Where does No. 1 LSU go from here?
Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey expects the answer to that question, and not the opening-night upset loss to No. 20 Colorado on Monday night in Las Vegas, to define the season in front of her team in pursuit of back-to-back national championships.
The first checkpoint arrives Wednesday, and Mulkey won’t be throwing bouquets in Baton Rouge.
“The effort was not there,” Mulkey said of her assessment of the loss. “When we pull up the film Wednesday it won’t be a fun session. It will be a come to Jesus moment.”
Mulkey said she was disappointed but definitely not surprised. In her pregame conversation ahead of the trip, Mulkey said Colorado’s experience and perimeter shooting would be a problem for any opponent. It was the “right time” for Colorado to play LSU, from their perspective, she said.
“I was surprised by some of our players. Colorado did exactly what I thought they would do. They shot well from 3, were poised and polished and hungry,” Mulkey said.
Colorado shot 43.5 percent from 3-point range and played fearlessly in the paint. LSU shot 33 percent from the field in the first half. Freshman Mikaylah Williams was called out as a bright spot for LSU with 17 points. She made 8 of 16 shots while the rest of the team combined to post a 21-for-50 effort.
“You live with poor shooting and just a tough night offensively. What I don’t live with is (not showing) guts and fight and physical play. That dog in you,” Mulkey said. “I didn’t think we had that.
“This is not going to devastate us. The sky is not falling. Those things I just described to you are fixable. I don’t know how long it will take to fix it. They will probably have a good practice come Wednesday.”
Generous souls might want to spare a kind thought for Queens University of Charlotte, the Atlantic Sun program and next opponent for LSU this week. Queens arrives Thursday after a 91-44 loss at Ole Miss on Monday.
The Lady Tigers are scheduled to receive their national championship rings and raise the national championship banner inside the Pete Maravich Athletic Center before the game.
–Field Level Media