HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of fans lined the streets of downtown Hartford on Saturday to fete the UConn men’s basketball team following its second straight NCAA championship, its sixth in the past 25 years.
The players and coaches paraded on a double-decker bus with an open-air top and lifted the national title trophy from the state Capitol to the XL Center, the arena in which the team plays about half its home games. The procession included marching bands, cheerleaders, first responders, top state politicians and other groups as fans shouted and waved UConn signs.
The celebration followed Monday’s 75-60 win over Purdue, which capped one of the most dominant two-year runs in NCAA Tournament history, one in which the Huskies won all 12 games they played by double digits.
Coach Dan Hurley, who has spent the week denying that he was considering leaving the program for another school, told the crowd his focus is on a third consecutive championship, as he and the players gave short speeches outside the arena.
Celebrity tequila brands, like George Clooney
Golden State's WNBA expansion franchise to be known as the Valkyries
Carol Burnett, 91, looks chic in all
Missile fired by a drone kills 4 members of a family in Pakistan near the Afghan border, police say
Farm family’s newest crop shows China’s solar ascendancy
Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan dons white peplum gown to reunite with co
Scottie Scheffler confirms birth of baby son in heartfelt Instagram post
'The Apprentice,' about a young Donald Trump, premieres in Cannes
Khloe Kardashian takes True and Tatum to see dad Tristan Thompson play for the FIRST TIME
California congressman urges closer consultation with tribes on offshore wind
Katharina Wagner will lead the Bayreuth Festival for 5 more years