LSU’s women’s basketball team sparked outrage prior to their game against Iowa on Monday night after leaving the court before the American national anthem was played.
The LSU Tigers were beaten 94-87 by the Iowa Hawkeyes in Albany, where the latter’s star player Caitlin Clark put on a 41-point masterclass to help her team advance to the Final Four of this year’s NCAA tournament.
Yet earlier in the evening, footage on social media appeared to show that LSU players skipped the national anthem before it played out at Times Union Center.
Iowa stars, meanwhile, stood hand-in-hand while taking in the Star-Spangled Banner just minutes before the Elite8 fixture.
After a video showing their empty end of the court surfaced online, fans were quick to hit out at LSU for not listening to the anthem on the night.
LSU stars sparked outrage prior to their game against Iowa (left) on Monday night after leaving the court before the American national anthem was played
The Star-Spangled Banner played out in Albany before Iowa and LSU’s Elite8 showdown
‘LSU is a complete disgrace,’ one said on X. ‘Their entire team should be expelled.’
Another wrote: ‘Bad optics for the LSU team. How could they do such a thing?’
A third put: ‘They are a disgrace and should be kicked off the team!’
A fourth claimed: ‘If the team doesn’t show for all parts of the game, including the anthem , disqualification is the only way forward. No more of this silliness.’
While one simply said: ‘Glad to see that LSU got their a***s handed to them.’
Despite the online criticism, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey claimed after the game that her players being missing from the court was by no means ‘intentional’.
‘Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,’ Mulkey told reporters. ‘We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark.
‘I don’t know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.’