Connecticut Huskies players and Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley celebrate after defeating the San Diego State Aztecs in the National Championship Game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

UConn had to overcome rapper Drake to win NCAA title

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 4/4/23

The UConn Huskies were already heavily favored to win Monday’s championship game, but they did manage to overcome one unexpected obstacle in the process.

The Huskies took home their fifth NCAA title in program history with a decisive 76-59 victory over San Diego State. It capped off a dominant March Madness run for Dan Hurley’s side as they won all six tournament games by 13 points or more.

Perhaps unbeknownst to them, the Huskies were fighting an unseen enemy before they even stepped foot on the floor Monday — the infamous “Drake Curse.” You see, rapper Drake revealed before the title game that he had bet a total of $350,000 on the Huskies. He bet $250,000 on them to win by six to 10 points and then hedged a bit by betting another $100,000 on UConn to win by 11 or more.

Drake has placed his National Championship bets

• $250K on UConn to win by 6-10
• $100K on UConn to win by 11+

(via IG: champagnepapi) pic.twitter.com/u0bAgNgnX8

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 3, 2023

The “Take Care” rapper is, of course, known for cursing virtually every team, pro or amateur he backs. Whether he wagers money on them to win or just shows support as a fan, the vast majority of teams that Drake sides with soon end up with big fat “Ls” on their ledger. That has even been the case with individual athletes lately too.

But for their part, UConn could not be bothered by any sort of hex from the autotune gods. The Huskies didn’t trail San Diego State on Monday after the opening minutes and cruised to another surgical victory to take home the natty. As an added bonus, UConn also made Drake a little poorer by winning in such lopsided fashion — because it won by over 10 points, Drake ended up in the red as a result of his joint bets on the team. Oof.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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