One would assume that when No. 4 UConn men’s basketball takes on Columbia at Gampel Pavilion, it will serve as nothing more than a tune up game before its non-conference schedule heats up. Head Coach Dan Hurley disagrees. “As far as I’m concerned, Columbia, is the Super Bowl for us on Monday night,” Hurley said. “We’ve got to raise our level of intensity going into that game. We’ve got to be, like a pack of hungry wolves in that one.” Both teams tipped off their seasons with victories over New Haven, who just made the transition to Division I this season. Hurley says that Columbia (1-0) “beat New Haven better than [UConn] beat them.” The Lions came away with a 71-53 win on the road. The victory was Columbia Head Coach Kevin Hovde’s debut, earning the first win of his career. - Article by Matt Dimech - Photo by Hannah Grimes