No. 9 HOUSTON at UCONN

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: XL Center

Records: Houston 23-1 (10-1 AAC), UConn 13-11 (4-7 AAC)

TV: ESPN

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, Sirius-81, XM-81, Internet-81

KEEP AN EYE ON

⏩ ALTERIQUE SMILING AGAIN: Alterique Gilbert, who has missed the last four games after hurting his surgically-repaired left shoulder on Jan. 26 against Wichita State, did the most live work in practice on Wednesday since the injury.

“He’s doing better, he’s doing more, he’s kind of got that smile back. Definitely getting closer, and that was good for all of us to see today,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “It was a good lift for everybody.”

But it appears unlikely he’ll play on Thursday night. “I probably underplayed how long it would take for him to get back from it,” Hurley said. “That night (Jan. 26), I don’t think I had information, and I definitely should not have played doctor.”

⏩ SID THE SCIENCE KID: Hurley hopes Sidney Wilson keeps progressing off his career-high 16-point effort against Memphis.

“He’s gotten better across the board. He’s a raw, talented athlete, like a piece of clay that you can mold from here. He’s a better shooter than he was, he’s a better ballhandler. We need him to become a better passer. But he’s a talent, and he’s an athlete, and he’s got a good spirit and a good soul about him. He’s got to grow up, his work ethic has to continue to get better. But he can become a very good, all-around player, because he’s very talented and he picks things up quickly.”

⏩ ‘D’ NOT A PROBLEM IN HOUSTON: Houston ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage defense (36.4 percent), trailing only Texas Tech. The Cougars rank third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.97 percent), sixth in scoring defense (60.7 per game) and ninth in rebound margin (7.8).

“(They’re) physical, mature, they’re in the right spots,” said Hurley. “This is a coach that’s been there for a long time, has established his culture of who they are, and everyone understands their responsibilities. They’re talented, well-rounded, they’ve been together. They’ve built a championship-level program now. Impressive.”