The women's basketball carousel keeps spinning, as LSU searches for new talent after 1,000+ players entered the NCAA transfer portal.
The Tigers lost three guards this week. Freshman Bella Hines joined Divine Bourrage and Kailyn Gilbert in the portal on Tuesday. Hines averaged 13 minutes per game during LSU's 2025/26 campaign, while averaging 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
But coach Kim Mulkey’s program did see a boost, as 6-foot-5 No. 3 high school recruit Caroline Bradley committed to LSU. The Louisiana native plans to join the Tigers for the 2027/28 season.
"First and foremost, I want to win. But I also want to be developed and challenged over the course of the next four years," Bradley told ESPN.
"Coach Mulkey and the staff have worked to build a great relationship with me and my family... I can't wait to be a part of a family that runs deeper than basketball."
NCAA Transfer Portal Rattles Women's College Basketball
With a free range of movement and money to be made, the NCAA transfer portal can impact blue chip programs both positively and negatively as rosters become increasingly stacked.
Back-to-back Final Four participant Texas is also feeling the spin, as 2025 recruit Aaliyah Crump departed Austin after averaging 7.9 points per game across 24 appearances. Forwards Aaliyah Moore and Justice Carlton followed suit.
Big-name programs also stand to benefit from the talent pool, with key prospects like Iowa State center Audi Crooks and Virginia guard Kymora Johnson shopping for new teams.
LSU women's basketball entered the NCAA record books with Sunday's dominating 101-47 victory over Texas Tech in front of a home crowd in Baton Rouge.
The No. 2 seed broke the DI women's record for most 100-point games in a single season with their 16th triple-digit scoreline. Long Beach State previously held the mark, tallying 15 100-point games during the 1986/87 season.
LSU tied the record in the first round of Women's March Madness, ousting Jacksonville 116-58 on Friday. The back-to-back blowouts made the Tigers the second-ever team to open an NCAA tournament run with consecutive 50-point victories.
"Obviously, as a basketball player, and just like a little girl growing up watching basketball, it's everybody's dream to have their names in the history books," junior guard Mikaylah Williams said. "So, it's truly a good feeling and a blessing to even be able to do this."
Williams co-led the team with 24 points against the Red Raiders, sharing the stat with senior guard Flau'jae Johnson. Amiya Joyner added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Kate Koval registered 10 points and 10 rebounds.
In her postgame press conference, LSU coach Kim Mulkey downplayed the record's significance.
"I don't think one thing about it," Mulkey told reporters. "That is not something that, when I'm in my rocking chair, I'm gonna tell the grandkids, 'You know what we did one year?' I'll forget it. But I won't forget those national championships, those conference championships."
How to Watch LSU Vs. Duke in the Women's Sweet 16
The Tigers continue their March Madness run on Friday, tipping off against No. 3 seed Duke at 10 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Kim Mulkey remains one of the most polarizing figures in women's March Madness history. And she's also one of the most successful.
The LSU head coach has appeared in the NCAA tournament for more than three decades as either a player or coach, missing only two years since the women's event took flight in 1981. Her flashy style and big personality have made her impossible to ignore on college basketball's biggest stage.
Mulkey stands alone as the only person to win a national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach. She's also the only coach in women's basketball to win titles at two different programs — Baylor in 2005, 2012, and 2019, and LSU in 2023.
Only UConn's Geno Auriemma and the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee have won more NCAA championships than Mulkey.
From Louisiana Tech to Baylor: Building a Championship Dynasty
Mulkey won an AIAW title as a point guard at Louisiana Tech in 1981, before capturing the inaugural NCAA tournament championship in 1982. The five-foot-four firebrand then earned Olympic gold with the 1984 US team before transitioning to coaching.
She took over Baylor's program in 2000 and immediately turned the Lady Bears into contenders, building a strong recruiting class while leading the program to its first championship in 2005.
Later, the 2011/12 Baylor team completed the program's only undefeated season with star center Brittney Griner anchoring the roster. That squad went wire-to-wire at No. 1 and captured the national title — the most successful team in Mulkey's career.
Mulkey's 2018/19 lineup earned the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed behind future WNBA stars NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo, going on to deliver Mulkey's third championship at Baylor.
Off-Court Controversies Color March Madness Success
However, Mulkey's championship pedigree does come with some baggage. She's faced criticism for fraught relationships with former players and made controversial statements over the years.
Brittney Griner told ESPN in 2013 that Mulkey advised students to remain quiet about their sexual orientation, saying she wouldn't have approved if Griner had come out as gay during her time at Baylor. Mulkey later declined to publicly voice support Griner when the WNBA star was detained in Russia in 2022.
Mulkey also defended Baylor during a university-wide sexual assault scandal in 2017, before making derisive comments about COVID-19 precautions in 2021.
A New NCAA ERA Forces Mulkey to Modernize
In 2021, Mulkey made the surprising leap from Baylor to LSU — just as NIL deals were transforming college athletics. And she's proven more adaptable than expected within the new NCAA landscape.
LSU became a titan of NIL opportunities under Mulkey. The program remains aggressive in the transfer portal, while offering players more compensation and high-profile competition.
Mulkey has embraced Baton Rouge's culture, leaning into the school's vibrant colors and raucous crowds. But building another juggernaut has taken time in the much tougher SEC conference, where top coaches like South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Texas's Vic Schaefer are more than prepared to challenge Mulkey's March Madness dominance.
Fast-Tracking LSU's 2023 Championship Win
In 2023, Mulkey led LSU to its first national title in just her second season, despite the Tigers not being college basketball's best team all year. That distinction belonged to South Carolina — one team Mulkey's LSU has never beaten.
High-profile transfer Angel Reese and top recruit Flau'jae Johnson powered the Tigers to an unexpected March Madness run. LSU subsequently defeated Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes in the championship game, launching Reese into superstar status and padding Mulkey's already stacked resume.
With that, the 2023 NCAA final became arguably the most influential single game in women's college basketball history.
Navigating Shifting Roles as 2026 March Madness Tips Off
While LSU's 2026 roster still features players from that 2023 championship team, Mulkey's role has shifted from conference protagonist to dark horse contender.
Mulkey doesn't schedule aggressively in nonconference play, opting for matchups against teams like Houston Christian, Marist, and Alcorn State. LSU ranks second in NCAA history this year for games scoring over 100 points, giving the transfer-heavy roster some extra cushion to gel.
The Tigers' four regular-season losses came against top-ranked SEC programs Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas, and South Carolina. Mulkey acknowledged the stiff competition during the 2026 SEC tournament.
"How long has Dawn been at South Carolina? 18 years? I was at Baylor for 21 years," she said. "It takes time to lay a foundation. I've been at LSU five years. We've won a national championship. We're so close."
With Johnson wrapping up her college career this April, Mulkey is expected hit the transfer portal hard to recruit the best available talent for next season.
LSU remains an unfinished product. But if one thing is true, it's that the Tigers will always deliver a show when they take the court.
And, of course, you can never count out a Kim Mulkey team once March Madness arrives.
The No. 4 Texas Longhorns have a score to settle when they host No. 5 LSU for the pair's second and final 2025/26 NCAA basketball regular-season matchup on Thursday.
The Tigers got the better of Texas back on January 11th, securing a 70-65 win behind junior guard Mikaylah Williams's 20 point-performance.
"They were way tougher than we were," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said after the loss. "By far our worst game of the year, and we'll give them credit for that."
That said, Thursday's home-court advantage should give the Longhorns a boost, with Texas riding a 38-game home winning streak — the longest active home streak in Division I basketball — alongside a 63-5 all-time record at Austin's Moody Center.
As for LSU, the Tigers' schedule only gets harder from here, as the team gears up to face No. 3 South Carolina, No. 13 Ole Miss, and No. 19 Tennessee later this month.
"We don't have to rely on anybody else winning or losing," said LSU head coach Kim Mulkey. "Go win seven ball games and you might win your first SEC title."
How to watch LSU vs. Texas basketball on Thursday
The No. 5 Tigers will visit the No. 4 Longhorns at 9 PM ET, with the SEC clash airing live on ESPN.
No. 6 LSU women’s basketball continued their dominant conference run on Monday night, defeating Florida 89-60 behind. The win marks the Tigers' fifth consecutive SEC victory, improving their overall record to 19-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Sophomore guard Jada Richard led the LSU women’s basketball offense with 20 points, including 12 in the decisive third quarter. She was also efficient from the field, shooting 6-of-10 alongside a perfect 6-of-6 from the freethrow line.
"She figures it out," Coach Kim Mulkey said postgame. "Jada’s IQ with the basketball is something you have to be around her every day to see. Great ones go back and they watch their mistakes. I love that about competitors."
Senior forward Amiya Joyner notched her second straight double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Junior transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley added 15 points, while Mikaylah Williams dropped 12 and star senior Flau'jae Johnson contributed eight points and six rebounds of her own.
The game remained competitive in the first half, with Florida briefly taking a 27-26 lead before LSU went on a 10-2 run to enter the break with a 36-29 lead. The Tigers broke the game open in the third quarter, registering 11 points while forcing six turnovers.
Interior play also played a significant role with LSU out-rebounding Florida 48-28. The Tigers also forced 15 total turnovers, which they converted into 21 points.
"I would say what this team has done at LSU in the five years I’ve been here is they honestly do things together off the court," Mulkey said.
"They really, really have a chemistry that is very unselfish. They want to all play now, but it’s not destructive in any way... I’ve got a lot of depth, a lot of weapons, I do.”
How to watch LSU women's basketball this week
LSU continues their three-game homestand on Thursday, tipping off against unranked Arkansas at 8 PM ET, live on SEC Network+.
This weekend's SEC slate brings the heat, as the stacked NCAA basketball conference gears up for more than one high-profile ranked matchup on Sunday.
Undefeated No. 2 Texas will visit Baton Rouge to take on No. 12 LSU, with the Tigers looking to add to their 80-59 Thursday win over unranked Georgia as they continue battling back from a dismal 0-2 start in 2025/26 conference play.
"We think we're just going to go in there and out-jump, out-leap somebody," said LSU boss Kim Mulkey following last Sunday's loss to No. 7 Vanderbilt. "You're not going to do that in this league."
"This year, the [SEC] is every bit as good as last year — when you really think about it, it's probably way better," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer told the Austin American-Statesman on Thursday. "The big thing right now is we've got to get better."
Texas's clash with LSU opens a tough stretch for the Longhorns, as they face AP Poll headliners No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 7 Vanderbilt in the coming weeks.
Sunday's other SEC blockbuster between the Sooners and the Wildcats is all about redemption, as Oklahoma aims to bounce back from their 74-69 upset loss to No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday while Kentucky looks to put their 64-51 Thursday loss to unranked Alabama in the rearview mirror.
How to watch ranked SEC basketball on Sunday
No. 2 Texas will tip off Sunday's ranked SEC slate against No. 12 LSU at 3 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
Then at 4 PM ET, No. 5 Oklahoma will visit No. 6 Kentucky, with live coverage on the SEC Network.
Only four Division I basketball teams remain unbeaten after a wild week of early NCAA conference play upsets handed seven programs their first defeats of the 2025/26 season.
Now-No. 12 LSU dropped games against SEC rising stars No. 6 Kentucky and No. 5 Vanderbilt late last week, with fellow top-ranked teams No. 8 Maryland, No. 13 TCU, and No. 11 Iowa State also falling for the first time this season.
"We're not tough enough," Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey said after Sunday's 65-61 loss to the Commodores. "And toughness is, you either have it or you don't."
LSU's struggles highlight key differences between scheduling approaches, with the inevitable SEC competition leaving few places to hide despite significant nonconference success.
"If we hadn't played that [easier nonconference] schedule, we might would be sitting here with a lot of losses," Mulkey told reporters.
Elsewhere, other conferences also showed their depth, as unranked Utah defeated TCU in Big 12 play while the Big Ten saw unranked Illinois take down Maryland and No. 23 Washington beat No. 9 Michigan.
Meanwhile, top-ranked UConn, No. 2 Texas, the aforementioned No. 7 Vanderbilt, and No. 17 Texas Tech are holding strong in 2025/26 play, avoiding upsets to become the last undefeated NCAA basketball teams still standing.
The No. 5 LSU Tigers are gearing up for their first big test of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season, opening conference play against fellow SEC powerhouse No. 11 Kentucky on Thursday.
"There's nothing else that I can learn about this team in a non-conference schedule," LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said following her squad's 109-41 win over Alabama State on Sunday. "What I'm gonna learn is gonna be through these games in the SEC."
Known in recent years for playing a weak non-conference schedule, the Tigers have nonetheless impressed so far, closing out their 14-game slate averaging a 55.4-point margin of victory while scoring more than 100 points in 11 matchups.
Senior guard Flau'jae Johnson and star South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley currently share LSU's scoring crown with 15.1 points per game, while senior Amiya Joyner tops the rebounds tally at 7.3 boards per game.
That said, LSU will need all their firepower when they host a Kentucky team hitting their stride under former Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks.
Hokies transfer Clara Strack stars for the Wildcats, leading Kentucky in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks as the team enters SEC play with just one loss — to No. 7 Maryland — on their 2025/26 NCAA record.
How to watch Kentucky vs. LSU on Thursday
The No. 5 Tigers will tip off against the No. 11 Wildcats at 8 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on SEC Network+.
The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top 25 team.
No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.
"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."
No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.
"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."
Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this weekend
This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.
The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.
Star LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson knows exactly what she'd get head coach Kim Mulkey for Christmas.
"Blue crabs," she told Just Women's Sports in November, days before DICK'S Sporting Goods declared her Greatest Wrapper in the Game, a holiday campaign touting the college senior's own limited-edition run of wrapping paper and official holiday campaign video. "Me and her, we like to eat blue crab."
Ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll, LSU is never far from the Final Four conversation. But Johnson — who's increasingly brought a personal touch to her leadership role on the Tigers — has ambitions that extend far beyond finishing out her collegiate career on top.
Already an NCAA champion with eyes on next year's WNBA draft, the 22-year-old dynamic guard has cemented her legacy as a multi-talent. She's a decorated musician and rapper, an interdisciplinary studies major with a minor in sports administration, and a menace on the court with a motor that never quits.
"I gotta be me first," she said — and that's the secret to her success.
As LSU's leading scorer, Flau'jae Johnson is off to the races
Johnson knows that the Tigers' nonconference schedule rarely features marquee matchups.
"We don't play nobody in our nonconference schedule," she said. "From December on out, that's when it gets really [exciting]."
Mulkey often schedules a slow start for the team, gradually building towards peak form once LSU enters SEC play in January.
That hasn't stopped the Tigers from showing the country what they're capable of this season. They've scored more than 100 points through all eight matchups so far, setting a new NCAA record for consecutive 100+ point games.
Johnson's progress has featured heavily in every blowout win. She leads the team in points, assists, and three-point percentage per game. But she sees her greatest growth in the intangibles.
Flau'jae Johnson steps up as LSU coach Kim Mulkey's right hand
A self-described loner, Johnson strived to connect with new teammates throughout her four years in Baton Rouge. It's an especially important task as part of an LSU team that thrives through the transfer portal.
The Tigers won the NCAA championship in 2023 — Johnson's freshman year — led by transfer forward Angel Reese, who was then joined the following year by high-profile transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow. This season, former South Carolina Gamecock MiLaysia Fulwiley has entered the mix, with Johnson quickly creating chemistry.
"Ballers just want to ball, like hoopers just want to hoop," she said. "You find different ways to bond and gel with teammates."
When the accomplished hip hop artist's not in the groove working on music, she's trying to extend a hand to the team's freshest faces. "It's been a new job for me as a leader on the team," she said. "It's been easy though, because we just want to hoop."
Year-in, year-out, the Tigers' success relies on picking up instructions and learning schemes quickly, with Johnson — a player very comfortable with Mulkey's system — stepping up to take on the role of team liaison.
"You've just got to read everybody, their emotions, how they're feeling, and you've just got to be there for everybody," she explained. "But that's not hard for me, because I'm an older sister."
Holiday trips and Secret Santas: Flau'jae Johnson's familial drive
Family is everything to Johnson. Being a college basketball star can make the holiday season tough, as the season runs straight through time she'd love to spend back home in Georgia. And with conference play on the horizon, she knows she has to stay focused on the court now more than ever.
"I kind of put that out of my mind, that I won't be with my family until I go pro, because it used to be hard on me seeing my little brothers go trick-or-treating and stuff without me," she reflected, noting how excited she was to use her own DICK'S wrapping paper to shower her family with gifts this year.
Her favorite college holiday memory also involves her family, when her entire family traveled to the team's Thanksgiving tournament in the Bahamas.
"My momma snuck food on the plane — literally the whole Thanksgiving, she cooked it and froze it and put it under the plane," she said, beaming. "And we had a smash Thanksgiving meal in freaking the Bahamas."
This year, Johnson's already looking forward to her team's annual Secret Santa exchange, while also planning to spend her limited time off this winter on a surprise family cabin trip to Colorado The world of NIL has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for Johnson to spread her growing wealth, and she's taken to those opportunities with easy charm.
Setting sights on No. 1, from Baton Rouge to the WNBA
Far from settling for a decorated college run and lucrative personal brand, Johnson is also locked in on making a smooth transition to the WNBA. The calendar year for rising pros is a physical gauntlet, with the draft taking place just weeks after what LSU hopes will be a deep NCAA tournament campaign.
"I'm so ready to go pro," she said. "I really want to establish myself, to show I could be the number one pick in the draft. I feel like my talent level is there, but I've got to execute."
"The W is fascinating," she added. "It's forever growing, and it's powerful women doing these things. So I'm just excited to be in that group."
Johnson has recently been focusing on her fitness, anticipating increased physicality at the pro level — while also aiming for balance. "They're not going to be swinging me around like I'm a little rag doll," she laughed. "[But] I feel like my mind is the most important part. I want to grow, I want to get better."
Of course, other than committing to winning at all levels, Johnson doesn't know exactly what her future holds. For now, she'll continue to make music, sharpen her game, and stay true to herself. As a player with so many gifts to give, the rest will come naturally.