WASHINGTON — 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 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 this summer’s Paris Olympics had UConn…
