The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team will play its final exhibition game of the preseason on Sunday when Army visits the M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.

Huh?

That is now the official name of Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, the home of UConn men’s and women’s basketball for three-plus decades. On Wednesday, the university and M&T Bank announced “an expansion of their strategic partnership,” which includes naming rights to the arena.

The UConn Board of Trustees approved the pact at its Wednesday meeting.

A memo from Dr. Radenka Maric, the university president, outlined the 20-year agreement, but it did not specify the financial terms. The Hartford Courant, citing an unidentified source, reported M&T will pay $32.5 million over the 20-year span.

The funds, Maric said, will go to the UConn Foundation "in support of the University and planned improvements to the Pavilion and the overall athletics complex" as well as to "operational resources."

M&T Bank has more than 100 branches across Connecticut.

Gampel Pavilion was named after Harry A. Gampel, a 1943 UConn grad and a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist who made a seven-figure donation to build the arena. It opened in January 1990, with the UConn men defeating St. John’s in the first game played there.

It took five years for fans to see a championship banner rise at Gampel, with the 1994-95 UConn women’s team winning the first of 18 championships between the two teams – a dozen for the women and six for the men.

Graduation ceremonies, concerts and other community events also are held at Gampel.

In the spring, construction began on the first phase of a $100 million-plus renovation of Gampel, which cost $28 million to construct initially. It includes a roof replacement, upgrades to locker rooms and coaches’ offices, lounges for both coaches and recruits, creation of a sports medicine space and a meeting space for postgame news conferences.

In one word: money.

In today’s competitive name, image and likeness world, the more money an athletic department brings in, the better.

In her memo, Maric said, the money from the M&T Bank partnership also will "strengthen athletics programming and operational resources dedicated to sustaining UConn’s championship tradition."

NIL money.

UConn head men's basketball coach Dan Hurley said so, indirectly, in the school news release.

"It's never been more critical for our success to have incredible partnerships like M&T Bank," said . "Their support and investment into our programs will help fuel the championship-level efforts that Gampel Pavilion has been known for over the last 36 years." 

Gampel Pavilion naming rights are just part of the partnership between UConn and the bank, which extends beyond athletics. The agreement between the two sides also funds expanded educational opportunities for students and includes investments to increase the university’s reach across Connecticut and New England.

"This partnership with UConn represents more than a sponsorship and a name on a building. It's a shared commitment to the future of education, economic mobility, and civic leadership across our region,” said Michael Weinstock, Hartford regional president for M&T Bank.

He continued: “We're proud to stand alongside Connecticut's flagship university, and one of its most respected institutions, to invest in programs and in an arena that create lasting impact for students, families, and communities.”

If the M&T Bank name sounds familiar on a sporting venue, it is. The Baltimore Ravens play at M&T Bank Stadium.

There was fascinating reporting released Wednesday by CBS Spoirts regarding how much schools throughout the power basketball conferences are paying for their 2026-27 rosters. UConn Roundtable’s Brady Farkas shared the news about which schools wound up at which spending level.

One Big East school was in the top tier – more than $20 million annually – with another in the second tier, just below that monetary marker. Can you guess who those are? Read Brady’s report here.