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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, basketball season has officially begun.
In less than an hour, the men's basketball team will kick off its season in Brooklyn against the Maryland Terrapins. The Huskies start off the season ranked No. 18, and with a postseason to play for, this has the potential to be a special season here in Storrs.
By contrast, the 2013 football season will be remembered as a colossal trainwreck, but as bad as it's been, the best remaining game on the schedule will immediately follow the basketball game on ESPN2 as UConn hosts No. 20 Louisville at Rentschler Field.
That game will probably be a blowout, but the Huskies weren't expected to beat the Cardinals on the road last year either, so stranger things have happened. If nothing else, UConn has one last chance to make something of this horrible year by earning its first win of the season in a nationally televised game.
The basketball game starts at 6:30 p.m., and the football game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., both on ESPN2. This is your open thread, and Happy Basketballmas UConn Country!