With men's and women's seasons starting this week, UConn students are ready to cheer on their teams
The men's basketball championship game watch at Gampel Pavilion on April 8, 2024. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)
The college basketball season has arrived at UConn, and students have never been more excited to cheer on the Huskies.
The men's team starts their season on Wednesday, Nov. 6 against Sacred Heart following back-to-back seasons with national championship victories, and fans only have one thing on their minds: more wins.
"It would be nice to go three in a row," says CJ Ryan '25 (BUS).
Keanu Gomez '28 (CLAS) wants "dual championships." He expects the men's and women's teams to dominate the field and hopes that each takes home national titles like they did in 2004 and 2014. UConn remains the only school where both men and women have won national titles in the same year.
The UConn women's season begins on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the XL Center in Hartford, with a game against Boston University.
Gomez has only ever been to games at the XL Center. Nick Guidi '28 (ENG) has never been to a game. These first-year students are excited to finally experience a game on campus. "I watch all the games on TV, so it'll be cool to finally experience Gampel in real life," says Guidi.
Gomez and Guidi say that basketball and the teams' recent success were part of the reason they chose to come to UConn.
Gampel Pavillion has been the home court for 17 national championship teams. Eleven championships from the women's team and 6 from the men's. The championship pedigree creates an exhilarating atmosphere on campus for the students.
"It's loud, everyone's unified. We're all one team, we're all Huskies," says Ryan Anderson '26 (BUS).
All 9,882 seats in Gampel are full on gamedays, with students braving frigid temperatures while waiting for tickets during the winter. Students dominate the crowd and create one of the most intimidating atmospheres in college basketball for opposing teams.
"It feels like you're at home," says Mike Fenton '26 (CLAS).
UConn students can claim tickets for free. This encourages support for the programs and ensures a packed house every game in Storrs. It's that atmosphere that makes it possible for a small town in Connecticut to lay claim to the title Basketball Capital of the World.
"With wins come fans, and fans bring atmosphere, and that just brings a culture to the whole campus and creates a vibe," Guidi says.
On game days, the vibes on campus are always present and positive. "There is a lot more energy in the air, whether it's home or away," says Ryan.
The winning culture of UConn basketball goes back to the days of Coach Hugh Greer, who led seven teams to NCAA tournament appearances in the 1950s and 1960s. But when future coaching legends Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun arrived in the 1980s, they built two programs that made winning a way of life.
Auriemma is entering his 40th season with the women's program. In that time, en route to 11 national championships, he has only posted a losing record in one season: his first.
Jim Calhoun built the men's program into the blueblood it is today, winning national titles in 1999, 2004, and 2011. Coach Dan Hurley has carried on that winning tradition, leading the men to NCAA titles in 2023 and 2024.
"It has just been a good basketball school for years, with both the men's and women's programs," Ryan says. "And that kind of drives people."
