Things Get Ugly as Lauren Betts’ Mother Clears Stance on Laughing at LSU Star’s Injury

As the curtains begin to draw on another edition of March Madness, the questions around which players will return to the biggest stage in college basketball next year continue to pile up. The Bruins can rest easy, though, as Lauren Betts has confirmed she’ll return to UCLA for the 2025-26 season. The Bruins made it to their first Final Four in program history and Betts had a huge hand in it, seeming almost inevitable at times. Her performance against LSU was nothing short of dominant on both ends of the floor.

The incident that incited a discussion, however, had nothing to do with Betts’ skills. In the third quarter, Morrow reportedly broke her nose by colliding with Sa’Myah Smith as the result of a push to Sa’Myah by Betts. Aneesah checked back into the game at the start of the fourth, displaying the fearlessness of a tiger. While the push appeared unintentional, it sparked controversy online with the UCLA Center being labelled a “dirty player” by some. Lauren is used to the noise, though, having spoken in the past about the blessings and the curse of her size in an ESPN interview. At the receiving end of unsanctioned hate this time, though, was Lauren’s mother, Michelle Betts.

A rough online row

Fans who deemed Lauren Betts’ push intentional continued their hate speech all the way to the final four as they celebrated the Bruins’ elimination at the hands of the UConn Huskies but one particular comment on X stood out with other users calling it ‘out of line’.

Michelle Betts had posted on X in the first half as she believed LSU players were ‘flopping’. “Is this the Oscars or the NCAA tournament.” she posted. While her tweet sparked outrage amongst LSU fans, she continued to defend her daughter and drew attention to the physicality her daughter deals with on a nightly basis in the post.

“Stop right there. Lauren plays clean basketball and gets HAMMERED every single game without most of the fouls being called. I thought flops were supposed to be against the rules. People who never watched the post are now complaining about a successful post. Watch! It’s tough.” she replied to a X user. The discussion, like usual fan interactions between opposing fans, was heated but was later blown out of proportion by a fan who failed to understand the context.

The animated user, explicitly replying to Michelle’s tweet, wrote, “Your daughter is on the bench crying, are the tears real b—-h? Or is it still the Oscars?”. The user faced criticism on the platform from multiple users, with one believing she took it “way too far”.

While her ignorant comment could be a result of unnecessary hate, it can also be perceived as obliviousness towards the context of the tweet as she continued to justify her actions. “Aneesah morrow was actively bleeding and this lady tweeted that, f— you and her.” Facing cruel allegations, Michelle Betts stepped in and made the situation crystal clear.

That whole situation really highlighted the intensity and scrutiny these athletes—and their families—face, especially on a national stage. Michelle’s response was nothing short of classy. As a mother who’s been through the highs and lows of college basketball, she understood the weight that words can carry—especially in a world where tweets can spiral out of control.

Making it clear that she had no intention of targeting Aneesah or her family was not just responsible, but also a show of empathy and solidarity. And fans took notice—many came to her defense, urging her to rise above the noise.

As for Aneesah, she proved just how tough she really is. Shutting down the “broken nose” rumors with confidence, she kept it real: “My nose is bleeding. But I’m tough going to go out there and compete.” That right there? That’s the kind of grit you want to see in a player—focused, unbothered, and ready to leave it all on the court.

Rowe would clarify as well, saying that she interpreted the word “busted” as broken. Aneesah’s resilience in the Elite 8 was not uncharacteristic and is rather a quality deeply appreciated by the staff at LSU these past two years. Aneesah would like to carry that same intensity with her as she takes her talents to the WNBA this summer, projected to be a top-10 pick in the draft on April 14th.