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UConn Makes Big Crowd Announcement Before South Dakota State Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 24, 2025 4:29 PM ET

After earning the No. 2 seed in Spokane Region 4 of the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament, Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies cruised past No. 15 Arkansas State Red Wolves in the first round, 103-34.

The Huskies were able to host the opening game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn after UConn earned a top-four seed.

With the win over Arkansas State, the Huskies are moving on to the round of 32, where they will face off against the No. 10 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Monday night.

This will mark the last home game for the Huskies this season. If they were to advance to the Sweet 16, they would be playing on the opposite side of the country in Spokane, Wash.

Not only will this be the final home game for UConn, but it will also be Bueckers' last game at Gampel Pavilion with the team. Since 2020, Bueckers has been the star for the Huskies, becoming a two-time unanimous All-American and a National Player of the Year.

However, the one thing she has failed to do is win a national championship. This will be her last shot before she heads to the WNBA, where she is expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft.

With Bueckers on her last NCAA Tournament run, Gampel Pavilion has officially sold out for the second-round game against South Dakota State.

UConn announced the news on X.

"Tonight's game vs. South Dakota State is SOLD OUT."

Tonight's game vs. South Dakota State is SOLD OUT!

Watch at 8 PM on ESPN pic.twitter.com/MuZ84BAyvH
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 24, 2025

Although UConn's website has the max capacity of Gampel Pavilion at 10,167 seats, ESPN reported that the first-round game had an attendance of 10,299. The high attendance shouldn't come as much of a surprise as UConn season tickets were sold out a month before the season began.

UConn will take on South Dakota State on Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET. The winner moves on to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of No. 6 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed Oklahoma.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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