The men’s college basketball season came to a close on Monday night with the UConn Huskies prevailing over the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA Tournament Finals, 75-60, for their second-straight title.
The Huskies got to the title game by beating the Southeastern Conference’s lone survivor, the Alabama Crimson Tide, in the Final Four on Saturday, 86-72. The Boilermakers got past the Cinderella NC State Wolfpack in the semis to make their championship appearance, 63-50.
The Florida Gators were unable to make it past the opening game, falling to the Colorado Buffaloes, 102-100, after making a deep run in the SEC Tournament. In the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll update, the Orange and Blue fell from No. 23 in the nation out of the top 25 to a de facto rank of No. 27 with 44 votes.
Around the Southeastern Conference, Alabama is the top-ranked team at No. 4, followed by the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5), Auburn Tigers (No. 17), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 19) and South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 23). The Texas A&M Aggies also took home 13 final votes.
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