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Connecticut joins elite list of eight schools to repeat as men's national champions
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- Connecticut joins elite list of eight schools to repeat as men's national champions
For the second consecutive season, Connecticut is the top dog.
The Huskies etched their name in college basketball history on Monday after they beat Purdue to win the national championship in back-to-back seasons and their sixth title in school history. Emerging as the winner of March Madness is already a difficult task, but Connecticut displayed its dominance in the sport by becoming the first team in 17 years to repeat as national champions and eighth school to ever do so in the 85-year history of the NCAA Tournament.
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Here are all the teams to ever win back-to-back national championships in men's basketball:
Oklahoma State: 1945-46
The first school to ever win back-to-back national championships in men's basketball was then know as Oklahoma A&M. The 1945 tournament was the first appearance for school, and in the eight-team tournament, the Aggies beat Utah, Arkansas and New York University to win its first national championship.
The following season, Oklahoma A&M went 31-2 and beat Baylor, California and North Carolina en route to the title. Center Bob Kurland, the man credited with making the first dunk in college basketball history, was the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament both seasons.
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Kentucky: 1948-49
The second back-to-back national champion winner happened a few years later when Adolph Rupp's Kentucky team won it all.
In 1948, led by the "Fabulous Five," the Wildcats beat Columbia, Holy Cross and and Baylor to win the school's first national title. The following season, Kentucky returned four starters from the famed lineup and beat Villanova, Illinois and Oklahoma A&M all by double digits to win the title. It would the first two of Rupp's four national championship as head coach of the Wildcats.
San Francisco : 1955-56
Led by the legendary Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, San Francisco won the first of its back-to-back national championships in 1955, the second champion after the tournament expanded to 24 teams. In the NCAA Tournament, the Dons beat West Texas State, Utah, Oregon State, Colorado and La Salle for their first national championship.
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With Russell and Jones back the following season, San Francisco went a perfect 29-0 to become the first undefeated team to win the national championship. The Dons beat UCLA, Utah, SMU and Iowa all in dominant fashion to repeat as champions.
Cincinnati: 1961-62
The Bearcats couldn't win a title with Oscar Robertson but won their first championship in the season following his departure . They defeated Texas Tech, Kansas State, Utah and in-state rival Ohio State in the national title game with Bob Wiesenhahn and Paul Hogue as their top two scorers. The following season with Hogue in the middle, the Bearcats beat Creighton, Colorado, UCLA and Ohio State in the national championship game again to win a second title. Cincinnati fell just short of a three-peat, losing to Loyola Chicago in the 1963 final.
UCLA: 1964-65, 1967-73
UCLA began its reign as the kings of college basketball in 1964 when it won its first national championship and won it again in 1965.
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After not winning it in 1967, the Bruins went on a complete tear through college basketball by winning seven consecutive national championship from 1967-73, which included three undefeated seasons and a combined record of 205-5 during that stretch. All of those championship seasons were coached by John Wooden with Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton among the stars of those teams. It's the only time a school has won at least three national championships in a row.
Duke: 1991-92
It would be nearly 20 years before another back-to-back national championship happened in men's college basketball, this time by the Blue Devils
In 1991, No. 2 seed Duke beat Northeast Louisiana, Iowa, Connecticut and St. John's to advance to the Final Four. In the semifinal matchup, the Blue Devils pulled off a shocking upset over undefeated UNLV and beat Kansas in the national title game to win its first championship and also get Mike Krzyzewski his first of five in his coaching career.
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The following season, Duke was dominant with just two closes losses after Bobby Hurley broke a bone in his foot in the middle of the ACC season, forcing Grant Hill took over as point guard. A No. 1 seed, the Blue Devils beat Campbell, Iowa, Seton Hall and − thanks to Christian Laettner's miracle shot − Kentucky to advance to the Final Four. Duke then beat Indiana and Michigan to win the national championship game. This was the first repeat champion after the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Florida : 2006-07
Florida under Billy Donovan became the first team to win back-to-back national championships in the 21st century.
In 2006, the No. 3 seed Gators beat South Alabama, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Georgetown and Villanova to advance to its third Final Four. Florida then beat Cinderella team George Mason then UCLA to win its first national championship.
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The following season the entire startling lineup returned with Joakim Noah , Al Horford and Corey Brewer among those to delay NBA careers. Florida beat Jackson State, Purdue, Butler and Oregon to make it back to the Final Four. There, the Gators beat UCLA in a national championship game rematch in the second semifinal and then Ohio State in the title game.
Connecticut: 2023-24
The eighth school to win back-to-back titles, Connecticut dominated the postseason unlike any other team.
In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the No. 4 seed Huskies beat Iona, Saint Mary's, Arkansas and Gonzaga to reach the Final Four. In the semifinal, Connecticut beat Miami (Fla.) and then San Diego State in the title game to win its first title since 2014. All six victories were by at least 13 points.
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Even with the loss of standouts Adama Sanago and Jordan Hawkins to the NBA, Connecticut was even more dominant in the regular season en route to a No. 1 seed. The Huskies stormed its way to the Final Four with wins over Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State and Illinois. In Arizona, the Huskies beat Alabama and Purdue to win its sixth national title, putting them in a tie with North Carolina for third-most championships in Division I. This time all their tournament victories were by at least 14 points.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Connecticut one of eight repeat men's basketball national champions
