At the midway point of the regular season, college basketball forecasters are already projecting the NCAA tournament field.

A good number believe UConn will earn a postseason berth. Their faith in the Huskies is likely due to the program's reputation than their resume this season.

But at 9-6, the Huskies are in jeopardy of slipping into a deep hole with 15 games remaining on the schedule. That's why today's final nonconference at Stanford (9 p.m., ESPN2) is about as close to a must-win situation as possible.

UConn's postseason hopes won't vanish with a loss, of course, but its odds will improve with a win at Maples Pavilion.

Prior to Friday, UConn was ranked 76th in the NCAA's RPI. Beating a quality opponent in Stanford (12-4, 29th in RPI) on the road would provide a significant boost.

Other American Athletic Conference teams are building postseason cases. SMU (13-4, 15th in RPI), Temple (12-6, 46th), Tulsa (11-5, 37th), Cincinnati (11-5, 38th) all own more overall wins and are ranked better in the RPI than UConn.

UConn's two-game road trip started Tuesday with a thud - a 66-58 loss at Tulsa. Coach Kevin Ollie vowed to make some changes, looking to find a way to prevent his team's sluggish starts. The Huskies trailed at halftime in all six losses and led at the break in five wins.

"We are going to have to start taking the challenge better, and it starts with our first five minutes," Ollie said after the Tulsa game. "It seems that we get behind and cannot score. We are not playing together as a group. That is my job, to find some guys who are going to come out and play with some energy and play together, and I will do that."

Ollie has limited options as far as making any changes in the rotation. The Huskies are still searching for consistency in effort, intensity and execution. The biggest issue rests on the offensive end. UConn is averaging just 58.8 points in the last five games, going 3-2 during that stretch.

Opponents are focusing on containing senior Ryan Boatright, who failed to hit double figures for only the third time this season against Tulsa. Not-so-coincidentally, they've lost all three of those games.

Stanford, on the other hand, is on the rise, winning six of its last seven games. Three starters return from a Sweet 16 team, including talented guard Chasson Randle (a team-best 19.6 points per game), an Illinois high school rival of Boatright. They shared the state's Mr. Basketball award in 2011. Randle scored a game-high 22 points in Stanford's 53-51 win in Hartford last season.

Experience is on Stanford's side, starting four upperclassmen, but UConn is a deeper team.

The schedule finally takes a favorable turn after tonight for the Huskies, who return home for two games after playing four out of five on the road.

A strong finish in January would help ease pressure in February. Too many more losses and the Huskies will be forced to rely on winning the AAC tournament, which is in Hartford, to secure an NCAA bid.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe

UConn at Stanford

Location: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.

Tip-off: 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Records: UConn 9-6, Stanford 12-4

Last game: UConn lost at Tulsa, 66-58, Tuesday; Stanford won at California, 69-59, Wednesday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-0 sr. guard Ryan Boatright (16.3 pts, 4.7 rebs, 4.5 assists), r-s so. Rodney Purvis (9.2 pts), 6-7 fr. forward Daniel Hamilton (10.7 pts, 6.1 rebs), 6-9 so. forward Kentan Facey (6.1 pts, 6.5 rebs), 7-0 so. center Amida Brimah (11.0 pts, 5.3 rebs, 2.7 blks)

Stanford, 6-2 sr. guard Chasson Randle (19.6 pts), 6-3 so. guard Marcus Allen (2.9 pts), 6-6 sr. forward Anthony Brown 15.2 pts, 7.2 rebs), 6-9 jr. forward Rosco Allen (8.9 pts, 4.5 rebs, 6-11 sr. center Stefan Nastic (13.9 pts, 6.9 rebs)

Noteworthy: Non-conference final for Huskies, 7-4 outside of league play. … Huskies won three of four, Cardinal won six of seven. … Series: UConn leads 4-1, losing last meeting, 53-51, Dec. 19, 2013 in Hartford. Huskies hit 31.7 percent and blew a 10-pt halftime lead. … UConn 21-4 all-time vs. Pac-12 schools. … Common foes: Texas (UConn lost 55-54, Stanford won 74-71 OT), Duke (UConn lost 66-56, Stanford lost 70-59). … Injury update: Stanford starter Reid Travis (out, stress fracture). … Hot: UConn reserve Terrence Samuel coming off a career-high 12-pt effort. Cold: UConn 25-for-48 (52 percent) from foul line in last three games. …Up next: UConn hosts Central Florida Thursday in Storrs.