Biden honors NCAA basketball champs South Carolina and UConn for historic 2024 title runs

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden honored 2024 NCAA basketball champions South Carolina and Connecticut on Tuesday at the White House, celebrating the two powerhouse programs’ most recent national title runs.

South Carolina went 38-0 on the way to its latest women's title. It was head coach Dawn Staley's third championship with the Gamecocks since 2017. Biden cheered South Carolina for ushering in an era of surging interest in women's sports.

South Carolina's title game against Iowa drew more viewers than this year's men's championship, averaging 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN and peaking at 24 million viewers.

“I think it’s fair to say everyone, everyone watches women’s sports now,” Biden said. “When new fans watch for the first time, when young girls see their idols, they see the power of your example.”

Later, at a separate celebration for the University of Connecticut men's team, Biden marveled at the success of the Huskies' squad which included four first-round picks in the latest NBA draft. UConn coach Dan Hurley's team went 37-3 in winning its second straight title.

“Clearly, you must have something in the water up there,” said Biden, who also noted that 11 athletes who competed in the this summer's Paris Olympics had UConn ties.

South Carolina's unblemished year came even after Staley lost all five starters from her 2023 team that was defeated in the Final Four. The Gamecocks were dominant throughout their historic season, leading the nation in scoring defense, margin of victory and blocked shots.

For UConn, it was the school's sixth men's national title. They joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s.

Hurley this summer turned down an offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers and signed a six-year, $50 million deal to remain at UConn. He said his focus is now on winning a third consecutive title. No men's program has accomplished a three-peat since UCLA won seven in a row between 1967 and 1973.

It was the first White House visit for South Carolina. Staley and the Gamecocks did not go to the White House following championships in 2017 and 2022. Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to the team while she was in Columbia, South Carolina, earlier this year.

Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and coach of the U.S. women’s basketball team in Tokyo three years ago, recently served as a member of the presidential delegation to the Paris Olympics.

Several prominent current and former South Carolinian politicians attended Tuesday's ceremony for the Gamecocks, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, and former Columbia mayor Steve Benjamin, who is now a senior adviser to the president.

Biden joked that the South Carolina's officeholders could have some fierce competition if the popular Staley were to give politics a try.

“All of those of you who hold public office in South Carolina, you better hope she keeps coaching and doesn't run,” Biden said of Staley.