SPOKANE, Wash. – UCLA receiving the confetti shower inside Spokane Arena for winning the Spokane 1 Regional Sunday afternoon wasn't the ending Kim Mulkey and LSU women's basketball has envisioned for itself.
Some old habits reared their head in the season's biggest game and some new patterns couldn't quite matriculate as the Tigers lost to the Bruins, 72-65. For the second straight season, their season came to an end in the Elite Eight.
The 15 turnovers LSU (31-6) committed led to 16 UCLA points, which more than doubled the difference on the scoreboard. Star trio Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow combined for 13 of those giveaways.
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON PLAYED INJURED Flau'jae Johnson played through injury in LSU women's basketball Elite Eight run
ANEESAH MORROW DID NOT SUFFER BROKE NOSE LSU star Aneesah Morrow did not suffer broken nose vs UCLA in Elite Eight loss
Johnson said after the game that she felt the team could've moved the ball around more, creating better shots for one another, which is something the Tigers had done a better job of in the NCAA Tournament.
"I had five in that locker room that had never been to a Sweet 16, never been to an Elite Eight, and the amount of experience that they got will be valuable," Mulkey said after the loss.
The loss stings for LSU but it's positioned for another deep run in next year's March Madness after, like Mulkey said, plenty of its players gained valuable court time in the NCAA Tournament.
Morrow will be LSU's biggest loss as she moves on the WNBA. Her 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds will be hard to replace and how the Tigers do it likely won't look the same.
But Sa'Myah Smith returns and after the performance she had during the tournament for LSU, she's eager to get next season going.
"We could start the season tomorrow and I'd be ready to go," Smith said. "It's just not taking these moments, games for granted. I think coach (Gary Redus) said it best, it starts in November. I'm definitely eager to get back to it for sure.
"Put that chip on your shoulder. We got here and did the same thing. Getting here is the expectation now, we want to to get past here."
Other players LSU lose are reserve forward Amani Bartlett and point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson.
The biggest roster question for LSU heading into the offseason is Johnson. She is old enough and is WNBA Draft eligible but has one more year of eligibility at the college level. She'll have until April 4 to make her decision of coming back or entering her name into the league's April 14 draft.
She told The Daily Advertiser after the loss to UCLA that she's undecided but she does feel like she is ready to take the next step.
"How I feel if I'm ready or not," Johnson said. "I do feel like I'm ready. But it's also like family, my mom you know she's my agent. But just talking with coach Mulkey and my mom to see what I'm going to do."
It is unclear if Last-Tear Poa has another year of eligibility after the Diego Pavia ruling have opened up JUCO time for Division I athletes.
And the other obvious questions are who, if anyone, decides to leave and enter the transfer portal.
LSU will certainly have a bonafide star back to lead the team next season in Williams. She'll be a junior and she's coming off her best season in college, averaging 17.4 points and 4.3 rebounds. She shot 40% from the 3-point line this season.
Mulkey will have guard depth back as well with Mjracle Sheppard, Kailyn Gilbert and Jada Richard.
Inside as it stands, Jersey Wolfenbarger and Aalyah Del Rosario fill out LSU's roster.
With the departures of Angel Reese and Morrow the last two years, LSU's biggest need out of the transfer portal is a forward or center.
A ton of the consistent production is now gone in the paint for LSU and they'll need to replenish. A name to watch is Wisconsin senior forward Serah Williams. She averaged 19.2 points with 9.8 rebounds per game for the Badgers this seaon.
Another need at the point guard position, if Mulkey wants to go with experience, which she usually does.
There are four high school signees coming in that made up the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025 with Bella Hines, Divine Bourrage, ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox and a couple of them can run point (Bourrage and Johnson).
But experience is big and I would anticipate LSU adding a ball handler.
KIM MULKEY Kim Mulkey outfit: What LSU women's basketball coach wore in Elite Eight vs UCLA
ANEESAH MORROW WNBA DRAFT STOCK Could LSU's Aneesah Morrow and her head-turning March Madness reset 2025 WNBA Draft board?
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Early outlook for LSU women's basketball, Kim Mulkey in 2025-26
