Hartford - After a resounding upset victory on Thursday, UConn truly believes anything is possible.

Even winning the last seven regular-season games.

Crazy talk, you say? The Huskies don't care.

By thumping American Athletic Conference leader Tulsa, 70-45, at the XL Center, UConn presented evidence that its goal might not sound as far-fetched as it seemed a few weeks ago.

"Me and coach (Kevin Ollie), we believe in our team," senior Ryan Boatright said. "We believe in the guys that we've got in the locker room. We believe that we can do it. You've got to speak it into existence.

"As long as we say we can do it, if we take care of business, we can do it."

UConn (14-9, 7-4) made a believer out of Tulsa (17-7, 10-2), harassing the Golden Hurricane into a season-low point total and 31.5 percent from the field. It was the Huskies' most lopsided victory since beating Central Connecticut by 33 on Dec. 28. They avenged an eight-point road loss on Jan. 13.

"UConn played great," Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. "I thought they were outstanding. ? They whipped us in every aspect of the game. They were tougher, way more aggressive and, the opposite of the way it was at our place."

The Huskies are a more complete and connected team than a few weeks ago.

Their effort, execution and energy levels - three of Ollie's keys - were off the chart. They never trailed, scoring the game's first 10 points, leading by nine at the half and then breaking it open in the second half.

"It was a great game for us," Ollie said. "Probably our most complete game from top to bottom, defensively and offensively. ? We won by 25. I don't think we've done that too often this season. It was a real good chance for our guys to really see how good we could possibly be if we play together, we play unselfishly and we play that defense. We were all on a string."

Boatright fed his teammates healthy doses of leadership and confidence while providing the necessary amounts of scoring. He scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half to put the game away and finished with eight assists and just one turnover.

"He's just playing the game the way it's supposed to be played," Ollie said.

Ollie switched to a smaller lineup, starting guard Rodney Purvis instead of forward Kentan Facey. The move paid major dividends. The Huskies spread the floor, making them harder to defend. They shot 51 percent and committed a season low-tying seven turnovers. Purvis finished with 17 points, 13 in the final six minutes, 36 seconds.

Hamilton, an athletic small forward, created a mismatch. He opened the game by burying consecutive 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Amida Brimah shut down the inside, blocking seven shots, giving him 15 in the last two games.

At the start of the second half, Boatright and Brimah sparked a 15-3 spurt that pushed the lead to 21 points. There would be no late game letdown, as often happened earlier this season. When Tulsa cut the gap to 15 with just over five minutes remaining, Boatright responded with a 3-pointer.

"It's all about maturity," Purvis said. "Earlier on, we were an immature team. I feel like we've had a lot of growth lately and it's showing on the court. This team killed us when we played them earlier this season and I feel like we're a different team."

James Woodard (zero points) and Shaquille Harrison (six), Tulsa's two leading scorers, combined to go 3-for-16 from the field. "To hold Woodard to zero points is just a marvelous job, not only by Terrence (Samuel), who started on him, but by everybody who played him," Ollie said.

It's a quick turnaround for UConn, which visits No. 25 SMU in Dallas on Saturday night. The Huskies believe anything is possible.

"The sky is the limit," Boatright said. "We know we've got to win every single one of these games for us to get to the tournament. Nobody is going to give us anything. Nobody is going to give us the benefit of the doubt. We've got to go out there and take it."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe