Hot Sauce Huskies: A revitalized UConn fanbase is loving life in the Big East
A viral trend has captured the excitement of the Husky faithful as UConn makes its triumphant return to the Big East.
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July 1, 2020, won’t go down as the best moment in UConn basketball history. Not by a longshot.
But for a storied program that had fallen off the mountaintop after a 25-year run that was as good as any in college basketball, a triumphant return to the Big East was exactly what the Huskies needed. Perhaps more importantly, it injected life into a fanbase that was yearning for the days of old after idling on the treadmill of mediocrity for the latter half of the decade.
“You have to understand it means so much more than UConn going back home and playing a better schedule. It felt like the weight of 7 years of uncertainty just went away. For 7 years, we really didn’t know if UConn had a viable future in men’s basketball,” Russell Steinberg — a contributor at A Dime Back, lifelong UConn fan, and friend of Basketball Joe — said of the Huskies’ move back to their rightful home.
For outside observers, the benefits of the move are pretty black and white. The Big East offers a huge step up in competition, and with an athletic department that’s hemorrhaging cash, it’ll provide a much-needed boost to its coffers via TV revenue and NCAA Tournament Credits.
All of those things are relatively quantifiable. One thing that you can’t get a number on or assign a dollar value to is the cultural impact of reinvigorating a fanbase. Prominent UConn Twitter User Mister Hot Balls (we’re protecting his privacy folks) knows how much this means to long-time fans like himself.
“Big East basketball isn’t just a place or a league to play in. It’s a part of the state’s DNA culturally. For a lot of Connecticut sports fans, many of the greatest experiences of their sports-loving lives were in the Big East. It’s a little different now, but not really that different,” Mister Hot Balls said.
“Getting back to that is the most important thing the University could have done for Athletics. Yes, revenue and money are important — super important, at that. But your cultural identity, your DNA — who you and your fans are — that’s most important. Chasing money can’t come at the expense of that because that’s where all your value is tied up. So I’m glad we woke up and did the right thing.”
On the court, the program had already begun to make strides under head coach Dan Hurley. After a 16-17 showing during his first season in Storrs, the Huskies improved to a 19-12 mark and a 5th place finish in the AAC last year before the season’s abrupt end.
Coming into this season, the Huskies were picked 4th in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll. So far, UConn has lived up to those expectations and then some. Through Sunday, the Huskies are 7-1 on the season and sitting in second place in the Big East with a 4-1 record, trailing only Villanova. UConn also cracked the top 25 of the AP Poll last week for the first time since the 2016-17 preseason poll. The Huskies have positioned themselves well to make the NCAA Tournament, which has been the bare minimum in Storrs in years past and something that both the program and the fanbase expects to be the norm moving forward.
“My expectations have increased over the last couple of weeks. After seeing how good they can be, even with James Bouknight injured, I’m confident that UConn is an NCAA Tournament team,” Steinberg said. “I think that was the bare minimum going into the season. Now, a lofty but attainable goal would be a top-three finish in the conference and to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Unlike the non-Villanova schools in this conference, UConn actually measures its success in March. “
There are all of the makings of a successful season for the Huskies. Top 25 caliber team? Check. Contending in an elite basketball conference? Check. Reinvigorated fanbase? Check. Social media movement that has spread from random Twitter users all the way to Dan Hurley? Enter the #HotSauceHuskies.
The Hot Sauce Huskies movement originated just like every other great viral trend: watching your favorite team get its teeth kicked in on a Tuesday night in January.
With Marquette holding an 18-point lead over the Huskies, UConn fan and Twitter Personality Penfield made a proposal:
UConn would go on to rally from the 18-point deficit as they eked out a 65-54 road win over Marquette. As a man of his word, Penfield fulfilled his promise to the timeline, and the movement spread its wings and began to fly.
“I believe in the basketball gods. I believe that sometimes the basketball Gods require a sacrifice. When UConn was down by 18 to Marquette early in the second half I offered my tongue as that sacrifice. I tweeted that if UConn won the I would eat a spoonful of Hot Sauce, and that is when the game turned around.”
From there, UConn Twitter has singlehandedly kept the hot sauce industry afloat. Since that comeback against Marquette, Huskies fans all over have been implored to take the hot sauce. Even Dan Hurley has joined the movement:
The #HotSauceHuskies trend hasn’t just been a fun, ongoing bit among a college sports fanbase; it’s harnessed the power of positivity and enthusiasm around the program to help out a good cause.
The Husky Ticket Project is a non-profit organization that uses its proceeds to purchase tickets to UConn sporting events and distributed those tickets to various Connecticut youth organizations.
Take a look at their Twitter feed and you’ll find video after video of UConn faithful taking a spoonful, shot, or even a long pull straight from the bottle of their hot sauce of choice. Just how big has the #HotSauceHuskies movement gotten? As of Saturday, UConn nation had raised over $50,000 for the cause.
Quite frankly, that fucking rocks.
It again speaks to the impact that UConn basketball has on its community. Like Mister Hot Balls said above, it’s in the state’s DNA. It’s more than just wins in losses. It’s a kinship. It’s culture. It’s the camaraderie.
The #HotSauceHuskies are showing no signs of slowing down, and if the team continues to stack up wins on the court, the power of the hot sauce will only grow more powerful.
“I believe that when something works you got to keep doing it. I love when a season or a deep run has a meme associated with it,” Penfield said, “this year it is even more important to keep the fans engaged since we can’t attend games.”
Even without the presence of fans in the arena, UConn and its Twitter faithful have emphatically told the rest of the Big East that they are indeed back.
If you’d like to donate to the Husky Ticket Project, you can do so here.
Espresso Shots
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In case you missed it…
Last week’s Basketball Joe touched on a Winthrop team that’s playing at one of the fastest paces in the country en route to a perfect 13-0 record. The Basketball Joe effect is real as the Eagles won both of their games last week and earned a Homefield collection in the process.
Should they make the NCAA Tournament, Winthrop will be a trendy upset pick for good reason. And should they advance, the buzz around Pat Kelsey being one of the rising stars in coaching will only grow louder. His name will surely pop up once the coaching carousel gets going, and he might be presented with an offer that’s simply too good to pass up this time around.
Until then, Winthrop will continue to push its opponents to the brink as it chases a rare feat in an unprecedented season.
See you next Monday. Enjoy the hoops.
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