LSU women's basketball is getting ready for the NCAA Tournament, and they've certainly bonded throughout the course of a long and arduous season.
Head coach Kim Mulkey, speaking on her weekly radio show, shared a scene from the plane ride home after the SEC Tournament to cement that idea. It was an image of her team rallying around guard Last-Tear Poa, who was still dealing with the effects of a concussion suffered during a semifinal victory over Ole Miss.
"None of us took a picture and shared, but it was touching," Mulkey said. "Poa with the concussion, the pressure on the plane was just killing her head and so you’ve got a doctor and a trainer holding the oxygen for her to breathe easily. You’ve got her laying in [Sa'Myah Smith's] lap, you’ve got Hailey [Van Lith] holding her hand, you’ve got Angel [Reese] rubbing her feet, you’ve got Flau’Jae [Johnson] … it was just, it was touching. It was very touching, and I’m just thinking to myself, man, I wish we could start the playoffs tomorrow.”
The frightening injury occurred late in the win over Ole Miss, with Poa attempting to take a charge and her head hitting the floor as she fell to the ground. She initially attempted to walk off the floor with the help of teammates, but went back to the ground before being taking off the court on a stretcher. LSU fell to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
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Next up for the Tigers will be the NCAA Tournament and an attempt to become the first team since UConn in 2016 to win back-to-back titles. The women's selection show will be held on Sunday, March 17, with the Tigers expected to land a 2 seed.
Poa's status for the opening round of the tournament will be something to watch as she works back from the head injury.