LSU clinched the Sweet 16 berth with an 83-56 victory over MTSU

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey's interaction with MTSU star goes viral

Kim Mulkey, LSU head coachLAPRESSE

LSU Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey went viral on Sunday after her team defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and she tried to console one of the stars from the losing team, Savannah Wheeler, but did so in an awkward manner.

Mulkey, 61, grasped the weeping Wheeler’s face a little too aggressively after LSU clinched the Sweet 16 berth with an 83-56 victory. Fans on social media instantly turned the interaction into a meme.

Wheeler’s first half performance was enough to give her side a 36-32 lead into halftime, but LSU came out on fire during the third quarter to regain the lead and momentum.

Mulkey was clearly just letting Wheeler know what a great job she had done and to keep her head up moving forward as an NCAA star.

Savannah Wheeler ties for game-high in scoring

Wheeler scored a team-high 21 points and dished out five assists, more than any of her teammates. She also grabbed seven rebounds.

LSU star Flau’Jae Johnson also scored 21 points to tie Wheeler for the game-high in scoring.

It was Johnson’s involvement in the secoond half that spurred LSU’s eventual dominant victory, though Angel Reese also had a lot to do with the win.