Kim Mulkey will face her alma mater this season for the first time since she took the head coaching job at LSU. The Lady Tigers and La Tech will meet on December 13th in the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans in the first game of a doubleheader. Kent Lowe with the LSU Sports Information Department says the Lady Tigers and Lady Techsters are the two most successful women’s basketball programs in the state.
“They both won national championships. They both, at different times, were one of the dominant teams in the nation in college basketball,” Lowe said.
Mulkey won two national championships at Ruston and led LSU to its first national title in women’s basketball in 2023.
This will be the second time that Mulkey will face her alma mater; the other time coming in 2009 when she led Baylor to a 77-67 win. United Sports Entertainment helped set up the game and Rhossi Carron says they are excited Mulkey agreed to play her alma mater.
“Louisiana Tech has a special place in her heart. And coaches are always conflicted about going back to play their alma mater.
But I think, ultimately, it’s good for everybody involved,” Carron said.
The second game will be the LSU men taking on SMU. The teams will compete in the Compete 4 Cause Classic. Lowe says the players from all of the teams involved will participate in a community service event in New Orleans with children on December 12th and then LSU fans can watch both the LSU women and men compete on the same day.
“This works out to a great day of basketball in a big-time venue, which should have a big-time atmosphere. I think it’s a win-win for both programs,” Lowe said.
