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Stadium:
Gampel Pavilion
Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, a philanthropist who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena. It is about 216,000 sq. ft. Gampel Pavilion is the primary home to the University of Connecticut's men's and women's basketball program. The home away from home is the Hartford Civic Center. This is home to the University of Connecticut Huskies men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams. It replaced the Hugh S. Greer Field House, which only held 4,604 people and still stands to the northwest of the pavilion. The facility has undergone multiple seating expansions, most recently before the 2002-2003 season. Also, the banners for the Men's and Women's basketball teams have been taken down and in their place are now large boards on the walls listing the years the teams have made the NIT, NCAA Tournament, Sweet 16, and Elite 8, along with their Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The National Championship Banners and NIT Championship Banners have been replaced with nicer versions, along with banners commemorating Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma's Hall of Fame inducitons.

Team History:
UConn Men's Basketball was once just a regional power, winning 18 Yankee Conference championships, struggled in the early days of the Big East, behind traditional powers Georgetown and Syracuse. Jim Calhoun was hired prior to the 1986-87 season, and the Huskies had a losing record. But in 1988, the team showed significant improvement, and made the NIT. UConn went on a run in the tournament, and defeated Ohio State at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT, the school's first national basketball title. The 1990 "Dream Season" would bring UConn basketball to the national stage. Led by Chris Smith and Tate George, UConn went from unranked in the preseason to winning the Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships, both for the first time. 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the program's new on-campus home. The Huskies garnered a #2 seed in the East Reigon, but trailed Clemson 70-69 with 1 second remaining in the Sweet 16. Scott Burrell's full-court pass found Tate George on the far baseline. George spun, fired, and hit a buzzer-beater that is known in Connecticut simply as "The Shot". They would be eliminated on a buzzer-beater 2 days later by Duke, losing in overtime 79-78. UConn rose as a national program throughout the 1990s, but the Final Four still eluded Calhoun and the program until 1999. A win over Gonzaga sent UConn to Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay for the Final Four. They defeated Ohio State to face off against Duke in the final, where they were 9-point underdogs, despite having been ranked #1 for half of the year. The game was tight throughout, and when the final buzzer sounded, UConn had defeated Duke 77-74.

Season Preview:
Good news: The Huskies have a talented group of young players coming back to Storrs, and they'll be coming back with a big chip on their collective shoulder. The key will be maturity, and whether Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson, Hasheem Thabeet and Doug Wiggins learned enough to take a big step forward. Bad news: This team will be older, but not much more talented. The Huskies cannot beat people with talent alone.

Official Site:
uconnhuskies.com