LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey says that playing HBCUs isn’t just a scheduling choice — it’s a way to give back to programs with fewer resources while fostering growth across women’s basketball.
Asked about the significance of facing HBCU opponents after the Tigers played Alabama State on Sunday, Mulkey explained that scheduling goes beyond filling open dates. It’s an opportunity, she said, to “help programs by giving them guaranteed money that matters, particularly in this day and age with NIL.”
In addition to Alabama State, LSU has played Langston, Alcorn State and Morgan State.
“A lot of things go into play when you do scheduling,” Mulkey said. “As I age and watch programs that don’t have what we have at LSU, why can’t we help others?”
Mulkey, who has led the defending national champion Tigers to national prominence since arriving in Baton Rouge in 2021, noted that she has long been intentional about scheduling matchups with HBCU programs.
During her earlier tenure at Baylor, she laughed, her team faced so many Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents that “they said we were the SWAC champions that year because we played just about everybody and beat them all.”
Louisiana schools have long been part of Mulkey’s scheduling orbit. She joked that she hasn’t faced Southern during her LSU tenure, but added, “They’re pretty good. We might better not play them.”
For Mulkey, these games serve a dual purpose — offering competitive opportunities for her team while providing financial support and visibility to HBCU programs that benefit from guarantee games.
“We’re going to play teams that want to play us, that are looking to get guaranteed money,” she said. “That’s the name of the game now.”