WHAT’S THE SAME

Lights on at ‘The Mecca’: Madison Square Garden was the scene of so many iconic moments for UConn in the Big East Men’s Tournament, including Allen vs. Allen, Kemba’s anklebreaking stepback over Gary McGhee, five wins in five nights.

The Huskies won seven Big East titles at MSG. Victories in 1999, 2004 and 2011 preceded national championship runs.

The Huskies have been back since, but without, of course, the theatrics and histrionics of March (excluding the 2014 East Regional). That’ll soon change.

Some men’s rivalries will be renewed: Syracuse left

to chase the revenue of big-time college football. So did Pittsburgh. And Louisville.

But not all rivals are gone. Georgetown and St. John’s remain, though both are noticeably weaker. Providence and Seton Hall are still around, too — schools that are bound to get UConn fans nostalgic.

Auriemma and Co. still the team-to-beat: The UConn women are mired in their longest championship drought (four years) in more than a decade. But make no mistake, the Huskies remain on the short list of contenders to cut down the nets in San Antonio next April.

Three starters — Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Anna Makurat — are back from a 29-3 team, and they are adding mega recruit Paige Bueckers. You might’ve heard about her.

Fan interest is booming: With COVID-19 still a concern, it’s too early to say whether fans will be allowed to attend games during the 2020-21 season, and to what extent. But there’s no question that tickets are going fast.

The school said it sold more season tickets in two days than in the first six weeks of sales last year.