Kim really over there going through it. My girl don’t have not a spark in her eye right now. Shake back Mulkey!! 💜💛🐯," a fan posted.

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LSU played excellent basketball despite Kim Mulkey sitting down and Flau'Jae Johnson sidelined

LSU played like a team on a mission despite Kim Mulkey's sad news and Flau'Jae Johnson's injury, outplaying Florida 101-87 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal on Friday.

Aneesah Morrow carried the load for the Lady Tigers, finishing with 36 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and three steals. The 6-foot-1 forward shot 15-of-21 from the field and was perfect from the free throw line, making all of her six attempts.

Mikaylah Williams added 16 points while Mjracle Sheppard added 12 while starting in place of the injured Johnson. Kailyn Gilbert contributed 10 markers off the bench for the Tigers.

Kim Mulkey's LSU raced to a 26-16 lead in the first quarter and didn't look back. They led by as many as 19 points and used their firepower to hold back Florida and secure a semifinal meeting with No. 2-seed Texas.

The Longhorns outplayed No. 7 Ole Miss 70-63 to reach the SEC Tournament Final Four. The other semifinal clash will pit No. 1 South Carolina against No. 5 Oklahoma. The Gamecocks defeated Vanderbilt 84-63 while the Sooners beat Kentucky 69-65.