Hartford — And so a sellout crowd of 15,564 showed up Saturday to The Big Room, braving threats of snow to watch the past. That was the draw. The past. UConn-Georgetown. The good ol' days. The way it used to be.

And the 15,564 were in full throat, too, suggesting the following to all the dullards who believe the XL Center shouldn't exist beyond whatever shelf life it has remaining: The place still has its fastball.

At least when the opponent is right.

See, when the opponent is right, they'll brave the Snowmageddon to watch their Huskies.

When it's not, they won't accept a free limo ride to come watch Tulsa.

What a day, Saturday.

A look into the psyche of the UConn fandom: loud, proud folks pining for the past, resenting the present.

"It reminded me of the old days when I was playing," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said, following his team's 68-62 victory. "No matter who we were playing, it was filled up."

Indeed. Those were the days my friends. We thought they'd never end. But they did. And now the new reality, otherwise known as The American, doesn't quite move the needle. Too bad. Because it sure was a fun Saturday inside The Big Room, home to roars like no other sporting venue in Connecticut.

"Just a great atmosphere," Ollie said. "The crowd was unbelievable, which we expected. They gave us a tremendous lift. It gave me goosebumps a couple of times in the last three minutes. It was electric. Even when we were struggling in the second half when we couldn't make a shot, they stood up and gave us a lift big time. We needed everybody in those stands."

They'll need everybody Thursday night, too, for Cincinnati. A conference game. As sexy as UConn-Georgetown? Nah. But nonetheless vital. Because it's a conference game. Conference. The American. The new reality. Maybe we could all hum a few bars of Stephen Stills: If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with.

Ollie has certainly done so. Think about it: While we all carp about the American, pine for the old days and fruitlessly snarl at all the defectors — all Ollie has done within the AAC is win a national championship and now amass a top 10 recruiting class for next year. Add to that a commitment for 2017 — highly regarded 7-foot-1 center Zach Brown from Miami — and you'd be left to conclude that recruits don't really care about UConn's conference designation.

All they see is the UConn brand, all the alums in the NBA and the chance to play for a former 13-year NBA player who knows his way around The League, hoping his wisdom paves the same road.

It's not just here. Have you noticed that since former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson took over at Alabama that the Tide have signed one of the best recruiting classes in the country? This just in: It's not because Tuscaloosa is lovely in January. It's because kids think they have a better chance to get to The League playing for a guy who used to play and coach there.

Here is a modest proposal: That UConn becomes the East coast version of Gonzaga. As one veteran observer of UConn basketball said the other day:

"Can anyone even name the rest of the teams in Gonzaga's conference? The difference is that Gonzaga dominates that league and is an NCAA automatically every year. We don't have that yet. But KO's done a great job bringing recruits in. The No. 7 recruiting class in the country coming in next year and the big guy (Wood) is a tremendous start for the following season."

So maybe we can fill the XL Thursday for the conference game, too? Make it, as Ollie said, "electric?" Don't think that UConn athletic officials aren't somewhere between concerned and flummoxed by inconsistent attendance figures.

The past came and went here Saturday. Georgetown is back to the Big East. No games scheduled with Villanova or Syracuse, BC or Pitt. What remains: Cincinnati, Central Florida, Memphis, East Carolina, Temple, Tulsa, SMU, Houston. The new reality. The players will need you just as much as they did Saturday.

If you can't be with the one you love, honey ...

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius