UCF at No. 1 UConn

• When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

• Where: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs

• Records: UCF 11-5 (3-0 American Athletic Conference); UConn 13-0 (3-0)

• TV: SNY

• Radio: WTIC-1080; WELI-960

• Internet: ESPN3

KEEP AN EYE ON

• Plenty in reserve: Playing behind a star-studded starting lineup and dynamic sixth man Azura’ Stevens, it can be easy to overlook the play of the rest of the UConn team. However, in three conference games this season UConn is outscoring its opponents by 64 points when the lineup consists of a combination of Molly Bent, Batouly Camara, Mikayla Coombs, Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Lexi Gordon, Kyla Irwin and Megan Walker. By comparison, when none of the Huskies’ six core players were on the court during the first 10 non-conference games, UConn was plus 65.

• Familiar face: This will be the first game that UConn legend Nykesha Sales will either be coaching or playing in at Gampel Pavilion since scoring 27 points in a win over Notre Dame on Nov. 21, 1998. She tore her Achilles’ tendon with 9:48 left to play. Sales, in her second season as an assistant coach at UCF, lost one game at Gampel Pavilion in her four seasons with the Huskies and that came to Georgia on Jan. 15, 1996. Sales still holds UConn records for points in a game (46), steals in a season (143) and steals in a career (447).

• Picking your pockets: It’s probably not a coincidence that the only three American Athletic Conference teams averaging more than 10 steals per game in league play happen to be the only teams with perfect AAC records. Houston, which will host the Huskies on Saturday, leads the way with 39 steals in three games followed by UCF and UConn with 37 and 32, respectively. Six of the 16 AAC players averaging at least two steals per game play for UCF and UConn. UConn’s Gabby Williams is second in league play with an average of three steals per game. Kia Nurse (2.3) and Katie Lou Samuelson (2.0) are also among the AAC leaders. UCF’s Kornelia Wright, Masseny Kaba and Zakiya Saunders have combined for 22 steals in three conference games. Since Katie Abrahmson-Henderson took over the UCF program last season, the Knights have attempted more free throws and allowed the fewest number of field-goal attempts in league play so being physical and limiting the Huskies’ offensive possession figure to be at the top of the UCF to-do list.

• Kaba returning to the area: UCF’s Masseny Kaba leads all AAC freshman in points per game (14.0) and offensive rebounds (12) in league play. The 6-foot-3 forward grew up about 90 miles away from the UConn campus in Dorchester, Mass., so don’t be surprised if she has a large cheering section on hand.