UConn finishes at No. 1 in first post-March Madness AP Top 25 poll after run to repeat NCAA title

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.

“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.

The Boilermakers (34-5) were next at No. 2 as they nearly matched Virginia in 2019 with an incredible turnaround. The Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in UMBC in 2018 before winning the title the next year. Purdue has the only other 16-vs-1 upset loss, to Fairleigh Dickinson last year, but followed that by coming within a win of the title, too.

Houston and Alabama — which reached its first Final Four — were next in a tie for No. 3, followed by Tennessee at No. 5.

UConn ultimately spent eight weeks at No. 1 this season, while its lowest ranking was sixth in the preseason poll.

The Huskies spent six straight weeks from mid-January into late February at No. 1, fell to No. 3 on Feb. 26 after a loss at Creighton, then had two weeks at No. 2 before returning to No. 1 for the final pre-tournament poll on March 18.

Purdue had been within range of the Huskies all season in what became largely a clear top tier. The Boilermakers, led by a two-time AP national player of the year in 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, spent five weeks at No. 1, nine weeks at No. 2 and was never ranked lower than fourth.

Once in the tournament, the Huskies won six tournament games by a combined 23.3 points, with the closest call being a 14-point win against the Crimson Tide in the national semifinals. Ultimately, UConn and Purdue ranked 1-2 six times this season.

Regional finalist Illinois was next at No. 6, followed by North Carolina, Iowa State and Duke — all of which reached the second weekend of the NCAAs. Then came North Carolina State, which rode its first Final Four run since 1983 as an 11-seed to check in at No. 10 after being unranked all season.

The Southeastern Conference led the way with five ranked teams in the final poll, including No. 18 Auburn, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 25 South Carolina. The Atlantic Coast Conference had four, with No. 14 Clemson joining the North Carolina-based trio in the top 10 after its run to the Elite Eight. The Big 12 also had four, including No. 16 Baylor and No. 19 Kansas.

The Big East had three with No. 11 Marquette and No. 13 Creighton joining UConn. The Big Ten, Pac-12, West Coast and Mountain West conferences each had two, while the Atlantic 10 had one.

The poll celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this year, and this marked the 20th season in which there were at least five different teams to reach No. 1 — the record is seven in 1983 and 2020 — since that January 1949 launch.

Preseason No. 1 Kansas spent three weeks at No. 1, matched by Houston and followed by Arizona with two weeks.

In all, 52 teams were ranked at some point this year, making this only the fourth season in poll history to have at least 50 different teams make the poll. Last year marked the record with 54, while there were 53 in both 2010 and 2015.

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

NC State guard DJ Horne (0) shoots as p15= defends during the first half of the NCAA college basketball game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson )

Alabama guard Aaron Estrada (55) watches the ball fall out of bounds as UConn guard Stephon Castle defends during the second half of the NCAA college basketball game at the Final Four, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson )

Purdue center Zach Edey (15) watches as UConn celebrates their win in the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

UConn head coach Dan Hurley greets fans after their win against Purdue in the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

UConn guard Stephon Castle (5) greets fans after their win against Purdue in the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

UConn finishes at No. 1 in first post-March Madness AP Top 25 poll after run to repeat NCAA title

UConn finishes at No. 1 in first post-March Madness AP Top 25 poll after run to repeat NCAA title

MILAN (AP) — Before the sun set in Milan on Sunday, San Siro had two stars shining brighter than ever as Inter Milan finally got its title celebrations underway.

While Inter fans had been celebrating since last month when the Nerazzurri secured the Serie A title with five rounds remaining, the players finally got their hands on the trophy after the final home match of the season — a 1-1 draw against Lazio.

The title was Inter’s 20th, earning it a coveted second star and after the match all the players wore special team shirts that had “20” and two stars on the back. They were each called out individually to walk to the stage and get their medals, with Lautaro Martinez coming out last — after coach Simone Inzaghi.

The Inter captain then lifted the trophy up to cheers from a still-packed San Siro as fireworks were set off behind them.

The players paraded the trophy around the edge of the field and were joined by their close friends and family, who had been waiting in an area sectioned off for them near the stage.

The father of Inter forward Marcus Thuram was also present, proudly wearing an Inter shirt — albeit back-to-front so that his son's name was on his chest. Lilian Thuram, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, played as a defender for Parma and Juventus.

Musicians and Inter fans Tananai and Ligabue performed a mini concert.

Even questions over the financial status of the club couldn't dampen the spirits. There are reports that Suning and Inter President Steven Zhang could lose control of the club early next week if it fails to repay a debt of nearly 400 million euros ($434 million) to American investment fund Oaktree.

“This is a matter for our shareholders … I can only guarantee that the club is very solid and, with Zhang at the helm we have followed a virtuous path on a balance sheet level,” Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta said. “I would challenge anyone to check by looking at our accounts.

“Whatever decision the Zhang family takes, it will be for the good of the club that they love.”

The festivities started before kickoff as there was a spectacular pre-match choreography that covered every inch of the stands at San Siro to mark the occasion.

One side of the stadium had two stars on it and the Scudetto symbol, while the other spelled out the phrase “champions of Italy.” The ends had the Inter logo and the number 20.

Denzel Dumfries headed in a free kick late on to rescue a draw for Inter after Daichi Kamada had fired Lazio in front in the first half.

RELEGATED AFTER 11 YEARS

Sassuolo was relegated from Serie A after 11 years in the Italian top flight.

A 2-0 loss at home to Cagliari doomed Sassuolo to Serie B and ensured Claudio Ranieri’s team stayed up.

Cagliari moved three points clear of the relegation zone with one round remaining, but two of the teams below it – Udinese and Frosinone – play each other on the final day.

RELEGATION FIGHT

There are four teams at risk of finishing in 18th spot and following Sassuolo and bottom club Salernitana – which was mathematically relegated last month – into Serie B.

Empoli currently occupies that spot after conceding an equalizer in the 14th minute of stoppage time in a 1-1 at Udinese.

Empoli thought it had got a valuable win against a direct rival for safety when M’Baye Niang converted a penalty in the final minute after Nicolò Cambiaghi was tripped by Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardžić.

However, deep in stoppage time Samardžić went from villain to hero by converting another spot kick to ensure Udinese remained a point above the bottom three.

Empoli replaced Frosinone, which moved two points clear with a 1-0 win at Monza.

Hellas Verona is the other team not yet safe but it has a match in hand, against Salernitana on Monday.

ROMA KEEPS HOPING

Roma beat Genoa 1-0 to secure a sixth-place finish in Serie A and keep alive its slim hopes of sneaking into the Champions League.

Italy could have six teams in Europe’s elite competition next season if Atalanta defeats unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Roma has three more points than seventh-place Lazio but a better head-to-head record which is the first tiebreaker in Serie A.

Roma’s chances of getting something from Sunday’s match appeared to diminish in the 72nd minute when Leandro Paredes was booked for dissent and then shown a second yellow and sent off for appearing to swear at the referee.

However, Romelu Lukaku headed in what proved to be the winner seven minutes later.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer

Inter's Hakan Calhanoglu and Mirko Arnautovic celebrate their victory of the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter's Lautaro Martinez celebrates their victory of the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Players and head coach Simone Inzaghi, center back, celebrate winning the Scudetto after Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter's Marcus Thuram celebrates their victory of the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter's Lautaro Martinez celebrates winning the Scudetto after Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Lazio's Daichi Kamada, left, scores his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Lazio's Daichi Kamada celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter's Denzel Dumfries, right, celebrates after scoring 1-1 goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter players celebrate their victory of the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi and Inter football players celebrate winning the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter players celebrate their victory of the "scudetto" after the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Lazio at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)