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LSU's Final Four win gives Kim Mulkey a significant bonus

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•03/31/23
Kim Mulkey, LSU Tigers women's basketball coach
LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey celebrates with her players in the locker room after beating Virginia Tech in the Final Four on March 31, 2023. (Ben Solomon / Getty Images)

The LSU basketball team advanced to the national championship for the first time in program history, despite five previous trips to the NCAA Final Four.

And by getting the Tigers past that Final Four hurdle and into the national championship game, second-year coach Kim Mulkey has unlocked even more of her bonus structure.

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today Sports, the win gave Kim Mulkey $105,000 in bonuses. To date this season she has totaled $334,000 in bonuses.

She’s likely worth every penny.

A year before Mulkey was hired at LSU, the Tigers won only nine games. Two years in and using a roster with plenty of new faces from the NCAA transfer portal, LSU has gotten one win away from a national title.

The Tigers advanced in the Final Four by knocking off the Virginia Tech Hokies 79-72.

The game was not without its stressful moments, though, as LSU trailed 51-39 early in the second half. But a concerted effort to lock down and play better defense made a big difference.

“We had to come together and believe in each other and play defense,” forward Angel Reese said. “The game wasn’t over. We had been in situations like this before, so just trust in the coaches and listening to each other.”

Reese managed to score 24 points, while dynamic guard Alexis Morris led all scorers with 27 to help propel the Tigers toward the finish line.

Morris was fired up after the win.

“I’m a senior, man, and I’ve got to be the glue for this team,” Morris told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “Offensively, defensively, I know my team needed a spark so I had to trust in myself and my teammates and my coaches. And that’s why we’re competing for the national championship on Sunday, baby.”

Now Kim Mulkey and her bonus, as well as Morris, Reese and company will begin resting up and preparing for the national championship game. LSU will play the winner of South Carolina and Iowa, which were underway in the nightcap game on Friday night.

The national championship game will be played on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The game will be broadcast on ABC.