Kim Mulkey previews LSU vs. NC State Sweet 16 matchup

LSU prepares to take on NC State in the Sweet 16, the second meeting for these two teams after LSU won 82-65 back in November in The Bahamas. The Tigers are the 3-seed, while NC State is the 2-seed in the region and both come off resounding round two wins.

Head coach Kim Mulkey took the podium to talk about her team’s success, what she’s seen from NC State, and previewed the game. Tipoff is tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in Spokane, Washington with the winner set to play the winner of UCLA and Ole Miss who play after.

Here’s everything Mulkey said about her LSU squad and the game.

Q. You guys obviously met NC State earlier year this season. How would you say both teams are different from November and where they’re at right now?

KIM MULKEY: Well, I wouldn’t say the style of play is any different. We’re not going to create new players. I think both teams are obviously better, and we just have a lot of respect. We don’t look at the previous game. We just think that we’re both trying to advance to an Elite 8, and we don’t really even think about that game.

We talked about it once or twice. We’ve looked at some film. But they’re better, we’re better, they’re ACC champs, we finished third in the SEC, they’re supposed to win, they’re the 2 seed, we’re the 3 seed.

Q. How has the SEC prepared you in this season for this moment here in the Sweet 16?

KIM MULKEY: I just think the SEC is unbelievably tough. We still have, if I’m correct, six teams left, and to me, that speaks volumes. We have a league that has different styles of play. We have a league that has unbelievable talent, individual talent. I think all of us, not just in the SEC, but across the country and other leagues, we’re all kind of relieved when you get a chance to go to the playoffs and you don’t have to see each other again.

Q. You mentioned how both teams have gotten so much better since the beginning of the year. NC State’s posts in particular have really developed. What have you seen on film from them that has impressed you or that you’re going to have to watch out for?

KIM MULKEY: Well, I’m sure their posts have developed and are better, but they have four outstanding guards, and they’re not going to change their philosophy and all of a sudden become a post-dominant team. So we know what their strengths are, we know what their improvements are, and we’re going to try to win one more game.

They shoot the ball 15 threes in a game. I don’t even know if we shoot 15 threes in a game. But we have great post play and we always have had great post play on the teams I’ve coached throughout the years. So I don’t know that it’s an advantage when you reach the playoffs. A lot of people tend to think guard play is the team that advances with great guard play, and we feel like we have a balance of great guard play and post play.

Q. I was talking with Bob Starkey earlier and he was telling me that you more than any other coach he’s been around kind of has a great feel for when and how to motivate a team, like when to dig in and when to pull back. Just curious how you developed that through your coaching career, if you feel like that’s sort of carryover from being a player or how exactly you developed that.

KIM MULKEY: Well, Bob has coached with some unbelievable coaches, so for him to say that about me, it’s flattering, it humbles me, it makes me feel good. It may just be my experience having been a player and the great ones that I played for, Leon Barmore, Pat Summitt, Theresa Grentz, Fran Garmon, the list goes on.

I think that maybe being a player and knowing what motivated me in the time of year and what you need to do on challenging young people and then loving on young people, maybe it’s just who I am, and I have a good feel for the game. But, yeah, thank him — I’ll thank him when I go to the locker room.

Q. Coming off consecutive 100-point games, I wanted to ask you what has it been that’s allowed you to attain that level of offense to start the tournament?

KIM MULKEY: Health. They’re healthy. Flau’Jae is here, Morrow is here, they’re all playing very good basketball, they’re excited, everybody’s looking to score, they’re looking to share the ball. I just think just having everybody back and everybody healthy and it’s fun to watch ’em right now.

Q. You talked about finishing, in the last game especially. What goes into being able to finish, raising your level of finishing, for Sa’Myah and Aalyah, especially. They had really good nights around the basket.

KIM MULKEY: You have to keep coaching. You have to keep demanding. I think our practices do that. You have to understand there are going to be down moments throughout a season and yet, you don’t get too high or too low and you just keep coaching them.

I think the players around Aalyah, the players around Sa’Myah can make them better, more so than a coach can. Give them the ball in positions to be successful. Don’t ask them to do things they’re not capable of doing. You saw in the last couple of games just the sharing of the ball, the confidence that everybody has in each other.

Q. Tell me about Chante’, what are her responsibilities, what does she do for this LSU program? She’s worked with you for six years?

KIM MULKEY: Actually, Chante’ was the first graduate assistant that I hired when I was at Baylor, and she was with me for a little while, then she went other places. She was in the WNBA a little while, then she’s been with some other coaches.

What’s the name ya’ll give Chante’? Ya’ll call her, like, an auntie.

So I guess that’s great description. Chante’ does a little bit of everything. She helps with travel arrangements. Doesn’t do as much on the court stuff because we have plenty that do that. But you can ask Chante’ to do anything and she’s capable of doing it. She’s very loyal, she understands me. She can help recruit. She was a recruiting coordinator at another university when she was there.

So she’s kind of done it all. She just wanted to come back closer to home, Texas being her home, and sure am glad we have her.

Q. I think you were asked about the improvements for both teams. In what way are you seeing NC State being visibly better than the last time you faced them?

KIM MULKEY: Physically better?

Q. Visibly.

KIM MULKEY: Oh, visibly. I’m sorry. Just, they’ve played together awhile. Those guards just have unbelievable range, those guards can dribble penetrate, they have to rebound as guards because that’s — they usually play their four guards together, they have won games on the road that were tough games, they were in tight games, they made the plays to win those games, well coached. I’ve known Wes a long time. He now gets to coach alongside Will Wade. We all know Will when he was at LSU. So other than when we play tomorrow, I’m always pulling for Wes Moore. He is a great guy.

Q. You mentioned Will. What was it like working with him and seeing him operate as a coach?

KIM MULKEY: I was with Will only one year. He treated me with the utmost respect. When I got off that airplane and took the LSU job and before the press conference, he and Paul Mainieri were the first two people to hug me when I got off that plane, and to me, that showed respect.

He is going to be a totally different personality than Wes, but he’s a winner. If you just look at it, he won at LSU, he won at McNeese, and I would imagine he’s getting ready to wake the Wolfpack up and win at NC State.