In a wide-ranging podcast with Hearst Connecticut Media on Monday, UConn Athletic Director David Benedict said he thought that because of the ramifications of the pandemic, the construction costs of the school’s new hockey facility will be lower. Yet it is with the future use of the XL Center in Hartford and Gampel Pavilion in Storrs that the pandemic affords the lords of the state and the lords of the state flagship university time to figure out — let me put this politely — what the hell they finally are going to do. There is an opportunity to get Big East basketball — clearly Connecticut’s most significant athletic venture — in the best possible situation heading into the decade. It is an opportunity that should not, cannot be lost. Without any events, the XL Center will be shut down most likely through fall 2021. This will allow the Capital Region Development Authority to push ahead with plans to renovate the building starting in January.
https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/jeffjacobs/ctpost/article/Jeff-Jacobs-What-s-UConn-s-future-at-15767047.php?cmpid=gsa-ctpost-result&_ga=2.51161962.250279563.1606908681-2079383654.1604661679