Payback Time Against Seton Hall

The Story: After a week off between games, the No. 20 UConn men return to action tomorrow with a chance to exact some payback against Seton Hall at Gampel Pavilion (noon, Fox).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: If a weeklong break after a loss isn’t incentive enough, then seeing Dan Hurley’s alma mater again should motivate the Huskies (19-7, 8-7 Big East), whose last encounter with the Pirates (16-11, 9-7) was UConn’s most nightmarish loss of the season.

• Recalling that dreadful affair exactly one month ago in New Jersey, the Huskies led by as many as 17 points in the first half and by 14 at halftime. But as they got complacent, Seton Hall gained confidence and chipped away at UConn’s lead until the Pirates won the game, 67-66, on KC Ndefo’s putback with two seconds left.

• At the time it was UConn’s third consecutive loss and its fifth in six games. Given how tough it is to win road games, the Huskies left Newark knowing they had squandered a very winnable game.

SINCE THEN … : To UConn’s credit, the team didn’t suffer much of a hangover from that loss. The Huskies recovered to win four of its next five until last Saturday’s loss at Creighton, another road game that was well within their grasp.

• Meanwhile, Seton Hall has since won four of seven, including Tuesday’s 76-68 victory over last-place Georgetown, and sits a half-game ahead of UConn for fifth place in the Big East standings.

THEIR BEST GAME: We are still trying to figure out who the Huskies really are — the version that started 14-0, or the one that has gone 8-7 in the Big East. Perhaps they are neither.

• But if there is one game that is indicative of how good UConn can be, roll the tape on the Marquette game just 10 days ago.

• The Huskies showed what happens when they play at their motivated best for 40 minutes. They trounced the Big East leader with a tour de force performance and displayed a relentlessness that they’ve long missed this season. They’ll need that same approach for a deep run in March.

WHAT’S LEFT? UConn has three games remaining in February and five games overall on the regular-season schedule.

And like Saturday’s game against Seton Hall, the next two games — Wednesday vs. Providence and next Saturday at St. John’s — come against two more opponents that defeated the Huskies in their first matchup.

• With the Big East tournament and the NCAAs coming soon, UConn needs to view these games as opportunities for retribution and treat them the same way they treated Marquette.

AWARDS SEASON: The conversation about postseason awards has already begun, and a few UConn players should be in the mix for Big East honors.

• While Adama Sanogo was named the Big East preseason player of the year, he will unlikely earn the regular-season prize because of UConn’s place in the standings and some worthy players on the teams ahead of the Huskies.

• The UConn player with the best chance to win an award might be Alex Karaban as conference freshman of the year, especially since he has won freshman player of the week honors five times, more than any other player.

• Another possibility is Andre Jackson Jr. for defensive player of the year, but Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner won the honor last year and looks like the frontrunner once again.

— David Kull

'Tough' Ducharme Ready for Villanova

The Story: Fresh off its nail-biting 62-60 home win over Creighton on Wednesday, the No. 6 UConn women will be back in action tomorrow when they head to Philadelphia for a showdown with No. 14 Villanova (2:30 p.m., Fox).

NO LOVE LOST: The Huskies (23-4, 15-1 Big East) had to mount a fourth-quarter comeback when the teams met at the XL Center on Jan. 29 — a game UConn won 63-58 behind 19 points from Aubrey Griffin.

• Villanova led that game by six with seven minutes left. UConn seized the lead, went up five after Aailyah Edwards made a pair of free throws with 51 seconds left, but Lucy Olsen answered with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats hope.

• The Wildcats (23-4, 14-2 Big East) haven't lost since they last faced the Huskies, meaning they enter tomorrow on a five-game winning streak. Both teams have four regular-season games remaining, but if UConn wins, it will essentially seal the Big East regular-season title.

WELCOME BACK, CAROLINE: The Huskies wouldn't have beaten Creighton on Wednesday if not for Caroline Ducharme. She returned after missing 13 games because of a concussion and scored 10 points, including a pair of free throws with 4.8 seconds left, to give UConn the win.

• Ducharme went just 1-for-5 from 3-point range, but her reliable perimeter shooting gives the Huskies another option — and opponents something else to defend. Her presence should take some of the scoring burden off Lou Lopez Senechal and open up the paint for Edwards and Dorka Juhasz.

• Although Ducharme did not play in UConn's game against Villanova earlier this season, she did play in the Big East tournament final last year and had nine points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.

• Oh, and hey, the Huskies are now back up to nine healthy players! Except Geno Auriemma only used six in the previous game against Villanova, so … maybe there's depth?

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG? Although Nika Muhl and Ayanna Patterson each missed time with concussions earlier this season, their recoveries paled in comparison to Ducharme's, as she missed more than six weeks. Simply put, each concussion is different — as is each person's response to one.

• Ducharme said that during the recovery, she would feel great during workouts but feel bad the next day. There were times when she had to leave the bench during games and find a quiet place in the arena because the noise and bright lights hurt, and she was occasionally seen wearing earplugs, too.

WHAT DID DUCHARME SAY? "Just being out on the floor was a big step for me and just being able to handle everything that goes with being in the game — the lights, the noise all of that and still being able to play basketball. So, then I think once I was able to settle in and adjust to that, I think going through the game, I think we all knew that we all needed to step up and hit shots."

WHAT DID GENO SAY? "She's one tough mother, man. That's why I love the kid and that's why you know, when she's in the game, we're a different team, because she just somehow, some way, gets shots."

— Zac Boyer

Morning Reads

• The baseball team will get its season underway in Florida this weekend with a four-game series against Ohio State. After tonight's opener at the Braves' spring training stadium in Venice, the teams will play Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the Orioles' stadium in Sarasota and wrap up Monday morning in Port Charlotte. (UConnHuskies.com)

• After a 2-1 loss to Holy Cross last weekend, the women's hockey team will look for revenge in the final weekend of the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Crusaders. The teams will play at the Toscano Forum tonight before heading to Worcester tomorrow. (UConnHuskies.com)

• The softball team will play Florida, Bowling Green and Central Michigan as part of the three-day, five-game T-Mobile Tournament in Gainesville. (UConnHuskies.com)

• The women's lacrosse team will try to take the momentum of a season-opening overtime win against Fairfield on Wednesday into the weekend as it will face James Madison tomorrow afternoon at the U.S. Lacrosse training facility outside Baltimore. (UConnHuskies.com)

Top photo: Alex Karaban attacks the basket during the Huskies’ home game against Marquette. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)