Storrs - With only seven players in the regular rotation available, coach Kevin Ollie was forced to make some adjustments during Tuesday's practice.

It was far from an ideal situation for a workout leading up to postseason play.

Fourth-seeded UConn (20-14 ) will be banged up for tonight's National Invitation Tournament first-round men's basketball game against fifth-seeded Arizona State University (17-15) at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) at Gampel Pavilion.

Ollie never uses injuries as an excuse and didn't Tuesday, sticking to his next-man-up philosophy.

"I've got to show up and coach the team that I've got," Ollie said. "It's not difficult. … Whoever shows up that's willing to play, we're going to push them to play hard and we're going to prepare the same way."

The odds of UConn advancing will increase if senior Ryan Boatright, the team's inspirational floor leader and leading scorer, can play. He's considered questionable for tonight's game.

Boatright didn't practice Tuesday, recovering from a sprained left shoulder suffered in the second half of Sunday's American Athletic Conference tournament championship game loss to Southern Methodist University.

"We're just going to treat the heck out of it and that's what we've been doing," Ollie said. "He banged it pretty bad. Knowing him, he'll be out there. But if he's not, we'll just go with the guys that we've got."

Sophomore Kentan Facey, who's missed four games with a concussion, could be ready to go. He's been cleared to play but his availability depends on how he responded after practice. Reserve Sam Cassell Jr. continues to be sidelined with a stress fracture.

On the good news front, freshman Daniel Hamilton is expected to be back after attending his grandmother's funeral in the Los Angeles area Monday. He had a red-eye flight scheduled for Tuesday night.

As far as the Huskies are concerned, preparation for next season basically begins tonight. Everyone will return except Boatright.

"I feel like next year is starting now, not only just me but our entire team," sophomore Rodney Purvis said. "Everybody's confidence just has to go up a little bit. Boatright did a whole lot for us, carried us the whole entire season. Guys have got to start coming into themselves because it's about to be no more Boatright."

Purvis is already auditioning for the lethal weapon role. He's consistently attacking on offense. He scored a career-high 29 points against SMU, lifting his average in the four AAC tournament games to a team-best 17.5 points.

"I've just being aggressive and just going out there and just playing," Purvis said. "I'm just laying my body on the line and just trying to let my talent take over."

There's been a major imbalance between offensive and defensive production for the Huskies.

They suffered through prolonged offensive droughts during their conference tournament run, averaging a paltry 56.8 points.

"Our shots just didn't go in," Ollie said. "We want to have a little bit more balance with our low post guys. … You just don't want to rely on 3-point shooting or outside shooting. That's what we got caught up in."

A stellar defense and all-out effort pushed them all the way to the championship game. Opponents barely averaged 50 points and shot an icy 35 percent.

The defense will be tested again tonight.

The Sun Devils are a perimeter-powered team, just like the Huskies. They'll like to spread the floor, attack off the dribble and fire up 3-pointers.

"They've got talented basketball players and everybody can score," Ollie said. "They usually play four out and one in. ... There's going to be a lot of shooters around the basketball court. They look to attack."

UConn has to overcome the disappointment of not being able to defend its national championship. With only 3,300 tickets sold as of Tuesday afternoon, the atmosphere will be nothing like it was at the XL Center over the weekend.

Ollie believes the postseason experience will benefit his team.

"It's great preparation for us in the future," Ollie said. "We plan on being back in the (NCAA) tournament next year. We thank the NIT committee for giving us this opportunity. We're going to go out and try to make the most of it."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe

Editor's note: This article has been edited to correctly state that Ryan Boatright did not practice Tuesday.

Arizona State at UConn

Location: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs.

Tip-off: 7 p.m. (ESPN2).

Records: Arizona State 17-15, UConn 20-14.

Last game: UConn lost to SMU, 62-54, in AAC championship game Sunday; ASU lost to USC, 67-64, in Pac-12 tournament Wednesday.Probable starters: UConn, 6-0 sr. guard Ryan Boatright (17.4 pts, 4.1 rebs, 3.8 assists), 6-4 so. guard Rodney Purvis (11.4 pts), 6-7 fr. forward Daniel Hamilton (10.7 pts, 7.6 rebs), 6-10 jr. forward Phil Nolan (1.3 pts, 1.8 rebs), 7-0 so. center Amida Brimah (9.4 pts, 4.6 rebs, 3.5 blks).

Arizona State, 6-1 fr. guard Tra Holder (7.0 pts, 3.6 assists), 6-4 jr. guard Gerry Blakes (10.9 pts, 4.2 rebs), 6-5 sr. forward Shaquielle McKissic (12 pts, 4.5 rebs), 6-6 so. forward Savon Goodman (11 pts, 7.1 rebs), 6-10 jr. forward Eric Jacobsen (8.3 pts, 6.2 rebs).

Noteworthy: UConn fourth seed, ASU fifth. … Huskies 15-11 in 12 previous NIT appearance, first trip since 2010. Sun Devils making 12th trip (6-12). … Series: UConn leads 2-1, winning 82-61 in 1997 Preseason NIT final at MSG. … Common foes: Stanford -- UConn lost 72-59 Jan. 17 on the road; Arizona split two meetings, losing 89-70 Jan. 24 and winning 67-62 March 5 at home. … Top reserve: 6-4 sr. guard Bo Barnes (7.2 pts, 2.3 rebs). …. Injury update: Boatright (left shoulder) questionable. … Best win: ASU beat regular season conference champs Arizona, 81-78. … 3-point shooting a big weapon for both perimeter-powered teams. … Hot: Purvis averaged 17.5 pts in four AAC tourney games. Cold: UConn held last four foes to a combined 35 percent shooting and 50.2 points per game. … Offensive-minded ASU had at least 70 points 19 times, UConn just seven. … Huskies 4-3 at Gampel this season. … Up next: Tonight's winner plays No. 1 Richmond vs. No. 8 St. Francis-Brooklyn winner at date to be determined.

- Gavin Keefe