Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers entered this season with high expectations, despite losing star players Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith. For months, they stayed competitive in the SEC title race. But as March approaches, a series of setbacks, both on and off the court, has ignited frustration among fans. Back-to-back losses to Alabama and Ole Miss have taken their conference record to 12-4, an identical record to last season. To make matters worse, Mulkey announced a shocking decision which didn’t go down well with the Tigers fanbase.

Heading into the SEC Tournament, LSU fans hoped for a redemption arc after last year’s loss to South Carolina. But Kim Mulkey had other plans. She announced that star player Flau’jae Johnson would be sitting out the tournament due to shin inflammation.

But why did this make the fans angry? It was the fact that the decision came directly from the head coach herself, rather than the doctors or the rest of the coaching staff.“When your shins are hurting you — it’s like your feet and your back, when they are hurting you cannot mentally perform.” Mulkey continued, “I don’t care how tough you are, how much pain tolerance you have — it affects you. She has tried her hardest and put her heart out there. I just decided after Alabama, we are a No. 3 seed no matter if we win another ball game, so why not do it now? 

With the Big Dance just around the corner, it makes no sense to force a player to play through pain. But to make matters worse, what happened in the first game without Flau’jae? Ole Miss came back from 15 points behind to beat the Tigers 85-77.

The past week has been brutal for LSU fans. A pair of losses, combined with the sudden absence of their star player, only fueled their frustration. And as expected, social media became their battleground. Let’s take a look at some of those reactions.

Fans fume over Kim Mulkey’s bold stance

Fans obviously aren’t thrilled with the decision, even if it might be the right one. One fan vented on X, saying, “Every year Kim Mulkey pulls a stunt to show that she does not care anything about the conference tournament. So, this year she sits Flau’jae.” Another fan went straight for the blame game after the Ole Miss loss, stating, “#7 LSU UPSET at Home by Ole Miss. No Flau’Jae due to coach Kim Mulkey resting her. #WBB #CollegeHoops.”

Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers have historically struggled in the SEC Tournament. Yes, this is the same team that won the 2023 NCAA championship under her guidance, but last season was the only time in her career that she reached the SEC title game. This year, Flau’jae Johnson won’t be playing. Last season, it was Mikaylah Williams. It’s a pattern that fans couldn’t help but notice.

But that’s not all! One fan even blamed her for apparently leaving Hailey Van Lith feeling burnt out from the sport, saying, “Yall wont say it but I will…..Kim Mulkey took the love of the game away from HVL. Mark Campbell brought it back and made her better as a person.”

When Hailey Van Lith joined the LSU Tigers after their championship win, the expectation was that they would run it back with a new Big Three of Reese, Johnson, and Van Lith. But things didn’t go as planned. Van Lith, known for her scoring prowess and averaging over 20 points per game at Louisville, was asked to take on more of a facilitator role in a stacked LSU lineup. It wasn’t the right fit for her. She left after one season and is now thriving under Mark Campbell at TCU, where she’s averaging 17.2 points per game and has already led her team to a Big 12 regular-season championship.

Fans are beginning to doubt LSU’s chances. Even with a fully healthy Flau’jae, fans aren’t convinced that this LSU squad has what it takes to make a deep tournament run and they’re pointing fingers at Kim Mulkey. One fan didn’t hold back, posting on X, “A lot of the dysfunction pertaining to LSU this year is because of Kim Mulkey.” Another fan joined in, calling out her recruiting strategy, “Kim Mulkey needs to start recruiting & developing some bigs that can play. This team has gotten worse over the season.”

Yes, the past week has been rough for the Tigers, but all hope is not lost. LSU is still an offensive powerhouse, ranking sixth in the nation with an impressive 85.3 points per game. But it is the defense which is costing them games. The lack of quality bigs has hurt them. And it shows. LSU is smack-dab in the middle of the pack when it comes to defense. The Tigers have been allowing an average of 65.3 points per game. To make another deep postseason run, Mulkey must find a way to fix LSU’s leaky defense.

Obviously, fans wanted the LSU Tigers to win the SEC tournament this season. Yes, without Flau’jae, it becomes an almost impossible task, but crazier things have happened in this game before. That said, there’s no doubt about Kim Mulkey’s coaching abilities. Her fiery personality may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s the heart and soul of this Tigers team. You can expect her to come up with another solution to solve this crisis. That’s what the best in the business do!