NCAA suspends Baylor coach Kim Mulkey from next tournament game

Dan Wolken | USA TODAY Sports

In what appears to be an unprecedented move, the NCAA women's basketball committee has suspended Baylor coach Kim Mulkey from her next NCAA tournament game – whenever that may occur – for publicly criticizing officials following an 82-81 loss to Louisville in this year's Sweet 16.

"The committee unanimously felt that the behavior of Coach Mulkey was unacceptable and has no place in the women's basketball championship," committee chair Carolayne Henry said in an NCAA release on Tuesday.

Baylor spokesman Heath Nielsen told USA TODAY Sports that Mulkey was on vacation and unlikely to comment Tuesday.

Mulkey's suspension comes on the heels of several incidents with officials, including comments during the 2011 tournament that received a reprimand from the NCAA.

She took it even a step further this year following a controversial offensive foul call with 40 seconds left that allowed Louisville to hold the lead and eventually complete the massive upset of Baylor, which entered the game 34-1.

After the call, Mulkey tore off her blazer and stormed toward the officials in protest but did not earn a technical foul. Following the game, she needed no prompting to criticize the officials, who she felt allowed Louisville to get away with too much physical play against Baylor star Britney Griner.

"I'll be glad to answer any referee question you want to ask me, because I don't mind getting fined, so ask me. Now is the time to ask me, okay?" Mulkey said.

Then, when asked to comment on the officiating, she said: "I thought the game started out way too physical, way too physical. I thought that all three of them, if they go past this round of officiating, it will be sad for the game.

"I thought the two critical calls at the end of the game were really bad. Jordan Madden drives in the paint. We already have the missed shot. She calls an offensive foul on Madden right there. Well, why so late? Odyssey Sims had the rebound in her hand. Then I don't know about that at the end. It was on the opposite end. I'd have to go see it. You saw it. What did y'all think? Was it a foul? Did anybody here think it was a foul? Honestly, tell me."

Mulkey coached Baylor to national championships in 2005 and 2012.

As part of the penalty, the NCAA also withheld Baylor's "per diem" reimbursement for the trip to the regionals.

"The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee noted this is the latest misconduct act by Mulkey during the past several championships and believes a more stringent penalty is appropriate to prevent these actions from continuing," the NCAA said in a release.