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On Wednesday, UConn announced it has sold the naming rights to Gampel Pavilion. Moving forward, the venue’s official name will be M&T Bank Arena at Gampel Pavilion. The UConn Board of Trustees approved the agreement at a meeting on Wednesday.
According to CT Insider, the deal is worth $32.5 million over 20 years.
Opened in 1990, Gampel Pavilion is named after Harry A. Gampel, a UConn graduate who donated $1 million to the project. The building’s name has been unchanged over the last 36 years — until now.
Along with the naming rights, M&T Bank will become the exclusive banking partner at every UConn campus and has also agreed to NIL support for the school’s athletes as well as sponsorships of “key university-wide events”.
"One of the foundations of a successful athletic program is the ability to get buy-in and investments from partners that directly benefit from UConn and UConn Athletics," Geno Auriemma said in a release. "In Connecticut, M&T Bank has really stepped up in a big way. These are the kinds of things that allow us to not just compete, but to win at the highest levels. I'm excited about it, I think it is going to be a tremendous partnership for a long time. I hope it's an example to others to want to join."
UConn takes down Texas
In its second exhibition of the preseason, UConn used a strong second half to take down Texas, 83-61. Sarah Strong out-dueled Longhorns star Madison Booker while Jovana Popovic starred once again. The Huskies’ offense impressed despite being without Blanca Quiñonez and Marine Dursus, though Texas didn’t have its defense in top form.
On Tuesday, UConn came in at No. 2 in the AP Preseason poll and picked up six first-place votes. The Huskies were behind South Carolina but ahead of USC, Duke and Michigan, who rounded out the top five.
UConn will play nine teams in the preseason top 25: No. 1 South Carolina (Nov. 24), No. 4 Duke (Nov. 28), No. 5 Michigan (Nov. 5), No. 7 Louisville (Nov. 15), No. 9 LSU (Dec. 20), No. 10 Iowa (Nov. 8), No. 13 Notre Dame (Dec. 9), No. 18 Ohio State (Nov. 12) and No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 5). That doesn’t include the Huskies’ exhibition with No. 6 Texas, either.
Chasing Perfection
On this week’s episode, we sort through what’s real and what’s not through two preseason games.
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Get to know UConn’s newest star:
Quite the prediction:
UConn honored Ashlynn Shade before Monday night’s game:
The Golden State Huskies:
Very funny:
What's been the biggest surprise through two preseason games?
Last week’s results
Question: Who was the player of the game for UConn against Syracuse?
62.4% — Jovana Popovic
17.2% — Sarah Strong
9.7% — Olivia Vukosa
5.4% — KK Arnold
4.3% — Ashlynn Shade
1.1% — Other
The week ahead
The AP Preseason All-American team will be announced on Thursday.
On Friday, UConn will provide media members with a tour of the renovated locker rooms inside Gampel Pavilion.
The Huskies will then close out the preseason against Army on Sunday in Storrs. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET.
Social media recap