Mar 22, 2024, 11:35 ET
The UConn Huskies have a chance to become the first men’s program to win back-to-back national championships since the Florida Gators in 2007.
Now that March Madness begins, the top four finishers in the men’s tournament are Purdue Boilermakers, Houston Cougars, North Carolina Tar Heels y UConn Huskies.
UConn is coming off a 28-3 regular season and won the Big East tournament on March 16 for the first time since 2011. Last year, the Huskies entered March Madness with a 25-8 record, earning the No. 4 seed. The next two weeks they went undefeated and won their first national championship since 2014. UConn is one of the favorites to win it all again this year. Only six programs have won consecutive men’s national championships since 1939. The Huskies’ quest begins this Friday against the Stetson Hatters (2:45 p.m. EST).
Here’s a look at what was happening in the world the last time a school was crowned consecutively: Florida Gatorson April 2, 2007.
Steve Jobs officially announced the iPhone
Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds the new iPhone that was unveiled at Macworld on January 9, 2007 in San Francisco, California. David Paul Morris/Getty Images
One of the most influential moments in technology history occurred in early 2007 with Apple’s announcement of the first iPhone.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs shared the news on January 9, 2007, explaining that the company would introduce “three revolutionary products”: a wide-screen iPod, a revolutionary mobile phone, and an innovative Internet communicator. The twist that Jobs revealed was that these three products would all be on one device, not separate, called the iPhone.
The device was launched in June 2007 and sold 1 million units in just 74 days, compared to the two years it took the iPod to achieve the same feat. Since 2007, Apple’s iPhone has sold 1.5 billion units worldwide.
‘Blades of Glory’ becomes number 1 in the country
Will Ferrell’s sports comedy, centered on two figure skating rivals, grossed $33 million during its opening weekend, becoming number one at the box office. In total, “Blades of Glory” earned $118 million in box office sales in 2007, the 24th highest figure for that year.
However, it enjoyed a two-week period at No. 1 after its release, which coincided with Florida’s back-to-back national championships.
Akon and R&B lead the Billboard Hot 100
It was a Billboard top 10 with a lot of R&B and pop in the first week of April, especially two songs starring singer Akon.
His single “Don’t Matter” charted at No. 1, while his hit single “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani charted at No. 6. “Don’t Matter” became Akon’s second number one song and lasted 23 weeks on the charts.
Fergie’s “Glamorous” and Beyonce and Shakira’s collaboration “Beautiful Liar” rounded out the top three. Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around… Comes Around” and Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” were the top pop performers in the top 10.
Prince shines in the rain during Super Bowl XLI
Prince performs during the Halftime Show at Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
There may be no more iconic halftime performance than Prince’s in 2007.
Rain during the Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears on Feb. 4 in Miami posed threats to the spectacle. There were electric guitars and Prince and his dancers were wearing high heels on a slippery surface.
But the musician asked the NFL’s head of programming: “Can you make it rain harder?” In fact, he rained during Prince’s performance of “Purple Rain,” an epic moment during a legendary performance.
LeBron James, months away from his first NBA Finals
Longevity is the name of the game for James, who is in the midst of his 21st season.
A day after Florida won the national championship, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward scored 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, his 29th game that season with at least 30 points.
At this point in 2007, James had yet to reach the NBA Finals or win an MVP. James and the Cavs made the Finals that season and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep. It was the first of his 10 Finals appearances, including eight in a row from 2011 to 2018.
2024-03-22 16:35:00
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