Kim Mulkey = Skip Bertman

Both coaches knew it doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you finish. It matters that you are peaking at the right time.

Skip knew he had to win enough regular season games to host a regional. Beyond that, the entire regular season was basically him tinkering with the team, figuring out what worked and what did not work, who he could count on and could not count on, and sending messages to the players.

During the regular season, he would give the players enough rope to hang themselves. He did not save them. He let them fail, and used that to either make them stronger or relegate them to a lesser role.

Mulkey wants to win every game, sure. But more than that, she needs to see what this team has, how they handle adversity, etc. A game like the Aubie game serves a lot of good use. Much better for those lessons to be learned now, while changes can be made, then for this to happen in the second round of the NCAA tournament, where a loss means you never have a chance to learn for that season.

If this board was around in the 90s, posters would constantly be posting about how Bertman is a clown, the game has passed him by, etc.