The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies have made history by winning back-to-back championships at the Men’s March Madness tournament.
The men’s March Madness has come to an end, and for the first time since 2007, a team has won back-to-back championships.
The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies beat the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60. The Huskies were arguably the favorites in this game, but they had a talented Boilermakers team in their way. Zach Edey (the back-to-back College Player of the Year) led the Boilermakers with 37 points and 10 rebounds. Despite his performance, UConn managed to slow down the rest of the team and won with a strong team effort. Tristen Newton led UConn with 20 points, but there were three other players in double figures (Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan).
The Huskies have now won their sixth championship overall. The only men’s basketball programs to win six or more championships. North Carolina has won six, Kentucky has won eight and UCLA has won 11. UConn’s first championship was in 1999, when they beat the Duke Blue Devils. They won another championship in 2004 when they beat Georgia Tech. Then they went on to win in 2011, 2014 and 2023 before winning this season. Their 2023 win was a 76-59 win over San Diego State. With their back-to-back wins, they are the eighth men’s basketball team to win consecutive titles. The Florida Gators were the team to do it in 2006 and 2007. UConn’s win was special, and in a tough tournament, they managed to do a difficult task (win back-to-back).
“You can’t even wrap your mind around it, because you just know how hard this tournament is,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “What a special group of people.”
Both the men’s and women’s basketball programs at UConn have experienced great success. The women’s team reached the Final Four before losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, they have 11 championships with four being consecutive (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016). UConn has historic basketball programs, and the men’s championship win this year helps solidify that.
“We’re kind of getting used to this up here, the confetti, the trophy,” Hurley said. “Number six, baby!”
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