MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

SMU at UCONN

⏩ When: Thursday, 7 pm ⏩ Where: Gampel Pavilion ⏩ Records: SMU 10-4 (2-0 AAC), UConn 9-6 (0-2 AAC) ⏩ TV: CBS Sports Network ⏩ Radio: UConn/IMG Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICC-Brideport (600 AM), WINE-Danbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford

KEEP AN EYE ON WE CAN WORK IT OUT:

⏩ What has UConn been working on in practice since Saturday’s 65-53 loss to UCF?

“A lot on offense, a lot on ball security,” coach Dan Hurley said. “Our defense has looked worse, especially the numbers when the game’s over, because of the five or six, sometimes seven live-ball turnovers that lead to run-out dunks. That kind of skews the numbers. If you give up 7-for-7 off turnovers, that’s gonna affect the way your defense looks at the end of the game.”

POLLEY PURE-SHOT:

⏩ Tyler Polley perhaps the sweetest strokes on the team, but it hasn’t been very effective lately. The sophomore forward is 2-for-15 from the floor his last two games, including 0-for-10 on 3-pointers (and 0-for-11 dating back to the previous game).

“Tyler’s got some upside,” Hurley said. “He can be a real solution for us as we build this. He’s just got to see the ball go in a little bit, hopefully (Thursday) night. Coming from the South Florida game where he got those good looks, to playing such an elite defensive team was a little bit of a perfect storm for him. Same thing for Jalen, too. That Central Florida game, the level they played defense at, that was kind of a tough one for us, coming back with our tail between our legs from Tampa.”

FOSTER’S BACK:

⏩ Southern Methodist is 7-1 since senior swingman Jarrey Foster returned to action on Nov. 27. Foster tore his left ACL and missed the last two months of the season last year, and while he hasn’t quite returned to his doublefigure scoring form (7.6 ppg), he’s a top-notch defender who figures to get better as the season progresses.

MUSTANG POWER:

⏩ SMU is 9-3 all-time against the Huskies and 8-3 since the start of the American Athletic Conference six seasons ago. The Mustangs have won four of the last five meetings.