- UConn’s campus erupted into chaos after last year’s NCAA tournament victory
- The Huskies women and men will play in the Final Four on Friday and Saturday
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The University of Connecticut campus erupted into chaos after the men’s basketball team won the 2023 NCAA Tournament. To prevent further madness ahead of this year’s Final Four, the school is removing a number of aluminum light poles.
As explained by UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, the lights will be temporarily removed from the Storrs, the main path of the Connecticut campus. They will be replaced with ground lighting that can “provide the same amount of illumination without being vulnerable to removal and misuse,” Reitz shared. The Boston Sphere.
The school suffered more than $550,000 in damage after the 2023 title celebration turned ugly, with students removing a light pole and driving it through a window before flipping over a vehicle.
This year, the potential for damage is even greater due to the fact that both the UConn men and women have advanced to the Final Four of their respective tournaments, meaning the Huskies could be celebrating two titles early next week.
The top-seeded UConn men will face upstart Alabama in the semifinals on Saturday, while the Huskies women will face Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in Friday’s late game.
The University of Connecticut is removing aluminum light poles from the main path on campus
In 2023, students used a fallen lamppost as a battering ram to break into a campus building
UConn fans climbed lampposts and pulled them down on campus after the team’s 2023 victory
The light poles will eventually be reinstalled, Reitz told the Globe.
There were nearly 40 arrests on campus after the Huskies defeated San Diego State in the 2023 championship game, including 25 students and four alumni. In addition, 16 people were injured, but none seriously.
“It is important to emphasize that the vast majority of our students celebrated last year’s championship in a responsible and appropriate manner,” Reitz told the Globe.
“It is unfortunate that a small portion of the people in the crowd chose to be disruptive, but their behavior should reflect solely on them, and not on our entire student population or other Husky fans.”
Students have access to some viewing parties on campus, although no alcohol is allowed.
“…the safety and well-being of the public is the priority at every step being discussed,” Reitz told the Globe.