UConn capped its season at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll on Monday, one day after winning its 12th national championship.

The Huskies received all 31 votes from a national media panel after Geno Auriemma's team beat South Carolina 82-59 for the title. The Gamecocks, who started the season at No. 1, were the unanimous second choice.

A record five teams held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 this year. South Carolina, UCLA, Notre Dame and Texas also all were first at some point this season. No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Texas both made the Final Four while USC finished fifth.

It was UConn's first time at No. 1 since the team finished the 2021 season that way. It's also the 17th time overall that the Huskies have ended in the top spot. This year ended the longest drought for the Huskies not to close the season at No. 1 since they went five years in a row from 2003 to 2008.

TCU, Duke, LSU, NC State Wolfpack and Notre Dame rounded out the top 10.

It's the second year that the AP released a final poll after the NCAA title game. In the past, the last Top 25 vote was released the day after the NCAA selection show.

Rising Terrapins

Maryland made one of the biggest jump in the poll after almost knocking off South Carolina in the Sweet 16. The Terrapins climbed to 12th from 18th.

On the way up

Ole Miss climbed eight places to 17th after reaching the Sweet 16, where the Rebels lost to UCLA. It's the first time that the team has been in the final poll since they were ranked 24th in 1996.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference ended the season with eight ranked teams. The ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 each have five while the Big East and Summit League each have one.

SAN ANTONIO -- It would be an oversimplification to say that Florida is college basketball's version of Moneyball while Houston runs the sport's version of the Oklahoma drill in practice. The Cougars also use analytics, and the Gators were rugged enough to wear down Auburn's Johni Broome.

But with the 69-year-old Kelvin Sampson slated to become the oldest coach to win a Division I men's basketball title if Houston wins, and the 39-year-old Todd Golden poised to become the youngest coach since Jim Valvano in 1983 to do it if Florida prevails, the men's NCAA championship matchup features a contrast of styles and philosophies from different eras.

"We're an elite offensive team, a top-10 defensive team," Golden said in San Antonio on Sunday. "[Houston is] a top-10 offensive team and elite defensive team. I think it's going to be a contrasting battle that way."

All of this is best captured through each team's defining players.

On one side is Florida's silky guard Walter Clayton Jr., who's an embodiment of the transfer portal era. He committed to the Gators after an Easter Sunday dinner in 2023 with Golden at Sergio's, an Italian restaurant in Westchester County known for its crab legs and vodka penne, that Clayton had unexpectedly invited St. John's assistant Steve Masiello to join. Masiello was also in the process of recruiting Clayton to follow Rick Pitino after playing his first two seasons for the legendary coach at Iona.

On the other is Houston's low-post force J'Wan Roberts, who is in his sixth year with the program after committing to the Cougars before the transfer portal even launched. He has played for Sampson long enough that he shared the court with Quentin Grimes, now in his fourth NBA season.

And both stars have thrived in their respective programs as a result of the fundamentals their head coaches emphasize.

The toughest part of stopping Florida starts with attempting to slow Clayton down. The 2022-23 MAAC Player of the Year has been the best overall player in this NCAA tournament. He scored 34 points against Auburn in Saturday's Final Four, including a flurry of hesitation drives to the basket that the Tigers staff admitted were guarded about as well as they could be -- Clayton simply executed high degree-of-difficult finishes.

His step-back 3 against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight looms as the most daring and important shot of Florida's run in this tournament, tying the game up in the final two minutes after the Gators erased a 10-point deficit.

Clayton has blossomed as Florida's full-time point guard after shifting over off-guard to start this season, earning the program's first-ever first-team All-America honors. On a team that Golden has built with quality depth, high-end shooting and a deep and rugged frontcourt, Clayton has emerged as a fearless maestro.

He looks back at that awkward dinner with Golden and Masiello, and laughs: "They thought they were going to have a recruiting battle in the middle of the restaurant."

Instead, he returned to his home state drama-free, leading the Gators to their first national title game since 2007. Florida pitched a Jalen Brunson-type presence for the program. Clayton likes the comp even though Brunson isn't his favorite player on NBA 2K because "they got him too small," making him susceptible to bigger defenses.

Clayton also said he has developed thanks to learning from Golden's analytics-forward approach.

"It just kind of gives like a different viewpoint of the game -- of what's a good shot, what's a bad shot, what percentage of the shots are we getting back," he said. "It kind of gave me a different viewpoint coming here."

Florida's roster is a blend of portal, high school and international recruiting. Houston's isn't much different -- the Cougars do have key portal additions in L.J. Cryer and Milos Uzan. But Sampson is defiant that the guts of the program remain old-school.

The growth of players like Roberts, from a skinny rebounder to hounding Cooper Flagg into missing the critical shot in the Final Four, remains Sampson's preferred method of team-building.

Roberts hit the two critical free throws that ultimately secured the comeback win over Duke on Saturday, willing home both ends of a one-and-one. With 19 seconds on the clock, Houston assistants watched with arms linked on the bench. After the first shot rattled home, Quannas White moved toward the court to make a coaching point, quickly pulled back to the arm lock as Roberts line-drove in the second free throw.

Roberts had shot 150 free throws a day since the summer to prepare for the moment. He summed up the prevailing vibe of what drives the Houston program this way: "I feel like you never want to let him down," he said of Sampson, adding the fear of what practice is like after a loss proves a significant motivator.

Sampson has certainly evolved to thrive in this era, but he hasn't changed aspects fundamental to building his program.

"Well, everybody sits around and ponders [which players are] coming back," he said. "We always know who is coming back. So we don't really relate to people that don't know. And so when we bring in new guys -- we have three really good freshmen coming in -- they're going to have to learn how to be Cougar basketball players.

"Our players aren't going to ask them their opinion on many things. This is the way we do it here."

The hirings of Sampson and Golden are reflective of their different paths to the cusp of the title, and the eras they come from.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin traveled to Indianapolis in March of 2022 to meet Golden, then the coach at San Francisco, before the Dons' first-round game against Murray State in that year's NCAA tournament. The sides met in person for the first time at the Le Meridien hotel in Indianapolis, directly next to St. Elmo's, in a meeting room named after counterculture actor Steve McQueen. It was a fitting setting, as Stricklin sought a different type of thinker for the sport's changing landscape.

In identifying Golden, who had yet to win an NCAA tournament game, Stricklin foresaw the end of the era of teams simply stockpiling talent. "Understanding how the pieces all fit together and having an analytical [view], I think that helps you in this day and age," Stricklin said.

What separated Golden was both understanding analytics and having a detailed plan on how to use them in the modern game. Stricklin wanted to be where the puck was headed. "So I thought at the time we hired Todd, this was where everything was going," he said. "So we tried to get there, and I had a lot of people questioning why we didn't go hire a quote 'established coach.'"

Back in 2014, then-Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades faced a much different set of hiring circumstances when he brought in Sampson. Fresh off a five-year show-cause penalty stemming from NCAA violations at Indiana, Sampson worked nearby as an assistant for the Houston Rockets.

Houston had just finished its first year in the American Athletic Conference, and hadn't been in the NCAA tournament all four seasons of James Dickey's tenure.

"We both needed each other," Rhoades said of Sampson by phone on Sunday. "We needed someone that could resurrect the program. And he needed a second chance."

Rhoades recalled Sampson's intentionality in the interview, a clear vision of non-negotiables. They'll play harder than the opponent. Players will go to class. They'll be coached hard. Family will be at the forefront. Rhoades chuckled when recalling that Sampson said parents could call about anything like academics or character, just not playing time.

Sampson wanted a chance to refurbish his reputation. Rhoades recalled Sampson telling him: "You know what comes up when you Google my name right now?"

Rhoades added: "He wanted to change that legacy for his family."

Upon being hired at Houston, Sampson's former athletic director at Oklahoma, Joe Castiglione, sent him an unconventional congratulatory gift: a ladder for his office. The ladder was an appreciation of prior championships and a symbol there were more to come.

The ladder has been used plenty, as Houston has reached two Final Fours under Sampson and has the country's longest active streak of Sweet 16 appearances with six straight.

On Monday, the program built on old-school grit will clash with a team built on designs of staying ahead in a new era. But the gritty team will still use analytics, and the analytics-driven team will still hang tough.

They will play to cut down the nets for either the oldest coach in the history of the sport to win the title, or for one of the youngest trying to establish himself as a face of the next generation.

Styles make fights, and Monday offers a compelling contrast.

And then there were two.

Florida and Houston were strong during the regular season. Both dominated their conference tournaments. Both are 1-seeds. And both defeated tough opponents to reach Monday's championship game in San Antonio.

Now, everything is on the line in the March Madness finale (8:50 p.m. ET on CBS).

The Gators are looking for their first national championship since their back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 with Billy Donovan, while the Cougars are seeking their first in program history.

For a final time this season, Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello break down each team and pick which will cut down the nets.

Jump to:
Florida | Houston | Predictions

Florida Gators

How Florida reached the Final Four:

• Round of 64: def. No. 16 Norfolk State 95-69

• Round of 32: def. No. 8 UConn 77-75

• Sweet 16: def. No. 4 Maryland 87-71

• Elite Eight: def. No. 3 Texas Tech 84-79

• Final Four: def. No. 1 Auburn 79-73

How can the Gators contend with Houston's physicality? This has been the primary question for every Houston opponent for the past 11 years. Kelvin Sampson's Houston teams have finished top-15 in adjusted defensive efficiency in seven of the past eight seasons, which means Florida's bigs will have to be relentless in rebounding, attacking the paint and playing exceptional interior defense. Houston outscored Duke 19-12 on second-chance points Saturday, and the Gators will have to close that gap to win.

But this game is also about endurance. The Blue Devils were exhausted by the end of Saturday night -- a byproduct of a grueling, 40-minute game against Houston. Florida needs its big men to avoid foul trouble, challenge the Cougars around the rim on offense and defense and have the stamina to play an intense pace for two halves. It's a daunting task that only one team has achieved since Nov. 30 against Houston.

Who must step up for Florida? Will Richard. The list of standout guards Houston has held to shaky offensive performances in March is long: Robert Wright III (Baylor), Julian Hammond III (Colorado), Egor Demin (BYU), Braden Smith (Purdue), Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee) and Tyrese Proctor (Duke). Walter Clayton Jr. could be added to that group Monday.

But the Gators are not a one-man show. Richard is the only member of Florida's starting backcourt who has had three single-digit efforts over the past five games. The 6-foot-4 senior made 38% of his shots from beyond the arc in league play but was 0-for-5 from the 3-point line in his previous two games. That all has to change Monday night. Duke and its three projected lottery picks and the national player of the year needed more help against Houston, even after it had a 14-point lead. Richard will have to contribute.

The Gators' potential fatal flaw: Giving opponents too many opportunities at the free throw line. Florida was a top-25 defensive team over the final month of the season. It's a key element of its comebacks throughout the NCAA tournament. But the Gators also have committed too many fouls recently. Nine of their past 11 opponents had at least 22 free throw attempts. Houston benefited Saturday night from a couple of costly fouls by Duke, making four crucial free throws in the final seconds. That could happen again Monday night if the Gators put the Cougars on the free throw line too often.

Florida will win if ... Walter Clayton Jr. scores 25 points or more. Because of the way Florida plays and how much it relies on Clayton as a ball handler, the Gators will only go as far as he takes them. When he is a potent scorer and playmaker, opponents are forced to double him, creating more opportunities for his teammates. The Gators will face the best defense in America and although they've overcome nearly impossible odds in the NCAA tournament, Houston's Saturday night comeback over Duke was almost unprecedented. If Clayton gets hot Monday night, it will likely mean the Gators -- ranked second in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency -- are rolling and have found the holes in that vaunted Houston defense. If he struggles, it will complicate everything Florida wants to do against Houston, especially if the Gators have another second-half deficit standing between them and their title dreams. -- Myron Medcalf

Houston Cougars

How Houston reached the Final Four:

• Round of 64: def. No. 16 SIU Edwardsville 78-40

• Round of 32: def. No. 8 Gonzaga 81-76

• Sweet 16: def. No. 4 Purdue 62-60

• Elite Eight: def. No. 2 Tennessee 69-50

• Final Four: def. No. 1 Duke 70-67

How can the Cougars contain Walter Clayton Jr.? If anyone's going to slow down Walter Clayton Jr., it will be the best defense in college. Houston is incredibly physical, both on and off the ball, and doesn't make anything easy for opponents. The Cougars will likely look to deny Clayton easy catches in rhythm and make sure he doesn't get clean looks.

But Clayton didn't have a ton of clean looks against Texas Tech or Auburn and still put up historically good performances. One area to watch will be the 3-point line. Houston has a strong 3-point defense, but it allows 3-point shots. That's not a recipe for stopping Clayton.

Who must step up for Houston? This is another potentially massive game for J'Wan Roberts. He should enter with plenty of confidence after making the biggest plays in the final seconds against Duke: boxing out Cooper Flagg to draw the foul, making two free throws, and contesting Flagg's potential game-winning shot. He was inconsistent over the past month or so and also missed two games because of an ankle injury.

He'll have to be at his best against Florida and its elite frontcourt. That means being active and aggressive on the offensive glass and staying out of foul trouble at the other end of the floor. The Gators have size and depth to throw at Houston on Monday night, and Roberts has to stay on the floor.

The Cougars' potential flaw: Houston doesn't have many weaknesses. But two areas to watch will be the free throw line, and whether the Cougars can avoid the offensive droughts that nearly dug them too big a hole against Duke. Houston was 12th out of 16 Big 12 teams in defensive free throw rate and 14th in offensive free throw rate. The Cougars averaged fewer free throw attempts per game than their opponents.

Florida isn't good at getting to the free throw line -- and is even worse at making those shots -- but if the officials aren't letting Houston be physical and players such as Clayton and Will Richard and Thomas Haugh are getting to the line, that's bad news for the Cougars.

Meanwhile, L.J. Cryer single-handedly kept Houston within striking distance Saturday, hitting multiple 3s against the Blue Devils -- but didn't get much help from his teammates until late in the second half. It's hard to see that working again.

Houston will win if ... It wins the war on the backboards and limits Clayton. Fortunately for the Cougars, both are in the wheelhouse of a Kelvin Sampson-coached team. The Cougars are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country -- it's a big spot for Roberts and Joseph Tugler -- ranking 10th in offensive rebounding percentage and the top 20 in second-chance points per game. (Though Florida is huge and even better at offensive rebounding, statistically.)

At the other end, Houston's guards will have to stick to their principles against Clayton. Auburn had some early success blitzing him on ball screens and forcing the ball out of his hands, but as the game wore on, he consistently got to his left hand and into a rhythm. Houston will likely have the same ideas, going over ball screens, hard-hedging, blitzing to get the ball out of Clayton's hands and making sure he doesn't get a clean look. -- Jeff Borzello

Florida vs. Houston predictions

Jeff Borzello: Houston wins, 67-65
Myron Medcalf: Houston, 70-67

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the franchise, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The Blazers have 35 victories this season -- a 14-win improvement over last season, so far. They are 22-16 since Jan. 19 with a top-5 ranking in defensive efficiency during that span, according to ESPN Research.

The Blazers have been building around a mix of veterans such as Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton along with young talent in Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.

Portland nailed the trade for Avdija, who has averaged 24.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists since the beginning of March.

Cronin was promoted to general manager in May 2022, getting a four-year deal at the time to replace Neil Olshey. Cronin, who was promoted to assistant GM in 2021, has spent more than 19 years with the Blazers organization, beginning as an intern and moving up through four leadership regimes.

MILWAUKEE -- Right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester is going from Boston to the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade that sends the Red Sox outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a competitive balance selection in the upcoming draft and a player to be named.

The addition of Priester gives some immediate help to a Brewers pitching staff decimated by injuries. Left-hander Nestor Cortes went on the injured list Sunday with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, leaving Freddy Peralta as the only healthy pitcher among those projected to be in Milwaukee's five-man rotation this season.

Boston adds a promising 19-year-old to its farm system and gets the 33rd overall pick in this year's amateur draft.

Priester, 24, went 3-6 with a 4.71 ERA while making seven starts in 11 combined appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Red Sox last season. He had 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 49 innings.

He also went 4-2 with a 4.38 ERA in 16 starts at the Triple-A level. He struck out six, walked nobody and allowed two runs and six hits over four innings in his lone start with Triple-A Worcester this season.

The Pirates selected Priester with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft. They traded him to the Red Sox last July for infielder Nick Yorke.

Rodriguez signed with the Brewers out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. He batted .250 with a .343 on-base percentage, seven homers and 60 RBIs in 110 games with Single-A Carolina last season. In three games with Single-A Wisconsin this year, Rodriguez batted .417 with a .462 on-base percentage.

Priester will report directly to the Brewers rather than going to the minors. The Brewers' list of pitchers on the injured list includes Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Nick Mears, Tobias Myers and Brandon Woodruff, as well as Cortes. Jose Quintana is working his way into pitching shape after signing a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Brewers during spring training.

The Brewers made room for Priester on the 40-man roster by designating left-hander Grant Wolfram for assignment.