Tampa, Fla. - Any extended road trip serves a dual purpose.

UConn can earn some meaningful victories and enjoy some quality bonding time.

So far, the trip is a success on both levels.

Saturday's confidence-building win at Florida improved UConn's resume. And, with a few days to prepare for tonight's game against South Florida (7 p.m., ESPN2) at the Sun Dome, there's been plenty of time for the Huskies to relax and hang out.

"We're just having a good time," Rodney Purvis said after Monday's practice at the University of Tampa. "When you start winning, things become a whole lot more fun than when you're losing and guys are moping around. The main thing is just enjoying ourselves and creating a better bond.

"It's still somewhat early (in the season). Guys are still figuring out certain things and coming into their roles. (Saturday) was a great win for us. I feel we can build off it and get this one on Tuesday."

Of course, their mood will change for the worst if UConn stumbles tonight in their American Athletic Conference road opener.

The Huskies (7-5, 0-1) don't want to repeat last year's start.

"We don't want to go 0-2 in the conference," coach Kevin Ollie said. "We did that last year and it was a hell of a climb that we had to take."

Momentum appears to be on their side. They believed they turned a corner in their comeback win over the Gators.

They executed down the stretch on both ends of the court in a close game for first time this season.

"I think it just opened the team's eyes to see how good we can be when we play together and we're as focused as we were going into the game," senior Ryan Boatright said. "They just saw if we dig down deep the game is never over until the buzzer goes off."

Another uplifting development is that Boatright feels better than he did Saturday when he was limited by a bruised left thigh. After taking Sunday off, he returned to practice on Monday.

Boatright showed off his colorful bruise to reporters. He joked that he's been hooked up to an ice machine the last couple of days.

"I'm moving around a lot better, way better than I was going into the Florida game," Boatright said. "I'm in different phase of the injury."

This is no time for letdown. It's a big deal when the defending national champions come to town.

South Florida is expecting its largest crowd of the season. The rebuilding Bulls (7-8, 1-1) could use the support, returning only three players from last year's roster. Veteran point guard Anthony Collins is back after missing all but eight games last season with a knee injury.

First-year coach Orlando Antigua's name should sound familiar. During his Pittsburgh days, he played against the Huskies. He also was an assistant last season at Kentucky, which lost to UConn in the national championship game.

The Bulls are coming off a 58-50 win over East Carolina on Saturday. Prior to that victory, they had lost seven of eight.

They're looking forward to trying to pull off the upset.

"It's very motivating," Collins said Monday. "UConn is UConn … you already know their history. Any competitor just wants to go out and compete against the best, and they're the defending champs. They're still a talented team."

After tonight's game, the Huskies head back to Connecticut to prepare for Saturday's home game against Cincinnati. Then they leave for another extended trip, visiting Tulsa on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and Stanford on Saturday, Jan. 17.

That means more time to bond as a team, if they're not sick of each other already.

"Cooped up in a hotel for three or four days, you've got to bond together," Boatright said. "We've been playing Xbox and playing cards, cracking jokes all day. I know some of the guys are tired (of it). We pick on the same people all the time."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe