Kim Mulkey breaks down how LSU handled Final Four stage in first quarter vs Virginia Tech

In just her second year as the head coach at LSU, Kim Mulkey has taken the Tigers to the Final Four. It’s her fifth trip to college basketball’s biggest stage and her first with LSU.

But even though Mulkey has a wealth of Final Four experience, her team doesn’t. No LSU player has been there in their careers, and it’s safe to say the Tigers handled everything well early on. They had a 16-13 lead over Virginia Tech after the first quarter and although there was still room for improvement, Mulkey seemed pleased with how they played in the spotlight.

“I thought we did fine,” Mulkey told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “We didn’t help on some screens and we can help. I thought we missed some easy shots, but that’s expect. I think you’ve got two teams that are really trying hard.”

One area Virginia Tech succeeded in early was offensive rebounding. The Hokies had nine offensive rebounds in the first quarter. However, LSU also had its share of good boards, and Mulkey pointed that out during her interview.

“They had six offensive boards quickly. Long rebounds that we didn’t get to. I think we’ve gotten a couple missed shots.”

Kim Mulkey on how her Final Four experience can help LSU: ‘It’s not a matter of what I have done’

In her press conference ahead of the game, Mulkey spoke candidly about her approach to coaching a group that has never been to the Final Four. Although she took Baylor there four times during her career, she made it clear she’s just on the sidelines.

Instead, she wants the players to lean on their experience from their respective careers — even if it’s never been on the Final Four stage.

“I’m the only one in our locker room that has done this,” Mulkey said. “But I’m not going to shoot, dribble, pass, guard any of them. So it’s not a matter of what I have done.

“I look at it this way. It may be their first time to be in this situation, but they’re all seniors. They’re all seniors. It’s the first time for my group to be in this situation as well, and we’re not all seniors. So I think they have the edge on experience. All I’m going to do is tweak a thing here or there throughout the course of the game, but it has nothing at all to do with coaching and how long a coach has been somewhere or how many times a coach has been somewhere.”