MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

BUTLER AT NO. 15 UCONN

When: Sunday, noon

Where: XL Center

Records: Butler 11-9 (3-6 Big East), UConn 15-6 (4-5 Big East)

TV: FOX

Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Wilimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973

KEEP AN EYE ON

Dialing from distance: If there's one thing the UConn men's basketball team had done well while losing five of its last six games, it's been guarding the 3-pointer.

The Huskies have only let their last six opponents shoot a combined 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. Only Providence (8-for-18, 44 percent) posted good numbers from distance. Creighton (2-for-16), St. John's (2for-13) and Seton Hall (4-for-21) were all woeful from 3, even though the latter two managed to beat UConn.

The Huskies will have their hands full from beyond the arc on Sunday, when Butler comes to Hartford for its second meeting of the season with UConn. The Huskies throttled the Bulldogs by 22 points in each team's Big East opener on Dec. 17 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, keyed by Adama Sanogo's double-double. Butler shot just 21 percent (3-for-14) from 3 in that one, but has been much better since.

The Bulldogs have shot 40 percent or better four times in their last six games, a span in which they're shooting exactly 40 percent (47-for-117) from distance. They've won three of those games, and sit only a game behind UConn in the Big East standings.

Leading the way has been Simas Lukosius, who is averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting a whopping 67 percent (10-for-15) from distance. Lukosius ranks fourth in the conference in 3-point percentage (42.5) and second in Big East games (43.8). He poured in a career-high 28 points, with five 3-pointers, in the Bulldogs' Jan. 13 win over Villanova.

The Huskies typically don't play as well at XL Center than they do at Gampel Pavilion. Butler is a different team than the one UConn faced a month ago, with 6-11 shot-blocking center Manny Bates sidelined by injury and others stepping up. UConn, of course, is a very different team from a month ago, as well.

Something's gotta give on Sunday at noon in Hartford.