Upon Further Review: LSU's Kim Mulkey Should Apologize As SC's Dawn Staley Did

First, Kim Mulkey won the women's basketball national championship that seemed meant for South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley all last season. South Carolina was ranked No. 1 the entire season and soared to 36-0 before losing to No. 3 Iowa and a Hawkeye named Caitlin Clark, 77-73, in a Final Four national semifinal. Mulkey's No. 9 LSU squad then upset Iowa, 102-85, for the crown.

Now, Mulkey is wrestling away the villain role Staley has carried for years, not unlike former coach Bill Belichick - minus the spying and deflated balls with the New England Patriots.

In this greatest of women's college basketball seasons ever with an artful angel named Ponytail Pete Clark, there have been two wicked witches. And Mulkey may have passed Staley in that category on Sunday after No. 1 South Carolina won the fight that LSU started and took the game, too, 79-72, on ESPN for the Southeastern Conference Tournament title in Greenville, S.C.

Even former LSU player Alexis Morris is criticizing LSU's role in the fight against South Carolina on Sunday. (Getty Images)

South Carolina won in player ejections for fighting, 1-0, but that should have been a tie.

LSU won in player-related arrests, 1-0, as guard Flau'jae Johnson's older brother Trayron Milton, 24, was taken away on disorderly conduct and third-degree assault charges after jumping over the scorer's table to defend his sister. Never mind that Johnson started the fight by grabbing and wrapping up South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley, then pushing her.

South Carolina's Kamila Cardosa Didn't Start Fight - She Ended It

Johnson was likely frustrated as Fulwiley had just stolen the ball from her at a critical time - LSU trailed 73-66, and the game was slipping away. Then Johnson also bumped South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins as she walked away from Fulwiley. Seeing that, South Carolina's 6-foot-7 center Kamila Cardosa ended things by pushing the 5-10 Johnson to the floor with authority. It was basically a slam dunk. She was OK, though. 

In fact, no one was hurt because of the ultra quick response by police and security guards at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. If they don't already, these guys need to work in a bar in a bigger city.    

Game officials correctly ejected Cardosa for fighting, and she will therefore miss South Carolina's NCAA Tournament opener next week. Officials should have also ejected Johnson, and she should also be missing LSU's NCAA Tournament opener. Usually, there are more than one in a fight, and in most such affairs in games, two are ejected for fighting. Usually that's the starter and the ender. Cardosa delivered the biggest blow, but without Johnson's actions, there would not have been a fight.

You can't count Milton's immediate removal from the arena and arrest as an LSU ejection. Milton was released from the Greenville County jail on $2,174 bond Monday. He should not be allowed at any NCAA Tournament games involving LSU or South Carolina the rest of this season, and those two seemed destined for a rematch at the Final Four in Cleveland, either in a national semifinal on April 5 or the national title game on April 7.

Cardosa immediately apologized to Mulkey after the game and on social media.

Moments after the game, ESPN's court side reporter Brooke Weisbrod's first question to Staley was about South Carolina winning its eighth SEC Tournament under Staley in 11 seasons.  After a quick answer, Staley brought up the fight on her own and showed all class professionalism with emotional sincerity in her voice. This wasn't the tough Philly girl taking shots at everyone.

Dawn Staley Immediately Apologized For Her Team, Showed Class

"I just want to apologize to the basketball community," she said. "You know, when you're playing a championship game like this in our league, things get heated. No bad intentions. Their emotions got so far ahead of them that sometimes these things happen. So I want to apologize for us playing a part in that because that's not who we are and that's not what we're about."

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley apologized for her team's behavior, even though LSU was as much or more to blame for the fight Sunday. (Getty Images)

Asked how she would address the fight with her team, Staley said, "I mean, we're going to talk about it. We've always talked about it. ‘Never leave the bench. Never get too high with the highs or low with the lows.’ It's hard when you're playing. I played this game a long time. And I can't tell you I was a saint at all times. You can't let your emotions get the best of you."

Still no apologies from the LSU end, and after re-watching what was a very physical game on both sides Tuesday night, LSU was as much to blame for the rough housing - if not more.

Yet we get this from Mulkey on Sunday.

LSU's Kim Mulkey Wanted A Kamila Cardoso-Angel Reese Bout?

"It's ugly. It's not good," she said initially when asked about the fight. "No one wants to be a part of that. No one wants to see that ugliness."

And here comes the but.

"But I can tell you this: I wish she (Cardoso) would have pushed Angel Reese," Mulkey said. "Don't push a kid when you're 6-8 (actually 6-7). Don't push somebody that little (the 5-10 Johnson). That was uncalled for in my opinion."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some are just silly like Mulkey's in this case.

First off, Cardoso reacted to what she had just seen, which was Johnson having just pushed two of her teammates. Cardoso saw Johnson as the guilty party right then, which replays show as well. Mulkey, a college coach who is supposed to set examples of behavior for the "student-athletes," is suggesting Cardoso go after Reese? 

Secondly, Reese was nowhere near Cardoso, even if she did have an ax to grind, and you will learn in a minute that she did. Reese and her ample "status," as she explained on X, had stayed near the bench in a joint business decision. You know all that NIL money and present and future sponsorships.

A tad conceited with the "status" comment, but Reese was smart, accurate, and at least honest. NFL players frequently make business decisions by conveniently going out of bounds or avoiding contact in other ways and try to hide it. Perhaps Reese feared that had she entered the fray, she may have been ejected for fighting and would be missing her team's NCAA Tournament opener like Cardosa. Because judging from some of the blows and pulls she performed in the game, she would've easily been tossed for fighting. Or maybe she feared retaliation during a fight?

LSU Looks Like The Aggressor Upon Further Review

At the 4:33 mark of the second quarter, Reese swung out her right elbow hard, high and wide and hit Cardosa hard in the face. No foul was called until replay led to an intentional foul call.

"That one did not look like a basketball play," ESPN analyst and former coach Carolyn Peck said. "That arm came first, and it was high."

At the 5:14 mark of the second quarter, Reese clearly pulls Cardosa's hair just after an LSU bucket. Then the 6-3 Reese elbows South Carolina's 6-0 guard Tessa Johnson. No foul on either.

Now, South Carolina delivered a few choice blows as well. In the first quarter, South Carolina's 6-2 Chloe Kitts threw a strong right elbow into the face of LSU's Annesah Morrow, then pushed Janae Kent with her left arm. No foul on either.

"They're letting them play," shouted ESPN play-by-play announcer Courtney Lyle.

Also in the second quarter, LSU's Morrow swung her elbow out and hit Cardoso, who was getting it most of the game. Again, no foul called.

Kim Mulkey Blames Officials - Not Her Players

Mulkey blamed the fight on the referees not calling enough fouls to control the game, particularly in the fourth quarter. And she was partly right there. Better officials call more fouls early in the game to set the tone, then let them play. This crew was letting them play rough from the start, and that may have contributed to the fight.

But most coaches like it when officials let the players decide the game late, and that's what the officials were trying to do. And the fouls were even. LSU drew 15 and was 16 of 20 from the line. South Carolina drew 16 and was 16 of 19 from the line. 

Mulkey may have just been acting out again because she lost again. And however the game was called does not excuse the behavior of Reese and Johnson. Mulkey never admitted that as Staley did. Even one of Mulkey's former LSU players - Alexix Morris - criticized LSU's type of play against South Carolina.

Even one of the regional papers that covers LSU - the Lafayette Advertiser - weighed in on Mulkey's behavior by running a critical column on her.

Mulkey was given another chance Tuesday to do what Staley and Cardoso did - apologize. And she didn't.

"I have no ill intentions. I speak from my heart," she said on Baton Rouge radio 104.5 FM. "And people like it or don't like it. I am what I am."

And in this case, Mulkey is wrong … again.