BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU coach Kim Mulkey described getting a lump in her throat while she spoke on a radio show this week about the impending end of guard Flau'jae Johnson's illustrious college career.
It was an unusual display of sentimentality by the Hall-of-Fame coach, who is better known for her competitive intensity, flamboyant outfits or stomping her high heels on the hardwood during raspy-voiced outbursts on the sideline.
When Johnson listened to a replay of Mulkey's emotional comments about her, she joked, “This is not AI?”
Johnson's fourth and final women's NCAA Tournament with the Tigers begins Friday night when No. 2 seed LSU (27-5) hosts 15th seed Jacksonville (24-8) in a first-round game in the Sacramento 2 region. No. 7 seed Texas Tech (25-7) and 10th seed Villanova (25-7) meet in the second game in Baton Rouge on Friday night, with the winners meeting Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Mulkey was entering her second season as LSU's coach when Johnson, a prized prospect coming out of high school in Georgia, joined the Tigers in 2022. Her freshman season ended with LSU's first national title in women's basketball and Mulkey's fourth as a Division I coach (having won three at Baylor).
“She took a chance on LSU before this staff ever won big,” Mulkey recalled, noting that Johnson was the first McDonald's All-American that she signed at LSU.
Mulkey said Johnson's loyalty to the program — staying for four years even while pursuing a parallel career as a hip-hop artist and securing lucrative endorsement deals with national brands — set the graceful guard apart from many others she'd coached.
“That’s why you get emotional about a Flau’Jae,” Mulkey said. “And just her spirit, her soul, her joyous personality.”
The same day Mulkey got choked up discussing Johnson on the radio, she “had just went off on me in practice,” Johnson noted with a grin.
Johnson wasn't sure she deserved it, but figured it was an instance of an elite coach seizing a moment to get a point across to the whole team; everyone pays attention when a star player is getting chewed out.
“Coach Kim is just funny. But I really do love her,” Johnson said. “I trusted her and she trusted me and we just have a beautiful relationship.”
Johnson, who has averaged 13.8 points this season, could have as many as six games left with LSU, should the Tigers advance as far as the national title game. While not necessarily a favorite, LSU is a contender and leads the nation in scoring (94.5 ppg). Four of LSU's five losses this season came against teams currently ranked sixth or higher in The AP women's Top 25 (two to No. 4 South Carolina and once each to No. 3 Texas and No. 6 Vanderbilt).
The Tigers also beat Texas this season, and Johnson said LSU has yet to peak.
The chemistry across a lineup that also features returning starter Mikaylah Williams (13.6 points per game) and South Carolina transfer guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (14.6 ppg, 3 steals per game) has steadily improved, Johnson said.
“It makes me optimistic and it should be very scary for teams coming up,” Johnson said. “I think it’s coming. It’s going to be nice.”
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Jacksonville, which has tied a program record for victories in a season, reached the NCAA Tournament for just the second time by beating Austin Peay in overtime in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament title game.
Led by Priscilla Williams (15.4 ppg) and Tatum Brown (10 ppg), the Dolphins aim to stage a first-round upset.
“We’ve been in environments like this before,” Williams said, mentioning matchups with TCU, Texas Tech and Georgia Tech. “We’re not about the names. LSU is a great program, but we’re here for a reason. So, we’re going to show what we’ve got.”
Texas Tech vs. Villanova
While the Lady Raiders are the higher-seeded team in their first-round matchup, they've lost four of their past six games.
“We need to finish games better,” said senior guard Bailey Maupin, who is Tech's leading scorer (15.1 ppg). “That’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel.”
Still, Texas Tech has exceeded expectations. The Lady Raiders were projected to finish 13th in the Big 12 Conference's preseason poll.
“We’ve used that number 13 so many times in so many meetings, so many pregame speeches," Maupin said. “It became fuel because people didn’t believe in us.”
Villanova, led by guard Jasmine Boscoe (18.8 ppg) has won 13 of its past 16 games — with all three losses coming against No. 1 UConn.
"They come from a really good league and they’ve played against really tough people," Gerlich said, adding that she sees Briscoe as one of the best point guards in the country.
“When they don’t get what they want out of their offense, they put the ball in her hands and she creates,” Gerlich said.
Villanova coach Denise Dillon complimented Tech's defense, and sees some similarity in both teams' approach to getting stops.
“Their defense is aggressive. They’re all over the floor. They’re flying around being very disruptive,” Dillon said, adding that the game could hinge on “who can disrupt the other team more.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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