After being delayed due to a winter storm, Friday night’s showdown between LSU and South Carolina was everything you’d expect from two NCAAW powerhouses. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks snapped LSU’s undefeated streak and extended their own dominance over the Tigers to 17 straight wins. It was a tough pill for Kim Mulkey’s crew, facing their first loss of the season. But post-game, Mulkey went full praise mode for South Carolina, even calling them the best team in the country.

“I learned we can hang with the best in the country,” the coach said. “And I do think they’re the best in the country.” Now, while she might’ve meant it as a compliment to Staley and her squad, you can’t help but notice the glaring UCLA-sized elephant in the room.

Sure, the Gamecocks are fantastic, but UCLA has been on a tear this season, sitting pretty at No. 1 with a perfect 18-0 record. They even handed South Carolina their only loss of the season and took down Maryland too. Add to that their Big Ten record of holding the top AP spot for nine straight weeks, plus players smashing records left and right. It’s hard not to give them the crown right now.

But back to Mulkey, she didn’t hold back on her own team, either. “Turnovers, at the wrong time,” she said, pinning the loss on LSU’s struggles to protect the ball. LSU coughed it up 17 times and the Gamecocks successfully made 22 points off of that. The fouls would also cost the team dearly, sending South Carolina to the free throw line 26 times, compared to nine of their own. 

If you take that away, and this game could’ve looked a lot closer. But it wasn’t and Mulkey & Co. did gift South Carolina 18 points off free throws. The Tigers looked out of sync once the Gamecocks slowed things down, especially in the second quarter. “Little things like that…we have to grow up and be prepared,” the Lady Tigers coach added.

Still, Mulkey wasn’t all disappointment. She found some silver linings and still thinks her team did a good job.

Kim Mulkey still thinks LSU scouted the Gamecocks “pretty darn good”

Kim Mulkey wasn’t totally doom and gloom. In fact, she had some positive takeaways, particularly about how both teams approached the game defensively. “I thought our defense and I thought South Carolina’s defense was good,” Mulkey said. 

“Low-scoring game. Both teams, you know, scouted each other pretty darn good. It wasn’t an entertaining game from an offensive standpoint, but I didn’t think it was a boring game. I thought it was a very good game.” But while fans hyped up this SEC clash as the game of the year, Mulkey wasn’t buying into the narrative

“This isn’t the biggest game of the year,” she said. “Y’all might think it is, but it’s not.” Instead, she pointed to the NCAA Tournament as the real measuring stick. The head coach also had her players’ backs, defending junior guard Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow despite their rough offensive outings. 

Johnson, who shot just 33.3% from the field, only managed 2 points in the second half, a performance that fans were quick to roast online, especially after talks about her offseason training with Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. Morrow, meanwhile, shot 31.6%, but Mulkey praised her for doing what she does best posting a monster double-double.

The senior led LSU with 15 points and 16 rebounds, marking her 19th double-double of the season and the 93rd of her career. Johnson chipped in with 13 points and 4 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough against South Carolina’s balanced attack.

Next up, LSU returns home to take on Texas A&M this Sunday. With one ranked loss apiece, both LSU and South Carolina’s seasons look eerily similar. Maybe we’ll get another showdown in March when it really matters.