UCONN MEN at SMU

When: Thursday, 9 p.m.

Where: Moody Coliseum, Dallas

Records: UConn 13-12 (4-8 AAC), SMU 12-12 (4-8 AAC)

TV: ESPN2

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

⏩ NIT-PICKING: UConn still has an outside shot at an NIT bid this season, but it needs to start winning on the road. Road wins over SMU and/or Wichita State on Feb. 28 (both would be considered Quadrant-2 wins) and, say, an upset of Cincinnati on Sunday in Hartford, and the Huskies could boost their NET ranking enough for NIT consideration. Of course, they’d probably need to take care of business at home against USF and Temple, and on the road at ECU, as well.

UConn’s current NET ranking is 86, eight spots behind South Florida, which at least one NIT “bracketologist” currently projects as a No. 7 seed (teams are only seeded 1-8 in the 32-team tournament, and the No. 8 seeds will likely be filled up by teams from low-major conferences that earned automatic bids by winning their regular season title but losing in their conference tournaments).

The NET has essentially replaced the RPI this season. Last year, Marquette and Utah each earned No. 2 seeds in the NIT with RPI rankings of 58 and 59, respectively. Heck, Arizona State made the First Four of the NCAA tourney ranked No. 66 in the RPI.

UConn is not getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Even beating Cincinnati on Sunday would only be a Quadrant-2 game if the Bearcats, currently No. 27 in the NET, drop four spots between now and then. The NIT is still in the picture, but a lot of work needs to be done, and time is ticking.

⏩ SURGING SID: In the two games since being inserted into the starting lineup on Feb. 10 at Memphis, Sidney Wilson has averaged 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks. The redshirt freshman, who transferred last year from St. John’s, supplies length and athleticism not otherwise abundant on this Husky team. If there’s a silver lining to injuries to Jalen Adams and Alterique Gilbert, it’s that younger players like Wilson (and Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton, who have started all season, as well as freshman Brendan Adams) are getting more playing time.

PROBABLE STARTERS