"She's not all about threes": LSU HC Kim Mulkey lauds $3.1M NIL star Caitlin Clark's versatility ahead of Elite Eight clash against Iowa
As LSU prepares for an NCAA Finals rematch from last year, head coach Kim Mulkey is all praise for her opponents. Talking about the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark, Mulkey iterated just how special a player she is. Further, she put the "shooter" notion to bed, claiming that the moniker did not justify Clark and her talent on the court.
"Caitlin Clark is a generational player. She's not all about threes. She can pass the ball. She can take you off the dribble," Mulkey said (via 247Sports).
For Kim Mulkey and LSU, the game plan isn't to stop Caitlin. Instead, it is to contain the four players around her to have a chance at victory.
"Obviously our focus will be on her but not solely on her. Caitlin is going to do what she does. You're not going to stop her. You just hope that you can contain her a little bit and make sure that you do your job on the other four players."
The similarities and differences from last year
The two teams are wholly familiar with each other. The rivalry that took center stage during the Finals of last year's NCAA Tournament is going to write its next chapter.
According to Mulkey, the only similarity between last year's Iowa Hawkeyes squad and this year's team is Caitlin Clark.
"The difference is the personnel. The difference is those that were role players last year are now big players, which is what all coaches hope, is that you respect the process, and when your time arrives, you take advantage of it. They're still going to shoot a lot of threes," Mulkey said.
Both teams are coming into the matchup with hot performances in the Sweet Sixteen. The Hawkeyes got a match against the fifth-seeded Colorado team and dominated en route to an 89-68 victory.
On the other hand, a draw against #2 UCLA saw LSU battle it out and come away with a 78-69 victory. The two biggest stars for both teams, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, were among the players who drew a lot of praise from Coach Mulkey.
Rather than pit the two against each other, Mulkey chose to focus on the similarities between the two young and talented basketball players.
"Heck yeah, you see similarities. You've got two very talented players that have brought a lot of attention to our sport. They both trash talk. They both make their teammates better. They both have their teammates is back," she said.
In particular, it is the contribution to women's sports, especially basketball, that has made Kim Mulkey a huge fan of the two ballers.
"They both elevated a game to where we have people watching that never watch women basketball before. Yeah, those are tough women," she added.
In their respective matchups in the previous round, both women showed why they were the leaders of the team. While Caitlin Clark proved Mulkey's point about her versatility with a 29-point, 15-assist outing, her own star Angel Reese wasn't far behind.
Tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds, Reese recorded yet another double-double, helping her team win. The two stars are set to square off in Albany on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
Who do you think walks out the winner this time? Let us know in the comments below.