UConn is back in the Final Four for the third time in four years. The university once again decided to remove all of the light poles from campus to avoid a potential riot if the college basketball team goes on to win yet another national championship.
Despite what the haters might think, this is not a jinx for the Huskies.
The 2023-24 college basketball team already broke any future curse. A win is a win is a win.
Light poles and college basketball have a history.
The men’s team at UConn won its fifth national championship at 31-8 during the 2022-23 season. It was complete and total chaos on campus in Storrs as soon as the clock hit zero.
Students initially took to the streets in jubilation. What started as a festive celebration very quickly turned into something of a riot. A car was flipped. Couches burned.
Perhaps most notably, students tore down a light post to be used as a battering ram. They repeatedly slammed the light post into a door until the glass eventually shattered.
chaos in storrs #UCONN pic.twitter.com/FQcwoVW6M0
— Just Noogs (@justnoogs) April 4, 2023
At least 16 people were treated for injuries. Police arrested close to two dozen rioters. UConn initially estimated more than $120,000 worth of damage in total. That number was likely much bigger in reality.
A similar scene occurred in 2024. Reports of vandalism on campus included light posts being torn down, street signs ripped up and a broken window. One student straight-up head-butted a glass window on campus. It was nothing compared to the year prior but it was still pretty wild.
UConn is back in the Final Four!
The Huskies got ahead of the problem in 2024 after what happened in 2023. UConn bolted down some of its lamp posts on campus so they could not be uprooted in victory. Others were removed all together.
That was two years ago. Dan Hurley led his team back to the Final Four in 2026 after a disappointing loss during the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Now just two wins away from a third national title in four years, the university is getting ahead of any potential celebrations that could turn into a riot. The grounds crew is in the act of removing light poles.
Some college basketball fans will consider this to be a jinx. UConn is preparing for a national title before it plays in the Final Four.
I hear that logic and, normally, I would agree.
However, the Huskies already won a national championship after the light poles were removed from campus in 2024 so any potential jinx has been canceled. UConn might still lose but won’t be because of the light pole removal.