Angel Reese has not played for LSU basketball since the first half of the Tigers’ Nov. 14 game against Kent State.

Head coach Kim Mulkey has provided few details on Reese’s four-game absence, so questions have continued to swirl around the star senior, namely: Where is she? And why isn’t she with the team?

Just Women’s Sports lays out the complete timeline and breaks down what we do know.

Nov. 14: Reese benched against Kent State

Reese played 14 minutes in the first half of the Tigers’ 109-79 win over Kent State. But she did not play at all in the second half due to what Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.”

Not much thought was given to Reese’s limited minutes at the time, especially considering the team’s opponent and margin of victory. But soon after the game, drama began to stir up on social media, starting with a spat between the mothers of Reese and sophomore Flau’jae Johnson.

Nov. 17: Reese absent from bench against Southeastern Louisiana

Reese, who last season set the NCAA single-season record for double-doubles, missed the team’s next game against Southeastern Louisiana, three days after she was benched against Kent State. Mulkey wouldn’t give a reason for her absence, only saying that she hoped Reese would rejoin the team soon.

“Angel was not in uniform,” Mulkey said. “Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope she’s back with the team soon. I’m not going to answer any more than that.”

Reese broke her silence on Nov. 19, writing on social media: “Please don’t believe everything you read.”

Nov. 20: Kim Mulkey compares situation to ‘disciplining your children’

LSU sailed to a dominant 106-47 win against Texas Southern but did so without Reese, who missed her second consecutive game. After the victory, Mulkey once again answered – and evaded – questions.

Throughout Reese’s absence, Mulkey has stressed that her silence is in an effort to protect her players. She did also give a little more insight into what the absence may be about, alluding to “locker room issues.”

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

Along with Reese’s absence, junior Kateri Poole missed her first of three consecutive games. Poole also missed the Kent State game, and she played just five minutes against Southeastern Louisiana.

Nov. 24: Reese did not travel to Cayman Islands Classic

The Tigers faced Niagara and Virginia in the Cayman Islands Classic. But Reese and Poole were absent from both victories over Thanksgiving weekend, as both reportedly did not make the trip.

A team spokesperson declined to comment on the players’ absences Friday, according to ESPN. Following the team’s Friday win over Niagara, Mulkey reiterated earlier comments about Reese, saying: “We hope she’s back sooner than later.”

Next up, the No. 7 Tigers are set to play No. 9 Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. Reese’s status for the game remains unknown.

Angel Reese and Kateri Poole are still missing for LSU basketball.

The No. 7 Tigers (6-1) won their first game of two games at the Cayman Islands Classic, sailing to a 99-65 win against Niagara on Friday. But neither Reese nor Poole played in the game, and neither appears to have made the trip to the tournament.

Since Reese was benched for the second half of LSU’s Nov. 14 game against Kent State, the star senior has missed the next three games. Poole has missed the most recent two games, and she played just five minutes in the Nov. 17 game against Southeastern Louisiana.

A team spokesperson declined to comment on the players’ absences Friday, ESPN reported. Head coach Kim Mulkey repeatedly has declined to comment on Reese’s absence in particular, though she did compare the situation to “disciplining your children” after Monday’s 106-47 win against Texas Southern.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said Monday. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

After Friday’s win, Mulkey simply reiterated an earlier statement, saying: “We hope she’s back sooner than later.”

Reese has averaged 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games. Poole, in a diminished role compared to last season, has averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in four games.

On Sunday, Reese posted on social media, writing: “Please don’t believe everything you read.” The message seemingly was directed at online chatter surrounding her absence.

LSU’s lineup became further depleted during the win against Niagara, as Sa’Myah Smith went down with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers next will face Virginia at 5 p.m. ET Saturday at the Cayman Islands Classic, and then will host No. 9 Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. ET Thursday.

Amid Angel Reese’s absence from LSU basketball, head coach Kim Mulkey likened the situation to “disciplining your own children.”

The star senior has missed the No. 7 Tigers’ last two games, and Mulkey has offered few details on Reese’s status, which has contributed to rampant social media speculation. But she has stressed that her silence is to protect her players.

“I’m going to protect my players,” Mulkey told reporters Monday. “Always. They are more important. It’s like a family.”

Yet questions about Reese’s absence continue to persist. And the way that Mulkey continues to characterize her absence may be feeding into the social media flames.

On Monday, Mulkey alluded to her absence being about “locker room issues.” And getting lost in the questions surrounding Reese’s absence is the fact that Kateri Poole has also been absent from the team.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said Monday. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

Dawn Staley has been excited to see early-season upsets in women’s college basketball.

While her Gamecocks are a perfect 4-0, several of their top competitors already have been toppled. Preseason No. 1 LSU lost to Colorado to start the season, and preseason No. 2 UConn lost to NC State. And then-No. 2 Iowa was upset by Kansas State, almost one year after the Wildcats upset a top-5 Iowa team.

Meanwhile, Princeton nearly upset No. 3 UCLA, and Duke pushed then-No. 6 Stanford to overtime.

All of these are signs of growing parity in the women’s game, which Staley called “good for the sport.”

“I think women’s basketball is good,” she said after South Carolina’s 78-38 win over South Dakota State on Monday. “We could talk about parity, but we’re good. Our sport is at a really good place where anybody feels like they could beat anybody. It’s come to pass and I think that helps everybody else when you see it.”

While the Gamecocks have not yet been a victim, the upsets give them reason for better preparation, Staley said. After all, a team never knows if they could be next.

“When you see it, you prepare a little bit better,” she said. “You’ve got examples of what it could look like for you if you lose a basketball game. More so than just coaching your team up, they see it, they feel it. It is a real thing out there when you see teams get upset.”

And the upsets have come as the sport has reached new heights of popularity. With more eyes on the game than ever before, sometimes those upsets can feel monumental. But if you ask Staley, she’s seen this changing of the tides coming.

Earlier this month, Staley discussed the the rise in the sport’s popularity with Vanity Fair.

“Women’s basketball is bursting at the seams,” Staley said. “It is a long time coming.”

And that could mean a greater financial return, too. Broadcast rights for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament are set to be negotiated soon, and the deal could be worth more than $100 million.

“We need somebody to bet on us,” Staley said, “and I know that they’ll get a return on their investment.”

Angel Reese was once again absent from the sidelines as LSU basketball took down Texas Southern, 106-47, on Monday night.

The senior star missed her second straight game for the Tigers after being benched in the second half of the last Tuesday’s win against Kent State. After that game, Mulkey called Reese’s benching “a coach’s decision.”

Following her benching, Reese did not appear at LSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday.

“Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later. … That’s all y’all need to know,” Mulkey said in her postgame press conference.

On Monday, Mulkey sang the same tune, even asking the reporter who asked about Reese if he was present at Friday’s press conference.

“I’m gonna give you the same answer as the other day,” she said.

“I’ll say it again: Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team,” Mulkey continued. “And Angel will be back sooner than later.”

And when asked if she had decided whether Reese would make the trip to the Cayman Islands Classic with the team over the Thanksgiving holiday, she responded: “If I have, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re not entitled to that information.”

“We hope she’s back with the team soon,” she said later on. “I’m not going to answer any more than that. … Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players.”

On Sunday, Reese posted on social media, writing: “Please don’t believe everything you read.” The message seemingly was directed at online chatter surrounding her absence.

She also posted a video on her Instagram Stories of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, in which Sanders says: “Look at me. What about me would make you think that I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion that I have of myself. You ain’t make me, so you can’t break me. You didn’t build me, so you can’t kill me.”

It’s unclear exactly what is going on with Reese, as Mulkey has not provided any specifics. Certain possible violations, such as academic ineligibility, would have to be protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which grants students the right to privacy over their academic records.

Dating back to last season, Reese has been a key presence for the Tigers. This season, she leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game. She’s also among the team’s top scorers, averaging 17.0 points per game.

Last season, she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading LSU to its first national championship.

There doesn’t appear to be a timetable for Reese’s return. No. 7 LSU is set to travel to the Cayman Islands, where the Tigers will face Niagara on Friday and Virginia on Saturday. They’re set to play No. 9 Virginia Tech on Nov. 30.

Angel Reese has returned to the public eye for the first time since her absence from LSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night.

Reese has remained quiet about the reason for her absence. Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey has also not disclosed the nature of Reese’s nonattendance of team events.

“Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later. … That’s all y’all need to know,” Mulkey said in a press conference after Friday’s 73-50 win.

In LSU’s previous game, a 109-79 win against Kent State, Reese did not play in the second half due to what Mulkey called “a coach’s decision.” Despite rampant speculation surrounding Reese’s status, including questions of her academic eligibility, there is no evidence to support the social media furor.

After two days of relative silence on social media from Reese, she returned to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a message seemingly directed at the online chatter.

She said only this: “Please don’t believe everything you read.”

Reese remains a question mark in the Tigers’ lineup ahead their game against Texas Southern at 8 p.m. ET Monday.

Angel Reese did not travel with the No. 7 LSU Tigers for their game against Southeastern Louisiana University on Friday.

Reese’s surprise absence from the team comes after she was pulled at halftime of the Tigers’ game against Kent State on Tuesday. LSU went on to win that game, 109-79. Kateri Poole, another veteran on head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad, was also pulled at halftime against Kent State. Mulkey described both players’ removal from the game as,“a coach’s decision.”

Mulkey declined to give specifics on the nature of Reese’s nonattendance at Southeastern Louisiana.

“It’s very obvious Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later,” Mulkey said in a press conference after LSU’s 75-50 win over the Lions.

Mulkey refused to answer reporters’ follow-up questions about Reese, saying, “That’s all y’all need to know.”

Reese is a key presence on the scoresheet and on defense for the Tigers. She leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game this season. She is also the second-highest scorer with an average of 17 points per game. Last season, the Maryland transfer was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading LSU to the national championship.

Just as there is no official explanation for Reese’s absence from the team, there is no clear timetable for Reese’s return to team activities.

No. 2 recruit Mikaylah Williams has had an eye-popping start to her freshman campaign, including a 42-point performance in LSU’s win over Kent State on Tuesday.

Williams’ 42 points were the most scored by an LSU freshman in the NCAA era and the second-most all-time. For the 18-year-old guard, it “all starts in practice.”

“How you practice is how you play,” she said. “Coach Mulkey has been riding me and riding me and staying on my tail about working hard and effort. So that in practice showed to the game today.”

Mulkey has known what Williams is capable of since recruiting her out of Parkway High School in Shreveport, La. A consensus top-two prospect in the Class of 2023, Williams was a big get for the Tigers.

“I’ve been riding her because I don’t think she knows how good she is. You saw today what she’s capable of doing,” Mulkey said. “She’s a special talent. I guess it’s just those moments where you feel that rim is as big as the ocean.

“I want to be that coach that pushes her beyond the limits. I think you’re just seeing her scratch the surface.”

The hard work is paying off for Williams, who had never scored more than 35 points in a game before Tuesday.

“I work hard for putting out what I put out,” she said. “I applaud my teammates for finding the hot hand and helping me get to this success.”

Williams has been a bright spot for LSU, who came into the year with sky-high expectations as the reigning NCAA champions and have dealt with early-season adversity. Ranked No. 1 to start the season, the Tigers lost their opener to then-No. 20 Colorado. Then Mulkey held star Angel Reese out of the second half of the Kent State game, calling it a “coach’s decision,” and drama surrounding the team erupted on social media this week.

Through the challenges, LSU players are trying to stick together and find positives, such as the play of freshman Williams.

“It makes me feel good to get Mikaylah a pass and see her score,” LSU teammate Aneesah Morrow added after the Kent State game. “I get to see the work that Mikaylah puts in every day. It’s a nonstop thing. She’s very consistent and works hard every day. To see that pay off is amazing.”

Social media drama swirled around the LSU basketball team Thursday, with former Tigers and current WNBA players stirring the pot.

The kerfuffle started with posts by the mothers of Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson, each seemingly directed at the other. Reese’s mother Angel Webb Reese complained about text messages with grammatical errors on Instagram Stories, and then Johnson’s mother Kia Brooks called out mother and daughter in her own post.

“You definitely know about grammar errors when your daughter got a 2.0 or less GPA. … Stop being petty, fake and hateful, and take responsibility for you and your daughter’s actions,” Brooks wrote.

While neither Reese nor Johnson addressed the posts on their own social media platforms, former teammates Alexis Morris and Jasmine Carson jumped into the fray.

All four players won the national championship with LSU in April. Morris and Carson now are playing overseas, while Reese and Johnson are still with the Tigers, whose title defense got off to a rocky start.

“Switched up to gang up on me, now y’all fallin’ out,” wrote Morris, who got herself into hot water on social media earlier this year after calling out WNBA veterans.

In another post, she wrote: “Can we just all get (along)? Heck no that’s over with.”

Morris also stood up for LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, writing: “You can’t pay me to bash Kim!”

“Y’all better hope I don’t say nothing,” Carson wrote.

WNBA players also got in on the action, with Las Vegas Aces guard Sydney Colson writing: “I wanna see LSU play LSU cuz what’s goin onnn??”

Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin tried to offer advice, writing: “Listen I’m ALL for speaking your truth, if everybody told their story we all know 75% of coaches would not have a job. But don’t let no quick attention cause any harm to your brand. The best thing is to focus on what’s next bc these folks still gonna get contract extensions…”

Angel Reese did not play in the second half of LSU’s 109-79 win over Kent State on Tuesday due to what head coach Kim Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.”

Reese had 11 points and 5 rebounds against Kent State in the first two quarters, and the Tigers held a narrow 39-37 lead at halftime. Mulkey sat Reese in favor of transfer Aneesah Morrow, who finished the game with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

“I could, but I won’t,” Mulkey said when asked to expand on her decision to sit Reese, who played 14 minutes. “It was just a coach’s decision.”

LSU started the season at No. 1 in the AP Top 25, but the Tigers had a rough first week, losing their opener against Colorado and dropping to No. 7 in the rankings. In that game, Reese had 15 points and 12 rebounds. She had two more double-doubles in LSU’s next two games against Queens and Mississippi Valley State, both of which were double-digit wins for the Tigers.

Freshman Mikaylah Williams was the standout performer in Tuesday’s win with 42 points, a record for an LSU freshman in the NCAA era. LSU next plays Southeast Louisiana on Friday.