A year after an academic ban prevented them from playing in the postseason, UConn won its fourth the national championship in 16 seasons. (Jamie Squire/Getty)  The Huskies claimed the spot atop the college basketball world for 2014 by bringing down Kentucky with a 60-54 win.

UConn completed its quick and triumphant turnaround from national champions in 2011 to a team that was banned from the NCAA last season, to champs again this year. The Huskies, which finished the regular season with a 33-point loss a month ago, ended the year dancing and twirling title T-shirts above their heads. Huskies guard Napier, received the Most Outstanding player award, with a game high of 22-points! 

However, these two teams were not supposed to be here this year. UConn was a No. 7 seed and Kentucky a No. 8 , and neither team participated  in the tournament last year.  Poor graduation scores earned the Huskies a postseason ban. The Wildcats, meanwhile, lost in the first round of the NIT. It was the first NCAA tournament final since 1966 featuring two teams that did not play in the previous year’s tournament. There was much to prove for both teams in reaching the title game, but corroboration for only one on Monday night. Shabazz Napier, being the excellent  leader that he is, promised his team a national championship and that’s exactly what they got. The second-year coach  made the program his own this April and became the first No. 7 seed ever to win the NCAA tournament.