Flau’jae Johnson and Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, who leads the country in scoring, are familiar with each other both on the court and off. After over three years, the two meet again.

“They’ve had battles over the years,” Florida State head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “I know they know each other and they go way back.”

In January 2022, Johnson’s Sprayberry High School of Marietta, Georgia, took on Latson’s American Heritage School of Plantation, Florida.

Just like it’s expected of them on Monday, the two put on a show. Latson scored 38 points to lead her American Heritage team to a 77-63 win. Johnson was right behind with 33 points in the loss.

“It’s a long battle between me and her,” Latson said. “She’s gotten a lot better, too, especially coming here to LSU… She’s a phenomenal player and I have a lot of respect for her.”

Through training together frequently, their connection grew off the court, as they’ve spent time together away from training and away from basketball.

“We used to hang out a little bit, too. I went over to her house, we had a crab boil one time,” Latson said. “We go way back, and I respect her and her family, too. So I’m just happy to see that she’s out there doing what she’s doing.”

But lots has happened since Johnson and Latson were training together in the gym and meeting up for crab boils.

For starters, Johnson and her LSU team won a National Championship her freshman season, where she was also awarded SEC Freshman of the Year. She was selected to the 2024 All-SEC second team, and was selected All-SEC third team for the 2025 season.

Latson, on the other hand, was the 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year her freshman season, and was awarded All-ACC first team for all three of her collegiate seasons. Latson is also a Semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award along with Aneesah Morrow.

Through the times they’ve trained together or played against each other, the similarities between each other continued to grow.

“They’re two great competitors,” Wyckoff said. “I think they’re two of the most highly competitive people in the game, the college game right now.”

Through competition for both Johnson and Latson came adversity, however, especially in this 2025 season.

Johnson has faced obstacles rather recently after being sidelined since Feb. 27 due to a shin injury. While she may have been able to play through it, Kim Mulkey decided to rest her to assure her health for the NCAA Tournament.

Latson, on the other hand, faced challenges alongside her team, also recently. The Seminoles came into the NCAA Tournament coming off two losses: one to Duke to end the regular season, and one to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.

In both games, Latson was held to under 15 points, which is well under her nation-leading 25 points per game.

Not to mention, leading the country in scoring naturally puts a target on Latson’s back, as she’s always the focal point of opposing teams’ strategies.

“You see LSU, they’re ready for me,” Latson said. “I got to be ready for it too, though, just be prepared and be myself. I’ve seen this a lot throughout the season.”

Through adversity, however, the two responded on Saturday in their own ways.

Johnson made her return to the court against San Diego State on Saturday, and scored the game’s first points with a baseline three. Shortly after, she came away with a steal, scored a layup off of it, and blew a kiss to the student section.

Latson, on the other hand, responded by lighting up the scoreboard in a way she’s used to doing. Before LSU tipped off against San Diego State, Latson led her Seminoles to a 94-59 win over George Mason, where she scored a team-high 28 points along with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

“I’m just thankful that we had the opportunity to win that first round,” Latson said. “I’m just happy we got that out of the way, and now we’re onto the next.”

Now, on the biggest of stages with the brightest of lights, the two competitors meet again. This time, much more is on the line, and much more is at stake. With Johnson and Latson being the competitors they are, Monday night’s matchup is the type of moment they work for.

If both Johnson and Latson are to show out the way they did against each other three years ago, the PMAC crowd will be in for a treat.