"Went to Coppin State last year for Angel Reese”: Kim Mulkey explains LSU’s special plan for players like Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and more

Kim Mulkey talked about how she builds the LSU Tigers' regular season schedule during an appearance on 104.5 ESPN’s Watch Live Channel. When previewing Thursday's game against Stanford, she was asked for the reason behind playing in-state teams like Grambling at a neutral site in Bossier City.

"It's for the people that are on your team," she said on Tuesday (Timestamp: 7:30). "We went to Coppin State (in Baltimore) last year for Angel Reese to go back home. Trying real hard to get back to close to Savannah, Georgia for Flau'jae (Johnson) next year.

"This year, Mikaylah (Williams), we can go play in (Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City) ... and play Grambling. We're also going to Chicago before the Christmas holidays for Morrow.

"We can't do it all the time. You got to get people to agree to play you, but I do try to take players back to the area where they grew up because it's fun for them."

Mikaylah Williams grew up in Bossier City, Louisiana, and Sunday's game against Grambling would be her home game. Meanwhile, the Tigers' trip to Chicago to play against UIC Flames on Dec. 19 is for senior Aneesah Morrow, who grew up in the city.

Kim Mulkey defends her team's scheduling against non-ranked teams

The No. 5 LSU Tigers (9-0) have played against just one ranked team (then-No. 20 NC State). Their next tipoff against a ranked team is in January, when they take on No. 3 South Carolina. This has drawn criticism from fans, but Kim Mulkey lashed back, questioning the relevance of rankings for the scheduling.

"People love to get honest about our nonconference schedule, and everybody has a right to an opinion," Kim Mulkey said (Timestamp: 5:40). "But I've been doing this 40 years. The NET rankings came out this week, we're eighth in the country and that's the quote-unquote thing the committee looks at is the NET.

"Listen, I still believe in eyeballs. What do I mean by that? Get off your rump, watch women's basketball games on TV, go watch them in person and give the best teams that you see the higher seeds when this season is over."

After the 2023 national championship, the LSU Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight last season. For this year, the team, led by Flau'jae Johnson, has set the NCAA title as its goal but will face competition from UConn, USC and South Carolina.

Kim Mulkey recorded her 100th win at LSU on Sunday, and her successful run is set to continue as the Tigers take more wins home.