Photo Credit: AP
It is pretty hard for a university to win a national title in one sport, but UConn managed to win two in a matter of hours. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams brought home trophies to Connecticut. The school is the only one to accomplish such a tremendous feat; they also did it in 2004. These two teams, however, got there in much different ways.
As for the women, UConn is one of the best programs in the country. The school went 40-0 last season under head coach Geno Auriemma. Auriemma has coached nine national championship teams, recruiting some of the biggest names to the school. The team cruised throughout the tournament and met Notre Dame in the championship game. The team won that game handily, beating the Irish 79-58. Guard Breanna Stewart went on to win AP’s National Player of the Year.
The men’s program was not expected to advance past the first round in the tournament. With second year head coach and former UConn player Kevin Ollie, this team had just hoped it would make the tournament after being banned the previous season due to sanctions.
The team, led by Shabazz Napier, was a long shot to advance in the tournament. However, as with every year, the national tournament is incredibly unpredictable with top teams being knocked out early and lower ranked teams advancing much farther thank expected resulting in brackets being busted. UConn found itself playing powerhouse Kentucky in the final game, a matchup no one predicted. The Huskies never trailed in the game and beat Kentucky 60-54. Napier finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists in his final collegiate game.
