LSU clinched the Sweet 16 berth with an 83-56 victory over MTSU

SU Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey went viral on Sunday after her team defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and she tried to console one of the stars from the losing team, Savannah Wheeler, but did so in an awkward manner.

Mulkey, 61, grasped the weeping Wheeler’s face a little too aggressively after LSU clinched the Sweet 16 berth with an 83-56 victory. Fans on social media instantly turned the interaction into a meme.

Kim Mulkey’s stern words for her team after 24 turnovers against the Rice Owls in March Madness

Wheeler’s first half performance was enough to give her side a 36-32 lead into halftime, but LSU came out on fire during the third quarter to regain the lead and momentum.

Mulkey was clearly just letting Wheeler know what a great job she had done and to keep her head up moving forward as an NCAA star.

Kim Mulkey consoling Savannah Wheeler pic.twitter.com/HU2MD8x814

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 24, 2024

Savannah Wheeler ties for game-high in scoring

Wheeler scored a team-high 21 points and dished out five assists, more than any of her teammates. She also grabbed seven rebounds.

LSU star Flau’Jae Johnson also scored 21 points to tie Wheeler for the game-high in scoring.

It was Johnson’s involvement in the secoond half that spurred LSU’s eventual dominant victory, though Angel Reese also had a lot to do with the win.

Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith talk upcoming playoff game against Rice University: “Regardless, I’m gonna be able to make money staying or going”

Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith talk about all things regarding the upcoming game against Rice University and what their NIL deals look like after this season.

After reflecting on a little bit of last year’s run to the championship, Angel Reese said that what this year’s team has is so much more than last year.

“Of course last year we didn’t have really any expectations,”

Reese said. “Last year’s team, I didn’t really know how far we would will really go. We knew what we had, but this year’s team, I feel like we know what we have at this point, and now it’s just win or go home.”

Van Lith has been on other teams that have made deep runs in the NCAA tournament.

There has been some differences in the teams, and Van Lith said one of those is peaking.

“What I feel good about our team is that we’re peaking at the right time.

You can play good at the beginning of the season, but if you’re not peaking at the end, it’s not gonna happen for you in the tournament,” Van Lith said.

“You gotta be peaking, and everyone has to be on the same level, everyone has to be bought into what the objective of this team is,” Van Lith said.

Both Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese also spoke on their NIL deals and how they might be affected whether they remain in college or transition to the WNBA.

“Regardless, I’m gonna be able to make money staying or going,”

Reese said. “My brand has been built where I know that more than being in college is something that I can do. The deals are gonna follow me if I leave or stay.”

“You have to look at what type of player you are, and there’s some people that have to capitalize in college, because they’re not a pro type player,”

Van Lith said. “For me, that’s not the case. I’m a pro type player, the deals will follow like Angel said.”

The Lady Tigers are set to tip off at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in the PMAC.