Yes, it does. If UConn (or any other school, for that matter) would publish "paid" attendance alongside "turnstile" attendance, I wouldn't complain. But incorporating those who did not pay for tickets inflates the truth.
BTW, I sell for a living. Giving away free samples does not qualify as a "sale". It has marketing value, introducing prospective customers to the product, just as giving away free football tickets does. In both cases, they are designed to generate demand for future revenue producing sales. I'm OK with that, as long as we don't hide the freebies in total current attendance/sales.