LSU women criticized for skipping national anthem

The LSU women’s basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday night, but that wasn’t the team’s only problem in the wake of the loss. Social media was filled with outrage because the Tigers were not on the court for the playing of the national anthem.

“Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” said LSU coach Kim Mulkey. “We kind of (have) a routine where we’re on the floor and then 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.”

Interesting, too, is that the Tigers seem to have drawn the most attention when, per nola.com, neither USC nor Connecticut were on the floor when the national anthem was played prior to their game.

That fact has not stopped the attack on social media, though.

“I am embarrassed for LSU!,” one person wrote. “You should have been present and stood respectfully for the National Anthem!”

“If LSU is never on the court for the National Anthem, they need to be!!!” another person wrote. “The NCAA should fine them, very disrespectful.”

More college basketball

Iowa’s win against LSU was the most-watched women’s basketball game ever, averaging 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. The viewership surpassed the 11.84 million who watched the 1983 NCAA championship game between Southern California and Louisiana Tech.

• College of Charleston hired former Louisville coach Chris Mack as its men’s coach.

• Western Kentucky promoted assistant Hank Plona to replace head coach Steve Lutz, who was hired by Oklahoma State after leading the Hilltoppers to the NCAA tournament this season.

• Zach Edey of Purdue is one of the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s outstanding men’s college basketball player of the season. The other four are Tristen Newton of Connecticut, RJ Davis of North Carolina, Dalton Knecht of Tennessee and Jamal Shead of Houston.

• On the women’s side the finalists are Caitlin Clark of Iowa, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut, Cameron Brink of Stanford, freshmen JuJu Watkins of Southern California and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.

Pro football

Quarterback Carson Wentz agreed to a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to The Associated Press. Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, joins his fifth team in five years to back up three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. He spent last season with the Rams.

• An NFL arbitrator awarded former Arizona Cardinals executive Terry McDonough $3 million for “defamatory statements” made about him by the team, according to a filing Monday in federal court in Arizona.

• The Minnesota Vikings suspended offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for three weeks without pay, after he pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to careless driving as a result of his Dec. 8 arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Boxing

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, upheld the International Olympic Committee decision to remove the International Boxing Association from the Olympic family. The court announced that it dismissed the IBA appeal because the organization “had not complied with the conditions set down by the IOC for recognition.”

Horse racing

Tapalo, a contender in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, is among nine 3year-olds that were made eligible to compete in the Triple Crown series with a late $6,000 payment. Trained by John Sadler, Tapalo was runner-up to Endlessly in the El Camino Real Derby in February. Other late nominees are: Awesome Ruta, Celtic Contender, D Day Sky, Evening News, Le Dom Bro, Lonesome Boy, Mugatu and Secret Chat.

Tennis

Surprise Miami Open champion Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens were among the winners in the first round of the Charleston (S.C.) Open. Collins, who has said this season would be her last because she’s suffering from endometriosis, an ailment that affects the uterus, beat Paula Badosa, 61, 6-4.

Stadium proposal

Voters in Jackson County, Mo., voted down a proposed sales tax increase to help pay for a new downtown ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Royals officials said they would explore other options.