UCLA forward Janiah Barker has expressed her dislike for Kim Mulkey’s LSU team ahead of Sunday’s Elite Eight battle with Kim Mulkey’s Tigers in the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-4 forward has plenty of experience facing LSU after spending her first two seasons in the SEC at Texas A&M.
Now that she’s set to face LSU with a Final Four spot on the line, Barker appears anxious to put an end to LSU’s season in Spokane, Washington.
“I don’t like LSU, if I’m being honest,” Barker told KOIN News on Saturday. “I have a couple of people on the team that I’m really cool with. Me and (Mikayla Williams) played 3-on-3 together. Me and Flau’jae (Johnson) are pretty cool … There’s a lot of history.”
There’s a lot of familiar faces on the team. It’s kind of like a little rivalry. I want to beat them bad as they do, but probably a little more. Texas A&M and LSU was a rivalry so it’s like a rivalry game for me – reset.”
Barker is also a former high school teammate of LSU guard Mjracle Sheppard at Montverde Academy in Florida, so it’s clear that Barker wants bragging rights over LSU players she’s familiar with.
Barker has started three times in her 34 games played this season with UCLA, averaging 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.
UCLA and LSU play at 2 p.m. on Sunday for a shot at the Final Four.
