LSU’s Kim Mulkey Shares HBCU Scheduling Stance

The landscape of college basketball has changed in the 2020’s and everyone from power conference universities to HBCU’s have felt the shift.

Legendary LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has seen this transition firsthand, and recently disclosed why LSU routinely schedules HBCU opponents before their conference games begin.

“A lot of things go into play when you do scheduling,” Mulkey said. “From helping programs by giving them guaranteed money that matters, particularly this day and age with NIL. As I age and watch programs that don’t have what we have at LSU.”

The Tigers played four HBCU teams in the 2025-2026 season, where the latter schools were paid an undisclosed sum of money to participate.

Kim Mulkey Says Playing HBCUs Helps Provide ‘Guarantee Money’ in the NIL Era https://t.co/keOlsOkIXD

— HBCU Buzz (@HBCUBuzz) January 2, 2026

“Why can’t we help others?” Mulkey asked. “I have historically always played Grambling. We got Southern up the street and I don’t know if I’ve played Southern since I’ve been here. They’re pretty good. We might better not play them. But, we’re going to play teams that want to play us that are looking to get guaranteed money, because that’s the name of the game now.”

The concept of “money games” has been a bit of a slippery slope for HBCU’s across all sports.

For example, the LSU football team squared off against Grambling State in the fall of 2023 in a money game. Grambling State reportedly received $760,000 to participate, in addition to a $20,000 donation LSU made to the Grambling State University Foundation/Football account. LSU blew out Grambling State 72-10.

Grambling State football coach Hue Jackson viewed the matchup as a win-win, even though his team was handily defeated.

“I think it’s so important because we’re going to get a chance to showcase our university, our football team, our student-athletes against what people say is the best in the country,” he articulated before that game.

Other coaches aren’t so sure the experience is a positive one for HBCU programs despite the lucrative paydays they receive. Grambling State women’s basketball coach Courtney Simmons wasn’t thrilled after her team was thoroughly dismantled by LSU in a winter 2024 matchup, 100-54.

“I don’t know that it actually prepares you for a conference schedule,” Simmons said at the time. “I think you have to be careful with playing this many power five games because there’s a thing called confidence, right? And losses like this can kill SWAC kids’ confidence.”

Simmons also spoke about the economic reality that HBCU’s face.

“We play these games to get the money so we can survive in our league. That is it, that is all. It’s not because, I would rather not ever play LSU again. But they paid us good money to come here and take a loss.”

Deion Sanders on Lack of Resources at HBCUs: ‘It’s Not a Level Playing Field. It’s Unacceptable’ https://t.co/hfUbMVjhLe

— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) January 18, 2021

The competitive aspect may pale in comparison to other related aspects, such as risk of injury when superior athletes at power programs exert their will against potentially less athletic opponents.

Mulkey stated that guarantee payday games are a way for larger programs to give back, but they also receive benefits for the arrangement. In addition to the almost-assured victory, larger schools make money from additional ticket sales, concessions, and advertisements.