The LSU Tigers cruised to an 89-73 win against Tennessee on Thursday, improving to 25-4, and 11-4 in SEC play. But the talk of the game afterwards was LSU head coach Kim Mulkey putting senior walk-on Izzy Bessleman into the game with 45 seconds remaining.
It was senior night, so the game was always going to have added significance for Izzy Besselman, but it was even more magnified considering the fact that the walk-on guard has not played in a game since the 2023-24 season.
Besselman was diagnosed with a heart condition that effectively ended her basketball career. She remained with the team, but was unable to play. The last time she appeared in a game was on March 24, 2024 during LSU’s round of 32 win against Middle Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. She played only a single minute and didn’t register any stats.
Besselman’s first season with LSU was in 2022-23 as part of the Tigers’ national championship team. She suited up for one minute during LSU’s round of 64 win against Hawaii that year. As a walk-on Besselman didn’t play much throughout her college career, which is now coming to a close.
But it’s possible that Besselman leaves LSU as a two-time national champion. The Tigers are among the potential contenders this season to reach the championship game. Since the winning the 2023 title, however, LSU has been ousted in the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons.
In 2024, LSU lost to Iowa, and in 2025 they lost to UCLA. They are currently ranked No. 6 in the country in the AP women’s basketball poll, and they are behind only South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt in the SEC standings.
