UConn held a championship rally Tuesday night to celebrate the men’s basketball team and welcome the players, coaches and staff home after they won another national title on Monday night.
UConn defeated Purdue, 75-60, on Monday night in Arizona to become the 2024 national champions. This is the second year in a row that UConn has won a national title and the sixth national title overall.
The team's plane landed at Bradley Airport just after 7 p.m. They boarded buses and headed for Storrs around 7:45 p.m.
The rally was at Gampel Pavilion and started just a few minutes later than expected.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Ahead of the Huskies returning to the state, signs on the highways were updated to say they have now won six national championships.
Parade and rally on Saturday
While fans will be able to celebrate the team on Tuesday night, the victory parade and rally for the 2024 national champion UConn men’s basketball team will be held on Saturday in downtown Hartford.
The parade will begin at 11 a.m. and will step off at the State Capitol building at the intersection of Trinity Street and Elm Street.
It will proceed north on Trinity Street, go through the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, turn right (east) onto Jewell Street, turn left (north) onto Trumbull Street, and end at the intersection of Asylum Street and Trumbull Street.
The rally will begin at approximately 11:30 a.m. and will be held outside of the main entrance of the XL Center on Trumbull Street, where the players, coaches, and other guests will be invited to give speeches.
After the Huskies took the title, thousands of students on the Storrs campus celebrated the win and there was some damage.
A few light posts were torn own, some outdoor seating was destroyed and some people also tore street signs out of the ground and threw them through the air.
As of Tuesday morning, UConn Police made six arrests, according to university officials. in 2023, there were 30 arrests following the championship win.
“Thousands of UConn students and others on the Storrs campus celebrated an amazing Husky victory this evening and the vast majority did so respectfully, responsibly, and safely. There were some incidents of vandalism following the victory, but they were limited in number,” UConn said in a statement. “On the whole, it was a very good night on the Storrs campus and the university looks forward to continuing to celebrate our phenomenal student-athletes, their coaches, and this incredible win.”
