By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
It’s not often that coaches can say they play nine or ten players in a rotation during the season – much less in the postseason.
But Kim Mulkey can.
LSU (28-5, 12-4 Southeastern Conference) has boasted one of the most versatile and deepest teams in the nation all season, and that was on full display in the Tigers’ dominant 116-58 first-round NCAA Tournament win over 15th-seeded Jacksonville on Friday evening.
Seven Tigers scored at least 10 points in the victory, tying an NCAA Tournament record for most players in double figures.
Mulkey, who has used more than six lineup combinations this season, believes her team’s depth is not only one of its greatest strengths, but also a major challenge for opponents.
“I’m very confident putting different lineups out there, as you see,” Mulkey said on Friday. “I don’t think you can do a scouting report on us and say Mikaylah, Flau’jae, and everybody else. I think you better do a detailed scouting report because you don’t know who we’re going to start, who we’re going to play, the flow of the game. I can go big with two bigs. I can go big, small. I can go both small. The game just kind of dictates that.”
Last season, Mulkey didn’t have the luxury of going deep into her bench, often forcing her stars to log extended minutes. This year, she said, the added depth has helped keep players fresh while keeping opponents guessing.
“Well, it allows you to play them early in the games because you have seen them perform in the SEC games,” Mulkey said on Friday. “Regardless of what the score is, it gives you some confidence to look down there and go Bella (Hines), get in there for Flau’jae and give her a breather, regardless of what the score is. Because those kids, they’re freshmen. And if you don’t give them minutes through the course of the year, you’re not going to have confidence when you get down to the playoffs.”
Heading into Sunday’s 2 p.m. Round of 32 matchup against second-seeded Texas Tech (26-7, 12-6 Big 12 Conference), LSU has seven players averaging more than nine points per game.
Everyone eats. And for the Tigers to be at their best this March, senior guard Flau’jae Johnson believes that must continue.
“We have to show we have a bench that can play that’s just as talented, just as disciplined and just as focused,” Johnsons aid after the win on Friday. “It’s important to have that confidence and know they can play in the postseason, know they can play these games, and know that we have confidence in them and Coach Mulkey has confidence in them. I feel like when everybody’s clicking, we’re great.. We need everybody. It’s not just me and Mikaylah. It’s going to take everybody.”
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