Daniel Hamilton ran into the freshman wall a couple of weeks ago.

Every first-year player eventually hits it.

With some encouragement and words of wisdom from his head coach, Hamilton survived the collision and broke through to the other side.

"I was playing bad and I was just going through a slump," Hamilton said. "Coach (Kevin Ollie) told me to continue to just play hard and just continue to play your game. He gave me the freedom to play my game. That's what really helped me get through."

"At another school … they would have taken my confidence. But coach let me play my game, which really helps out a lot."

Hamilton's versatile game will be on display again today at noon (CBS Sports Network) when UConn (10-7, 3-2) hosts struggling South Florida (7-12, 1-5) in an American Athletic Conference game at the XL Center. In the first meeting in Tampa on Jan. 6, the Huskies overcame a sluggish start to post a 58-44 victory.

UConn is attempting to take some momentum into an upcoming two-game road trip that starts in Cincinnati on Thursday and ends at Houston on Sunday. A productive Hamilton will aid the Huskies' cause.

Hamilton is coming off one of his best all-around performances, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 28 minutes in Thursday's 67-60 victory over Central Florida.

"Daniel had a great floor game," Ollie said on Thursday. "He was a stat stuffer."

Although those numbers were impressive, Hamilton loved another number better. Zero. He didn't commit a turnover for only the second time this season.

"Oh, man, I was really happy with no turnovers," Hamilton said. "I think it was because I was a little sick out there so it slowed me down."

A gifted 6-foot-7 forward, he's been mistake-prone at times, over-dribbling and trying to do too much. He leads the team in turnovers with 48.

Ollie can live with those freshman moments given everything else that Hamilton does to positively impact a game. Hamilton can score off an athletic move or bury a 3-pointer, grab a rebound in traffic and set up a teammate - especially center Amida Brimah, who's been on the receiving end of numerous lobs for dunks.

"I just like playing an all-around game, defense and everything," Hamilton said. "I just like doing everything."

Hamilton, the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year, is one of the top contenders for the award. Cincinnati's Gary Clark (7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds), Central Florida's B.J. Taylor (14.8 points) and Adonys Henriquez (11.4 points) and East Carolina's B.J Tyson (12.8 points) also are in the running.

Among AAC freshmen, Hamilton ranks fourth in scoring (10.3), second in rebounding (6.1), first in assists (3.2) and steals (1.2). His rebounding average is even higher (7.6) in conference games.

"Now we've got to get everybody else rebounding at that level," Ollie said. "It will help us secure games down the stretch."

Hamilton had only seven points and three rebounds in the first meeting with USF, just about the time he was hitting the freshman wall. He's a more mature player now. His 3-point shooting will come in handy against South Florida's 2-3 zone. He's converted seven of his last 12 from beyond the arc.

The Huskies are shooting a torrid 21-for-40 (52.5 percent) from 3-point land in the last two games, helping to open up the inside.

"I think they're going to play zone a little more than UCF played," Ollie said. "We've got to be ready for that. And we can't get off to a slow start. ... And we've got to finish games. When we've got a team down, we've got to keep them down. We let our foot off the gas (against Central Florida) a little bit and let them back in the game."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @theday.com