Here's what I found from the NCAA manual:
14.2.4.3.4.1
Team Sports.
In team sports, the first half of the season is measured by the number of scheduled contests or dates of competition not exceeding the maximum limitations in each sport as set forth in Bylaw 17 as set prior to the first scheduled contest or date of competition of the designated official NCAA championship playing season in the applicable sport or the number of completed contests or dates of competition. In determining if an injury or illness occurs prior to the first competition of the second half of the season that concludes with the NCAA championship in a sport with an odd number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition, the injury or illness must have occurred prior to the beginning of the scheduled or completed varsity contest or date of competition that starts the second half of the season that concludes with the NCAA championship (e.g., an injury or illness occurring at any time after the beginning of the scheduled sixth game of an 11-game schedule would be considered to be after the first half of the institution’s season and would not qualify the student-athlete for a hardship waiver).(Revised: 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 8/4/05, 4/24/08)
Thus, it's not clear to me from the above paragraph. Possibly what Stamford is referring to is the first game of the conference season tournament which, in a conference in which every teams plays in the tournament, could be construed as a scheduled date of competition. Otherwise, unless I'm missing something, I'm not sure why UConn could count it's schedule as 32 games.
