Flau’jae Johnson has now played her final regular-season game in an LSU jersey. Unfortunately, it did not go the way she would have wanted it to. Kim Mulkey’s LSU went up against Mississippi State and dug themselves into a 12-3 hole in the first quarter. Nevertheless, the Tigers fought back behind Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley to grab a 72-63 win. Flau’jae, who is expected to be the main character, faded into the background. Yet, coach Mulkey is not worried about her star player ahead of March.

Williams played all 40 minutes, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while chipping in with 4 assists. Fulwiley came off the bench to add 16 points and 4 assists. Flau’jae struggled, scoring just 4 points while going 1-6 from the field and 0-3 from three-point range, along with no rebounds and just 1 assist.

“She’s probably her own hardest critic. She’ll be fine,” Kim Mulkey told the media after the game. “We’ve got a lot of depth that’ll help her. There aren’t a lot of things that you have to put on her shoulders. Every athlete just goes through—I probably don’t want to use the word ‘slump’—but I think in Flaujae’s mind, she was, what, one for six tonight.”

Johnson has been off her game for a couple of games now. Against Tennessee in the previous game, she had 10 points while going 3/10 from the field. Flau’jae has been averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in the past 10 games, as opposed to 14.5 points, 2.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in the rest of the season. So, Mulkey suggested that Flau’jae contribute in other areas when her shots are not falling.

“That’s  Mikaela and everybody else’s job to help her get out of it and find her, and they do try to get the ball to her in places where she can score it,” Mulkey said. “But she’s got to do a lot of other things. This game is not just about scoring. Go rebound, go defend. FJ’s fine.”

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The point Mulkey makes is that Flau’jae should not give up if she is not getting points. If she contributes in other aspects, Flau’jae can make enough impact to make up for it. She averages 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists when scoring 10 or below, which is a clear drop from when she is scoring well. However, Mulkey maintained that these couple of games are not a big deal for Flau’jae.

“How many tonight didn’t play up to par, right? It wasn’t just FJ. You could name two or three more, and you move on. You flush it and get ready for the SEC tournament,” she said.

Incidentally, that is the same phrasing Flau’jae herself used a few days ago in a different context. “You gotta flush it,” Flau’jae said of her attitude ahead of March. “If you have a 30-point game and you have a game-winner, it doesn’t matter the next game. If your head’s not on a swivel, you’re out. That’s definitely the most important part of the NCAA Tournament. That’s why you have to be level. Can’t get too high. Can’t get too low—until you get that ring.”

So Flau’jae already knows what Mulkey is talking about. It’s all about getting the ring, isn’t it? If LSU manages to win from here, none of these troubles would be on Flau’jae’s mind. So it’s crucial for them to only look forward. The team will reset as the postseason arrives, and it’s a new challenge. After the bracket for the SEC tournament was released, Kim Mulkey expressed the one thing she approves of.

Kim Mulkey Spots the One Thing She Likes in the SEC Bracket

LSU has grabbed a top-four seed for this coming week’s SEC Tournament. Kim Mulkey and the Tigers’ seeding means they will receive a double bye for the conference tournament and won’t play their first game until Friday, March 6. LSU’s possible opponents include Mississippi State, Florida, and Oklahoma.

First, No. 13 MSU will face No. 12 Florida in the first round of the tournament. The winner of that game will meet No. 5 Oklahoma in the second round. LSU hasn’t lost to any of those teams this season, going 3-0 in the regular season. However, Mulkey hasn’t yet seen her possible matchups but is pleased with the match timings instead.

“What I did look at in the bracket before it was filled out were the game times. I like the game times that are earlier. We always were in the other part where we had to play the late game, but I do like playing the earlier game,” Mulkey said. “I did hear some scores from games today, but I have not looked at it. I’m sure when I get on the plane heading back, I’ll look at it.” LSU has the 1:30 p.m. game in the third round and then the 3:30 p.m. game in the semifinal if they win. Even the championship game is at 2:30 p.m.