On April 1, a video went viral showing the LSU women’s basketball team missing from the court during the national anthem before their NCAA tournament game against Iowa. Consequently, this sparked controversy, with some interpreting it as a deliberate protest.
Iowa players holding hands during the American National Anthem. LSU players left the court before the anthem was performed. pic.twitter.com/GhCLHUXiBX
— Dan Zaksheske (@RealDanZak) April 1, 2024
However, to shut down all the gossip mongers, coach Kim Mulkey downplayed any intentional disrespect at a post-game press conference. She claimed the team has a routine of leaving the court at a specific time (around the 12-minute mark) and simply missed the anthem.
Additionally, she openly admitted that she was unaware of the anthem being played during the patriotic song rendition.
“Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” Mulkey said. “We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”
On the game front, this was a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game, which LSU won. Iowa came out strong, led by superstar guard Caitlin Clark who scored 41 points and dished out 12 assists. LSU’s Angel Reese had a strong performance with 17 points and 20 rebounds but fouled out late in the game. Iowa controlled the pace for most of the game, ultimately defeating the LSU Tigers 94-87.
