UConn men’s and women’s championship history
Is this the spring when a victory parade returns to Connecticut?
The UConn women’s basketball team has won 11 NCAA titles, but the last came in 2016. The men have won four, but it has been nine years since the last championship.
As we ponder the odds of a Husky title this year, let’s run through the history of UConn basketball championships.
WOMEN 1995, Minneapolis 70-64 over Tennessee Notable:
The first title capped a 35-0 season as UConn climbed back from a nine-point deficit in the second half to beat the Lady Vols. Rebecca Lobo was Final Four Most Outstanding Player, but it was a Jen Rizzotti layup with under two minutes left that gave UConn the lead it would not relinquish.
2000, Philadelphia 71-52 over Tennessee Notable:
Shea Ralph earned tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as she scored 15 for Huskies in final. Kelly Schumacher set the record for blocks in a Final Four game with nine.
2002, San Antonio 82-70 over Oklahoma Notable:
The Huskies, led by Sue Bird and Swin Cash, put the game away in the last two minutes as sophomore Diana Taurasi converted a basket and free throw. UConn became the first team in NCAA history to record two undefeated seasons, ending 2002 with a 39-0 record.
2003, Atlanta 73-68 over Tennessee Notable:
Taurasi was named tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as UConn become third program to win back-to-back titles joining Southern Cal and Tennessee. The Huskies finished 37-1.
2004, New Orleans 70-61 over Tennessee Notable:
The fifth straight trip to Final Four resulted in the third straight national title for UConn and Taurasi.The five straight Final Four appearances were a record at the time. Taurasi was named tournament Most Outstanding player for second consecutive year.
2009, St. Louis 76-54 over Louisville Notable:
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tina Charles had 25 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Huskies to their third win of season over Big East rival Louisville. UConn (39-0), led by national Player of the Year Maya Moore, became the first NCAA team to win by double digits in all of its games.
2010, San Antonio 53-47 over Stanford Notable:
UConn started second half on a 17-2 run after trailing by eight at halftime. Moore scored 23 points to lead Huskies (39-0) to seventh national title and second-straight undefeated season, as UConn
2013, New Orleans 93-60 over Louisville Notable:
Geno Auriemma tied Pat Summitt for most NCAA women’s titles as UConn won its eight championship. Freshman Breanna Stewart, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, scored 18 of her 23 points in the first half as UCoon took a 48-29 lead. The 33-point win was the largest margin of victory in an NCAA championship game.
2014, Nashville 79-58 over Notre Dame Notable:
This was the first time in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game that both teams were unbeaten. Stewart scored 21 points and Stefanie Dolson had 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists for UConn, which passed Tennessee with its ninth title.
2015, Tampa 63-53 over Notre Dame Notable:
Auriemma tied UCLA’s John Wooden with his 10th national title. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Moriah Jefferson had15 points each while Stewart had 15 rebounds and was named Most Outstanding player for third year in a row. She became the first women’s basketball player to do that, and UCLA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) is the only men’s player to accomplish it.
2016, Indianapolis 82-51 over Syracuse Notable:
Stewart (24 points and 10 rebounds) completed the title sweep, leading UConn to an unprecedented fourth straight title. Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Jefferson ended their careers 24-0 in NCAA tournament games and left the Huskies with a 75-game winning streak. It was UConn’s 11th title.
2011, Houston 53-41 over Butler Notable: MEN 1999, St. Petersburg, Fla. 77-74 over Duke Notable:
The first title in program history capped a 34-2 season. Richard Hamilton, named Most Outstanding Player, scored 27 points and Khalid El-Amin scored the game’s final four points and, memorably, uttered the signature line — “We shocked the world!”
2004, San Antonio 82-73 over Georgia Tech Notable:
UConn became the first school with men’s and women’s titles in the same year, as the Huskies completed a 33-6 season with Jim Calhoun’ s second championship. EmekaOka for had 24 points and Ben Gordon 21 to lead the Huskies, who began and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Huskies (32-9) climbed on the back of Kemba Walker, who led UConn to five wins in five days at the Big East Tournament. Rising from a No. 9 seed at Madison Square Garden, UConn marched to its third NCAA title with a win over Kentucky in the semifinals before beating Butler as Walker scored 16 points. UConn held Butler to 19 points in the second half and the Bulldogs made just 12 of 64 shots.
2014, North Texas 60-54 over Kentucky Notable:
Shabazz Napier had 22 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead the Huskies to an improbable title under coach Kevin Ollie. The Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 15 before Kentucky made a second-half run. But UConn was 10 of 10 from the free throw line down the stretch.