Connecticut Raises a Cup to No. 1 Teams

The talk about Connecticut basketball was flowing as freely as the coffee Monday at the Sugar Shack in Storrs, Conn. And not even the poetry of owner Nick Buonocore could spoil this day.

“Never in history has it been done, both men and women ranked No. 1,” the poem went. “Our Huskies did it, I’m filled with glee. So come in and have a coffee. Hey, it’s on me.”

Not only did the men’s team reach the No. 1 ranking for the first time in its 93-year history, but by catching up with the women, the school became the first to have both programs ranked first in the polls.

“Everybody’s talking about it. Everybody’s excited,” said Tom Iannone, a senior who works at Buonocore’s doughnut shop, which gave away more than 100 gallons of coffee Monday.

The nearby campus was relatively quiet the day after the men’s team defeated Syracuse to improve to 19-1 overall and 12-0 in the Big East. Most of the celebrating took place Sunday, when the Huskies’ fans knew a victory would all but assure the team of being No. 1.

And that is exactly what happened. The men’s team received 50 of 66 first-place votes and 1,626 points in the latest AP poll.

The Connecticut women’s team, which also won Sunday to improve to 21-0 and remain the only unbeaten team in Division I, has been in the top spot since mid-January.

“This is something we all knew about both UConn teams,” said Gov. John Rowland, who phoned his congratulations to men’s Coach Jim Calhoun. “We didn’t need the AP poll to tell us they are No. 1.”

The men’s team, which jumped from third to first in the polls, became the fourth school to hold the No. 1 ranking this season.

UCLA (16-2) remained sixth.