A second-round blowout win against Texas Tech didn’t come without its loud and uncomfortable moments for LSU. Kim Mulkey’s team won this game 101-47 at the Pete Maravich on Sunday, but it was the Tigers’ head coach’s nuanced interactions with the officials for MiLaysia Fulwiley that made the major headlines.

The moment unfolded during the first quarter of the game when a Texas Tech Lady Raiders player dribbled towards the basket seamlessly and was in a perfect position to score a layup while the scores read 9-14 in favor of LSU. Fulwiley, who was perfectly positioned near the paint to defend the rim, blocked the player, who collapsed to the floor. The block’s tenacity could have been a topic of discussion.

But according to the replay, Fulwiley’s sole focus was to get the ball and defend cleanly. But as reality set in, the referees called a personal foul on Fulwiley. Her second of the game, leaving Mulkey outraged near the sidelines. She made gestures to show her dissent with the decision as well as lash out at the official, Felicia Grinter, from the sidelines.

Texas Tech was handed two free throws following the foul, with Bailey Maupin scoring both of them. Fulwiley’s stay on the court was limited after these consecutive fouls in the first quarter. She logged in for just 16 minutes in the game, recording just 2 points.

But it wasn’t even the end of Mulkey’s rant campaign against the officials in the game. Another one took place when a foul was called against Bella Hines, which wasn’t to her liking. She tried to have a conversation with official Kristen Bell, who, in turn, seemed to walk away from the confrontation.

The LSU head coach wasn’t letting that slip away and shouted, “HEY! Get over here.” It forced Bell to come back and give Mulkey an explanation near the sidelines. At this point, Mulkey’s aggressive outburst against officials isn’t even surprising. She has been part of dozens of such episodes with the officials. As far as we’ve seen, Mulkey doesn’t hesitate to stand up to what she believes is wrong. And Fulwiley being one of her trusted backcourt players, a tight call against her was enough to make the LSU head coach enraged.

Such instances have been quite prevalent throughout the season. For instance, Mulkey’s episode during the South Carolina game last month, when the official seemingly denied her a timeout, was a major talking point in hoops town during SEC play, with fans also claiming that the officials are scared of Mulkey and are eager to eject her from the game or call fouls against her.

While Kim Mulkey’s antics towards the officials played a part, the Tigers’ performance was also quite flawless. The game in itself was laden with a staggering 34 fouls in the game, with Texas Tech accounting for 21 of them and sending the Mulkey’s team to the line 26 times. The Tigers capitalized, converting 24 of them for 92% and placing them already at an advantage from the line.

On top of that, the Tigers scored an impressive 56% shooting from the field with Flaue’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams accounting for 24 points each. All in all, the LSU Tigers bettered Texas Tech in almost every metric possible. Tighter ball security, precise shooting, and discipline with fouls defined LSU’s night against Texas Tech.

Despite this mammoth win, Mulkey isn’t fully convinced that her team will be going as a favorite in the next March Madness game.

Kim Mulkey Isn’t Taking Things for Granted After Two Straight 50+ Wins

Following this second blowout win of the competition, the LSU Tigers are through to the March Madness Sweet 16. They will face No. 3 Duke in their next game, a team coming off a blowout win over Baylor. Mulkey’s team has locked horns with Duke earlier in the season during non-conference play, when the Tigers won 93-77.

Yet despite that, Mulkey isn’t holding on to past glory, as she knows that defeating a top-ranked team like the Blue Devils twice in the season will take its toll on the game. “Playing Duke if that’s who we end up playing, it’s hard to beat people twice,” Mulkey said. “They’re better, I’m sure. And I think we’re better. So, my moment right now is to make sure everybody in Baton Rouge and in this state and LSU, don’t take this stuff for granted. It was just five years ago you didn’t get to come to a first or second round six years ago.”

Duke has been the epitome of consistency this season in the ACC conference. They became the ACC regular champions and have conceded just two defeats in their last 25 games. Thus, with such form, it won’t be an easy walk for Mulkey and the Tigers to get past this round.

But with the momentum that the Tigers are in, they are far from being the underdog going into the game. With the likes of Mikaylah Williams, Flau’jae Johnson, and MiLaysia Williams in the rotation, LSU’s ceiling for March Madness is in quite safe hands, and irrespective of the level of competition that the Blue Devils bring to the table, Mulkey’s team will definitely compete till the last second of the competition.

The game is set to tip off on March 27 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. What are your expectations from this game? Do let us know in the comments.