Whether UConn and Duke are true rivals depends on your point of view.

Senior Ryan Boatright isn't even sure.

"Everybody else does, so I have no choice but to look at them like a rival," Boatright said.

But there's no arguing the importance of tonight's showdown (8 p.m., ESPN) for the Huskies at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

UConn (4-3) has limited remaining opportunities to earn a signature non-conference win. No. 2 Duke (9-0) would certainly fit in that category.

Coach Kevin Ollie reminded his Huskies what's at stake during practice this week.

"It's about now for us," Ollie said. "We want to get wins. Coppin State was a great win (Sunday). Hopefully, we can keep that momentum against Duke.

"You need signature wins, too, for the NCAA to build your resume. This is a great chance for us, a great opportunity. I just want our guys to seize it. That's what we've been talking about the last couple of days in practice."

UConn and Duke return to a building, formerly known as the Meadowlands, that hosted one of the epic games in the rivalry's history. Christian Laettner ended UConn's Dream Season by burying a buzzer-beating shot to lift Duke to a 79-78 overtime win in the 1990 Elite Eight.

"A lot of memorable things are etched out in NCAA basketball history that came between these two teams when they got on the court," Ollie said. "Hopefully, we can have some highlights and hopefully we're coming out on top at the end."

Tonight's game pits the defending national champion versus a national championship hopeful.

It may take a perfect game for UConn to score an upset.

The Huskies want to rebound and run, and prevent the Blue Devils from doing the same. Limiting mistakes is another point of emphasis, because Duke feeds off turnovers.

Somehow, they'll have to find a way to cool off a Duke team that ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage (53.7), has outscored opponents by 26.9 points per game and only trailed for four minutes, 54 seconds the entire season.

There's also the daunting task of defending freshman phenom Jahlil Okafor, an agile, athletic 6-foot-11, 270-pound center. Okafor tormented Elon on Monday, finishing with 25 points and a Duke freshman record 20 rebounds.

It will be the biggest challenge of sophomore Amida Brimah's young career. He's coming off a career-best performance in Sunday's win over Coppin State, finishing with 40 points and 12 rebounds.

"Jahlil is a big guy but he can run the floor very, very well," Ollie said. "I think they're going to pound it inside and they're going to run when opportunities present themselves."

The Huskies are just starting to get healthy after battling injuries in recent weeks. They'll learn tonight if they're far enough along in their development as a team to knock off a college basketball powerhouse.

Boatright has seen some positive signs in recent weeks.

"We've got enough talent and we've got enough heart on our team to go out there and get a win," Boatright said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we can win that game. It's going to take a full 40 (minutes). It's going to take a smart game. It's going take a lot of heart.

"It's going to take a lot to beat Duke. ... I think we can go out there and get it done."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe