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Anthony Gharib, ESPN
As March Madness begins, the top four seeds in the men’s tournament are the Purdue Boilermakers, Houston Cougars, North Carolina Tar Heels and UConn Huskies.
UConn is coming off a 28-3 regular season and won the Big East tournament on March 16 for the first time since 2011. Last year, the Huskies entered March Madness with a 25-8 record, earning the No. 4 seed. The next two weeks, they went undefeated and won their first national championship since 2014. UConn is one of the favorites to win it all again this year. Only six programs have won consecutive men’s national championships since 1939. The Huskies’ quest begins Friday against the Stetson Hatters (2:45 p.m. EST).
Here’s a look back at what was going on in the world the last time a school went back-to-back — the Florida Gators on April 2, 2007.
Steve Jobs officially announced iPhone
One of the most influential moments in the history of technology occurred in early 2007 with Apple’s announcement of the first iPhone.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs shared the news on Jan. 9, 2007, explaining the company would be introducing “three revolutionary products” — a widescreen iPod, revolutionary mobile phone and breakthrough internet communicator. The twist that Jobs revealed was these three products would be all in one device, not separate, called the iPhone.
The device was released in June 2007 and sold 1 million units in just 74 days, compared to two years it took the iPod to achieve the same feat. Since 2007, Apple’s iPhone has sold 1.5 billion units worldwide.
‘Blades of Glory’ becomes No. 1 in the country
Will Ferrell’s sports comedy — centered on two rivals in figure skating — grossed $33 million during its opening weekend, becoming No. 1 in the box office. Overall, “Blades of Glory” had $118 million in box office sales in 2007, the 24th highest that year.
However, it enjoyed a two-week span at No. 1 after its release, which coincided with Florida’s back-to-back national championships.
Akon, R&B lead Billboard Hot 100
It was an R&B and pop-heavy Billboard top 10 in the first week of April, most notably two songs featuring the singer Akon.
His single “Don’t Matter” slotted in at No. 1, while his feature on Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” sat at No. 6. “Don’t Matter” became Akon’s second No. 1 song and lasted 23 weeks on the charts.
Fergie’s “Glamorous” and the Beyonce and Shakira collaboration “Beautiful Liar” rounded out the top three. Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around… Comes Around” and Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” were the main pop representatives in the top 10.
Prince shines in the rain during Super Bowl XLI
There may not be a more iconic halftime performance than Prince’s in 2007.
Rain during the Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears on Feb. 4 in Miami posed threats to the show. There were electric guitars, and Prince and his dancers wore high-heeled shoes on a slippery surface.
But the musician famously asked the NFL’s head of programming: “Can you make it rain harder?” Rain indeed fell during Prince’s rendition of “Purple Rain,” an epic moment during a legendary set.
LeBron James months away from first NBA Finals
Longevity is the name of the game for James, who is in the midst of his 21st season.
A day after Florida won the national championship, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward had 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves — his 29th game that season with at least 30 points.
At this point in 2007, James had yet to reach the NBA Finals or win an MVP. James and the Cavs reached the Finals that season and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep. It was the first of his 10 appearances in the Finals, including eight straight from 2011 to 2018.