Long Beach State are heading to March Madness despite firing their coach a week ago. The men’s team won the Big West conference tournament, and thus the conference’s automatic bid, despite veteran coach Dan Monson “mutually terminating” his coach effective at the end of the season. “God has blessed me with a great career, and these kids have been awesome to coach,” Monson said after the game. “When Coach Harbaugh says, ‘Who has it better than us?’ someone needs to tell him, ‘Coach Monson’,” Monson said.
The team is headed to March Madness for the first time since 2012 and for just the third time in the 21st century. Monson was dismissed despite going 21-14 and 10-10 in the Big West. The season included a marquee win over Bronny James and USC in December. Monson also indicated that he doesn’t intend to hang up his clipboard just yet. “I don’t think this is my last year, I love coaching. I need a new challenge. That’s life. It’s on to the next chapter,” Monson told ESPN. Long Beach State will learn its March Madness route later today.
Elsewhere, South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley has become the first collegiate athlete to sign with Steph Curry‘s NIL brand. Per the brand, Fulwiley will be an “ambassador” at the NCAA tournament later this month and will sport Curry-branded shoes for the rest of her collegiate career. Fulwiley was recently crowned MVP of the SEC tournament, the first freshman to capture the award.
Fulwiley is averaging 11.8/2.9/2.3 this season amid the Gamecocks’ second consecutive undefeated regular season. However, here solid contributions have been overshadowed by the outstanding seasons of USC’s Juju Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hildago. South Carolina will enter March Madness as the number one overall seed. However, in a rare move, they will be without star senior Kamilla Cardoso for their opening game. Cardoso is serving a one-game suspension for fighting in South Carolina’s title game against LSU.
“I just had chills going through my body,” NCAA National Champion and Roc Nation artist Flau’Jae Johnson said of the moment Louisiana State University won as her song “Big 4” blasted throughout the American Airlines Center with confetti dancing in the air while The Tigers celebrated a historic win.
When the LSU women’s basketball team devastated No. 2 Iowa in the National Championship 102-85 in April, it marked the first time the women’s basketball team ever won a national championship.
Are you gonna rap or be a athlete if I’m still doing both why you asking meee ??!!4⃣4⃣4⃣4⃣pic.twitter.com/YuU57AA4mi
“The fact that I’m being recognized for my music as well as my basketball at the highest level, that was a breathtaking moment for me. Both of my lives crossed over how I wanted it to. It was an amazing feeling,” the young guard told Uproxx over the phone. “It felt like a movie.”
The song and moment magically aligned perfectly. “August of last year I recorded that,” she told me about the making of “Big 4.”
“We was in weight training with my team and we always played music on the aux, and my teammate LaDazhia [Williams] played this song and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I was like, “I’mma use this and I’mma rap on it.’ It just came out the way it came. I kept hearing the beat in my head and I didn’t know what it was. Once I figured out what it was, I asked LaDazhia, I’m like, what song is that? I remixed and then I made it my song.”
The 19-year-old Savannah, Georgia student-rapper-athlete credits consistency for her ability to tap into both talents successfully like a real-life Hannah Montana. “I’m a basketball player doing something that’s never been done before,” she told me.
Daughter of Jason “Camoflauge” Johnson, known for his song “Cut Friends” who passed away before she was born in 2003, Flau’jae is merely carrying the torch. Her drive and passion for basketball and music are unmatched.
“I’ve been playing basketball ever since I could walk. So, I’ve been hooping for a long time,” she said of her beginnings. “At a young age I just loved music. At six or seven, I started freestyling in the car and rapping for my mom. I always had an ear for music. Even when I didn’t really know what I was saying.”
On the court, she wears the number 4, which she revealed holds sentimental meaning. “[James] Murdock, who was a huge basketball player in Savannah, got killed and he used to hang around my father. He’s real known in Savannah and he’s hardest player to wear four,” she explained. “So, I was always four and I wear four for Murdock. Rest in peace to him.”
With so much going on in the city of Savannah, Flau’jae’s focus is something like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s — it cannot be broken.
Her basketball and rap interests are fueled by the same thing: “To want to be great,” the rising talent shared. “Wanting to be good at my craft, wanting to excel, wanting to be the best version of myself. That’s the best part. That’s what fuels everything I do. Just wanting to be the best.”
Being a college student-athlete as a freshman at a school like Louisiana State University on the women’s basketball team comes with all kinds of pressure. Pressure from not only the school but from LSU fans across the globe expecting their favorite team to show up with nothing less than a win. I had to ask her the secret to maintaining a smooth state of flow between basketball practices and going to the studio.
“Just being consistent,” she answered. “When I feel like I’m pushing on everything and I’m doing it the right way and I got a schedule lined up, that’s the best way for me to be successful in both areas. Being consistent in that makes everything on track. Me being able to create music when I’m feeling the best way is when I’m being consistent with basketball, music, working out, going to the studio. And, I’m actually doing my big one.”
Flau’jae’s “Big 4” isn’t the only song that’s catching a lot of attention, she also recently remixed Hot 100 hit “Put It On Da Floor” by fellow The Rap Game alum Latto into her own freestyle titled “Clickbait.”
“She told me that she really liked the remix that I did,” she revealed. “She wanted me to get in the video. Hopefully we can make that happen. Latto shows big love.”
Meanwhile, the video for Latto’s official “Put It On Da Floor Again” remix with Cardi B happens to feature a cameo from her teammate Angel Reese thanks to Cardi’s line “I been ballin’ so damn hard, could’ve went to LSU.” She and Reese also made a special appearance in NLE Choppa’s heartwarming music video for “Champions.”
On top of that, Flau’jae’s business-savvy partnership with Roc Nation is evidence that her formula is working.
“I own everything. I own my masters. I got creative control. That’s what I wanted. A deal where I could be in control and be able to write the narrative of how I wanted to, for my story. They understood the vision of me. A lot of people didn’t understand the vision of me being a rapper and an artist and being in college. Roc Nation understood it. They really seen what I could be in the future. I appreciate them.”
Ahead of Flau’jae’s second year as an LSU basketball player, she plans to unleash a collection of songs for an official EP.
“I got my project Basketball World dropping this summer, ‘Big 4 Anthem,’ my song with 2Rare going to drop after that. The music I got out right now, we got ‘Clickbait’ going stupid right now. I’m super excited, man. Stay tapped in.”
The NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, colloquially known as March Madness, began in 1939 as an eight-team men’s tournament. This was expanded to 16 teams in 1951 before fluctuating between 22 and 25 teams from 1953 to 1975. It expanded to 32 teams in 1975 and slowly increased the number of attendees until hitting 64 in 1985. The tournament as we know it today, with 68 total teams, was implemented in 2012. The women’s tournament began in 1982 and hit the 68-team mark in 2022.
However, there have long been calls to increase the field further. As the parity of college basketball grows, more and more “worthy” teams are left out come Selection Sunday. This has led to the rise of secondary tournaments such as the NIT and CBI. However, one coach has put forward a radical proposal during his conference meetings.
Hamilton Wants 136-Team Tournament
CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the Florida State Seminoles reacts during the second half of the game against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at Watsco Center on February 25, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Leonard Hamilton has coached the Florida State men’s basketball team since 2002. While never a major ACC contender, Hamilton has led to two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. However, 2022/23 was a down year, as the team finished 9-23 and 12th in the conference. But at the ACC Coaches meeting this week, Hamilton put forward a radical proposal to double the size of March Madness.”I believe the NCAA tournament is the greatest sporting event in the world. It captivates everybody’s imagination for about three weeks,” Hamilton said. “Parity has set in. I might be a little ridiculous when I make this comment, but I think you could double it.”
Doubling March Madness would equate to 128 teams in the final bracket, plus an eight-team preliminary tournament a la the “first four”. If this model was applied to the 2023 tournament, that would mean that, according to the NET rankings system, it would include teams such as Stephen F. Austin (16-13). The prevailing opinion among pro-expansion proponents is that the optimal number to expand to is 96. That would have set the benchmark of the 2022/23 tournament as Stanford (14-19). In the women’s tournament, 128 teams would be capped at Temple (11-18) while 96 teams would be capped at Tulane (17-14). What do you think about doubling March Madness? Let us know in the comments below.
March Madness spilled over into April a little bit, but now, it’s over. Yesterday (April 3), the UConn Huskies took on the San Diego State Aztecs in the national championship game and won 76-59. This is all despite the “Drake Curse,” since the rapper bet on UConn to emerge as this year’s men’s college basketball champions. Despite betting on the winning team, though, Drake still lost a few thousand dollars.
Before yesterday’s game, Drake revealed two bets he placed on the game. One bet was for UConn to win by between 6 and 10 points. He bet $250,000 for the chance to win $1.085 million. His other bet was for UConn to win by at least 11 points. On that one, he wagered $100,000 for the opportunity to take home $230,000.
Well, UConn won by 17 points, meaning Drake lost $250,000 on the first bet and won $230,000 on the second, ultimately resulting in a loss of $20,000 between the bets.
Although the curse didn’t prevail this time, when college basketball fans caught wind of Drake’s wagers before tipoff, they couldn’t help but make jokes about UConn’s inevitable-seeming loss, SD State’s gratitude for Drake’s bet, and so on.
The 2023 NCAA Women’s National Championship game went down yesterday (April 2), and despite Iowa’s Caitlin Clark delivering a series of star-making performances throughout the tournament, it was Angel Reese and LSU who came out ahead in the ultimate contest, winning 102 to 85.
Louisiana native Boosie Badazz was pretty excited about the whole thing, even coming through with some trash talk directed at Clark. In one clip he shared on social media, the rapper repeats, “Larry Bird, come get your daughter!” In another video, he calls LSU’s Jasmine Carson “LSU Ice Spice” due to her Ice Spice-like hair.
Meanwhile, Boosie recently spoke about Jay-Z’s relevance, saying, “When I go to these clubs in Atlanta — these 25-to-35 clubs — I’m not hearing Nas, I’m not hearing Jay-Z. Every club I go in, it’s not one or the other… Jay-Z is respected by these people for being the boss that he is. When Jay-Z flashes across that muthaf*cka, it’s somethin’ with a billion dollars; it’s somethin’ with 500 billion, 200 billion when them young n****s see him. It ain’t his songs flashing across no f*ckin’ social media; it’s his hustle. That n**** got hustle.”
Megan Thee Stallion is back, and gave a wonderful performance after taking a lengthy break since November. Moreover, she performed at her hometown of Houston at the March Madness Music Festival AT&T Black Party. Not only was this her first performance of the year, but also her first since her highly publicized case against Tory Lanez came to a guilty end for the Canadian star. While that case is still developing on his end, it’s clear that Megan is moving on to bigger and better things. For example, her collaboration with Doja Cat, “Taste Me,” is rumored to be released next Friday.
Furthermore, the “NDA” MC received a lot of love from her day ones while playing for Houston, both in person and on social media. What’s more is that her return even prompted some old wounds to heal up, albeit from her opponents. 1501 label boss Carl Crawford praised her for the comeback despite their industry feud and back-and-forths. Last month, the former MLB star issued somewhat of an apology to Megan Thee Stallion, and his latest message about the festival indicated a new album and world tour on the way.
Megan The Stallion Kills Her First Performance After Break
Megan Thee Stallion on stage with fans during “Girls In the Hood” at the AT&T Block Party. pic.twitter.com/goLBCDW5un
“Unfortunately, me and Megan haven’t talked since 2019,” Crawford remarked. “We been going through what y’all seen online. That’s unfortunate, too, because I never wanted to go have a situation where I was going back and forth with her on the internet. I never had problems with Megan Thee Stallion, but this social media stuff turned it really sour. You take this social media stuff out of it, and we won’t have a problem. You won’t hear me mention Megan Thee Stallion’s name unless it’s a big-time interview.”
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old is also making massive moves in the film industry, according to reports online. Moreover, the Safdie Brothers and Adam Sandler reportedly tapped Meg to star in their next film. While it’s far from her first acting role, the fact that she might link with the Uncut Gems team in a sports memorabilia-based flick is quite exciting. Still, there’s nothing quite like seeing the Stallion rock a live show. Check out another clip of her performance below and return to HNHH for the latest on Megan Thee Stallion.
Houston Shows Hometown Love To The Hot Girl
THEE STALLION TO THE STAGE Megan Thee Stallion is killing it as she headlines the Final Four concert in Houston pic.twitter.com/Rmk6j97aku
It was the shot heard around the world- or at least throughout the midwest. With a tied score of 77, the Big 10 semifinal game between Indiana and Iowa appeared to be heading into overtime. However, with just 1.1 on the clock, sixth-year senior guard Jordan Bohannon tossed the ball from well past the three point line in what appeared to be a wild desperation shot. To the amazement of fans, he sunk the shot, sealing the win for Iowa 80-77.
Courtesy of CBS Sports
The winning shot came in the face of a strong Indiana defense that appeared to be relentlessly pressing Bohannan, who happens to be Iowa’s all-time leader in assists, games played and 3-pointers. The Hoosiers had appeared to dominate the game throughout the second half until Iowa made a late fourth quarter rally.fourth-quarter.
Following the game, Bohannon attempted to articulate his feelings about the game-winning shot to the Des Moines Register as “something that can’t even be put into words,” saying, “you dream about it as a little kid, throwing up shots in the backyard, throwing up shots at the local YMCA when you’re a kid and hoping one day you get to this stage. And I was running in circles, I didn’t know where to go because I was so excited. To be in that moment, it’s been so much fun.”
The win will send Iowa (25-9) to its first Big Ten Tournament final since 2006. They will face No. 3 seed Purdue in the Big Ten title bout on Sunday.
Megan Thee Stallion is killing it as she headlines the Final Four concert in Houston 
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