What She Said: Kim Mulkey Ready for Sweet 16 Run

Mulkey and Co. punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 once again, ready to handle business.

Q. Obviously that moment right there, but towards the end of the game, can you just talk about the love for this team that you have, how special this group is.

KIM MULKEY: I coach a very shy team. They’re very passive. I have to really get them going. No, they’re fun. They’re fun. Even when they’re frustrated, they’re fun. They’re ballers. I’m blessed. I’m happy for them. I’m happy for LSU.

Let me say this. There’s so many times people take getting to a Sweet 16 for granted. Do you know how many coaches had probably never done that in their career? I’ve always, always acknowledged that it’s hard to do.

I thought our fans were outstanding today. They showed up at — what time did we play the other day? 3 o’clock and then today at 2 o’clock.

Yeah, those kids keep me young.

Q. Obviously not the start that you guys wanted today. Just wanted to ask externally if you guys felt like you maybe were distracted a touch and just talk about how your team was able to just weather that early start.

KIM MULKEY: No. Listen, man, we’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not. My kids didn’t even know I said that yesterday. That team is not involved in this. They were in shock when they saw all that on the internet. I don’t take that stuff to my team.

Was that the question, or did you have a second part?

Q. Just how they weathered that storm. I know the first half didn’t go the way you wanted it to.

KIM MULKEY: Why don’t we give credit to the other team? That’s a Hall-of-Fame coach. Those kids haven’t lost a game since the end of December. That’s a good team, well-coached. They run their stuff. They reverse the ball. They make you defend for 30 seconds.

As I told you in the press conference before we played them, do you know how many Power Five teams that man has beaten? 17, 19 in the SEC alone. I give credit to the opponent.

Q. It looked like early on the size inside for MTSU was working for them, and eventually obviously Boldyreva fouled out before the end of the third quarter, and you were physical and aggressive, continuing to pound it inside. Can you just give us some insight into what worked in that way?

KIM MULKEY: Well, size matters, but I also think it doesn’t matter. I’ll take the smallest, little point guard you got if they got quickness. But in certain positions size matters. It makes you alter your shot. Angel missed some break-away layups. That had nothing to do with size inside, but she kept battling.

I think at half Angel didn’t even have an offensive board. I thought it was very obvious that they use their fouls. They’re physical. They use their fouls, and we took advantage of it.

I thought our energy, I thought our aggressiveness, I thought our effort in the second half wore them down. Even when they got good looks, they didn’t make them. At the end of the third quarter, if I remember, I think they only had one three, and I think we just picked up our effort a lot more in the third and fourth quarter.

Q. How did you feel about y’all’s team only having one turnover in the second half?

KIM MULKEY: I feel good. We only had seven for the game. Looked a little bit different than the other night, didn’t it? The other day…

Q. Another question. How did you feel about Hailey’s defensive effort despite only shooting 1 for 5?

KIM MULKEY: I was very proud of Hailey today. She doesn’t start the second half, for no other reason other than a coach’s decision. And that child worked her rear-end off in the second half defensively. As Flau’Jae said, she set the tone for us to pick our energy up on the defensive end.

She’s just trying to do something in her career before college ends for her, and that’s to try to win a championship. I just told her how unselfish she was today to let me start Poa. She didn’t ask why. She didn’t pout. She went out there and did her job.

Q. Back to the defense. You held them to eight field goals in the second half. Two total threes. The total effort, I guess, you were speaking about Hailey, but Flau’Jae and her ability to get up and down the court, is that what you’re most proud of and feel like your team has a chance to go deep because of?

KIM MULKEY: I thought we picked up pushing the ball. We were running in transition at all positions in the second half. What we did better defensively is we helped each other. We helped each other. And it started with our post players helping Poa, helping Hailey when that young lady would come off the screens at the top. I mean, it’s just hard to guard somebody that really makes them flow and makes them go.

I thought late in the shot clock they did exactly what they’ve been taught to do, and that’s you switch anything under 10 seconds on the shot-clock, you’ll hear us holler, “Hot.” That’s letting them know we switch at all positions on ball screens.

I think also in the second half we rebounded better. Those guys were kicking our rear on the boards early, and honestly, that wasn’t in the scouting report. That was kind of a shock that we were getting out-rebounded or those things were happening in the first half.

Q. How important was the pitch-ahead passes that you were able to get to get your transition offense going or at least get into y’all’s offense early to get opportunities?

KIM MULKEY: At halftime we told them we need to get some transition buckets, and let’s go. If you get a rebound, Mikayla, if you get a rebound, Flau’Jae, take off. Everybody run.

I think we got some cherry-picking there. I think Angel was down there one time. We got some breaks to get it started like that. But then it just kind of snowballed and we just started running and going.

I think they got in foul trouble. I can’t remember when we got into the bonus, but obviously we were telling them, Why settle? Take it right down their throats.

Q. Flau’Jae hit some big-time shots, but what did you see from her tonight?

KIM MULKEY: I’ve seen it in Flau’Jae this last half of the season. That kid’s confidence is unbelievable right now. It’s not just one-dimensional. She’s doing so many good things out there on the floor.

One, she’s taking care of the ball. Two, she knows when to drive, when to shoot the shot from the perimeter. Other than today, she’s most of the time being asked to guard the better perimeter player. I think Scott asked it earlier. She’s just starting to learn this game at all aspects, and it’s just fun to watch her.

She’ll get in that time-out now. It’s so funny. I don’t even have to talk anymore. She wants to draw this up, and then she wants to say this, and Angel has her 2 cents. Every now and then I get to chime in.