UConn finished atop the first Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll to be released after March Madness following its run to the first back-to-back national championship in 17 years.
The Huskies (37-3) topped all 58 ballots Tuesday, coming roughly 12 hours after they beat Purdue 75-60 in the title game. That win allowed UConn to become the first men’s repeat champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007, as well as joining the Gators and Duke (1991 and 1992) as the only back-to-back champs since UCLA won seven straight titles under John Wooden from 1967-73.
RANK TEAM RECORD PREVIOUS
1 UConn 37-3 1
2 Purdue 34-5 3
T3 Alabama 25-12 19
T3 Houston 32-5 2
5 Tennessee 27-9 6
6 Illinois 29-9 10
7 North Carolina 29-8 5
8 Iowa State 29-8 4
9 Duke 27-9 13
10 North Carolina State 26-15 NR
11 Arizona 27-9 9
12 Marquette 27-10 8
13 Creighton 25-10 11
14 Clemson 24-12 NR
15 Gonzaga 27-8 18
16 Baylor 24-11 14
17 San Diego State 26-11 24
18 Auburn 27-8 7
19 Kansas 23-11 17
20 Kentucky 23-10 12
21 Saint Mary’s 26-8 15
22 Utah State 28-7 20
23 Washington State 25-10 25
24 South Carolina 26-8 16
25 Dayton 25-8 NR
“I just think it’s the best two-year run I think in a very, very long time just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after the win.