LSU Women’s Basketball In Undercard With Men Getting Prime Time In Doubleheader?

Tiger Rag News Services

The LSU women’s basketball team, which won the national championship in 2023 and has been to two straight Elite Eights, will be the warm-up act for the LSU men’s team, which has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2022 and is coming off two losing seasons in three years?

Yes, four-time national champion women’s coach Kim Mulkey and her Tigers will play her alma mater, Louisiana Tech, on Saturday, Dec. 13, to open an LSU doubleheader at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans at 5 p.m. on ESPNU.

The LSU men, who were 14-18 last season and 3-15 in the Southeastern Conference under third-year coach Matt McMahon, will play SMU in the nightcap of the Compete 4 Cause Classic at 7:30 p.m. at Smoothie King on the SEC Network. The LSU men have never won a national title and last reached the Final Four in 2006.

Tickets are available via TicketMaster.com or in person at the Smoothie King Center box office. Tickets for groups are available at [email protected].

Mulkey, who won three national championships as Baylor’s coach from 2000-2021 before the 2023 tile at LSU, will face Louisiana Tech for the first time. As an All-American point guard, she led the Lady Techsters to AIAW and NCAA national championships in 1981 and ’82, respectively. She was a Louisiana Tech assistant coach from 1985-2000, including the 1987-88 national championship season.

An in-depth feature on Mulkey’s life by Kent Babb of the Washington Post recently won first place in the nation in the prestigious Associated Press Sports Editors contest.

In 29 meetings, LSU leads the series 17-12 against Louisiana Tech.

The LSU men lost to SMU, 74-64, in the Compete 4 Cause Classic last season in Frisco, Texas.

The LSU women open the 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against Mississippi College on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. After an exhibition against Langston on Oct. 30 at an unset time at home, LSU opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 4, against Houston Christian at 7 p.m. in the P-MAC.

The LSU men open with an exhibition at Center Florida in Orlando on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. The Tigers open their regular season at home on Wednesday, Nov. 5, against Tarleton State at 7 p.m.