I’ve been a basketball fan all my life, both as a player and spectator. I’m fortunate to attend a majority of UCONN Women’s Basketball games each year, both at Gampel and the XL Center. But Monday’s game at Gampel was something special. Not only were they playing a good opponent in South Carolina, if they won it would extend their winning streak to 100! That’s almost impossible to imagine—never losing once since December 17, 2014 at Stanford.
We knew, even though we had tickets, arriving early was a must. As we drove up Hillside Road toward the arena, we spotted huge crowds waiting outside in the cold for the doors to open at each entrance. This was at 7:15 and the game didn’t start until 9! We killed some time in the book store which was packed with fans buying arm loads of Husky wear, many remarking what they really wanted was a post game t-shirt marking the 100th win.
Finally, doors open and we headed inside Gampel. Fans poured in looking for their seats, each of which was adorned with a white rally towel for use during the game. And cheering began almost immediately despite the toss up not occurring for another hour. It was an electrifying atmosphere–pep band playing, favorite cheers being shouted, fans roaring when UCONN left the floor or re-entered to continue practicing. The place was rockin’!!!
An image was projected on the jumbo screen of a woman holding a sign that said she was here at 101 years old to watch the Huskies win their 100th. The crowd went crazy and she stood up, prompting another roar from everyone. The student section was packed, every seat was full everywhere! Once the game started people were all standing, continuing the tradition of clapping until UCONN scores their first basket.
The noise was deafening the entire game. As the last quarter started fans realized this unbelievable feat of 100 straight victories was going to happen and we were lucky enough to be witnessing it. Everyone remained in their seats until the last second on the clock, a big deviation from their usual early departure to beat the crowds and get out of the parking garages quickly. This was so special and we all wanted to savor it as long as we could.