Rodney Purvis has paid little attention to the American Athletic Conference standings this season.

That's understandable considering the Huskies started the conference season so poorly, dropping their first three league games.

They've worked on trying to improve on a daily basis.

As a result, they've played their best basketball of the season, winning five of their last six games. They've climbed out of the bottom of the standings and all the way to fifth place, one spot behind Memphis (18-8, 8-5), Thursday's opponent in a 9 p.m. game at the XL Center in Hartford.

With a win, UConn (12-12, 7-5) would take over fourth and own a winning overall record for the first time this season.

"I really haven't paid it much attention," Purvis said when informed of UConn's standing. "I'm sure it's really important, however. We're just trying to handle each day. ... and we'll just see what happens."

That approach has worked well for the Huskies.

They're excelling in nearly every department in the last six games. Offensively, they've been very efficient, shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 52.5 percent from 3-point range, 78.5 percent from the foul line, while averaging 77 points. Five players are averaging in double figures, with Purvis leading the charge at 17.5 points, followed by Jalen Adams (14.5), Christian Vital (13.0), Amida Brimah (11.3) and Kentan Facey (11.0).

Defensively, they've limited foes to 39.1 percent and 64.8 points during that span. They're also winning the rebounding battle by an average of 5.9 per game.

Pretty impressive all-around numbers.

"I don't ever look at losing and winning as the benchmark," Ollie said. "Of course, we've got to win games. If not, I'm going to lose my job. At the end of the day, I want to have great habits. I want guys to be able to go through the negative times in the game and stay connected. I think we're doing a better job with that and we're making shots.

"... And we're being more efficient. So our habits are getting a lot better. If you go back to early January and now you look at our conference stats, you see us trending in the right direction in every area."

The next step for UConn is to knock off teams at the top part of the standings. The Huskies are 0-4 against the four teams ahead of them, including losing to Memphis 70-61 on Jan. 5. They trailed by as many as 20 points before a late rally closed the gap. They lost despite winning the rebounding battle by 21. But they had 15 costly turnovers.

Purvis and fellow guards Adams and Vital combined to convert 8-for-38 from the field. The Huskies shot an icy 37.9 percent overall.

Since then, they've gone 7-2 in league play, 7-3 overall.

"It definitely was (a low point)," Purvis said. "We had to come back and just figure out what we wanted to do. We could have easily gave up after that. I think I was like 5-for-19 in that game. I really didn't play well and didn't bring much to that game.

"That was a month and a half ago, so we're a much better team now. We're a much more confident group, a tight-knit group on the defensive end and on the offensive end. We're looking forward to tomorrow."

UConn knows what to expect from Memphis.

The Tigers are active on defense, ranking second in the league in steals, and thrive in transition. They had 11 steals and 16 fast break points in the first meeting. Sophomore Dedric Lawson is one of the leading contenders for AAC player of the year honors, averaging 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Red-shirt junior Markel Crawford, the team's top 3-point weapon, is another player to watch.

"Their guys are playing a lot better," Ollie said. "Lawson is doing his thing, his double-doubles, he's going to be key focus of ours. They're one of the best transition teams in our league. ... We've got to take care of the ball.

"And one thing they do, they don't beat themselves."

While it's unrealistic to think the Huskies can catch SMU or Cincinnati, third-place Houston is within reach.

A lot can happen in the final six regular-season games.

"You're just really trying to focus on getting the best spot that you can possibly get when it comes tournament time," Ollie said.

g.keefe@theday.com

Memphis at UConn 

Location: XL Center, Hartford.

Tip: 9 p.m. (ESPN2).

Records: Memphis 18-8 overall, 8-5 AAC; UConn 12-12, 7-5. 

Last game: Memphis lost to Temple 74-62 Sunday; UConn won at Central Florida 66-63 Saturday.

Probable starters: Memphis, 6-3 so. guard Jeremiah Martin (9.3 pts, 4.2 assists), 6-5 r-jr. guard Markel Crawford (14.2 pts, 4.8 rebs), 6-7 r-fr. guard K.J. Lawson (12.4 pts, 8.6 rebs), 6-8 jr. forward Jimario Rivers (6.4 pts, 3.6 rebs), 6-9 so. forward Dedric Lawson (19.8 pts, 10.2 rebs).

UConn, 6-3 so. guard Jalen Adams (14.8 pts, 4.5 rebs, 6.7 assists), 6-4 r-sr. guard Rodney Purvis (13.4 pts, 4.5 rebs), 6-8 fr. forward Vance Jackson (7.5 pts), 6-10 sr. forward Kentan Facey (8.7 pts, 7 rebs), 7-0 sr. center Amida Brimah (8 pts, 6.1 rebs, 2.9 blks). 

Noteworthy: In last 6 games, UConn 5-1 and Memphis 3-3. ... Winner will reside in 4th place in AAC standings. ... Top 5 finishers receive first-round bye in AAC tourney. ... Series: UConn leads 6-3, losing first meeting this season 70-61 on Jan. 5. Purvis, Adams, Christian Vital shot a combined 8-for-38 from field. Crawford led Tigers with 19 pts. Huskies held a 49-28 rebounding edge. ... Top reserve: 6-11 sr. forward Chad Rykhoek (5.9 pts, 2.6 rebs). ... Dedric Lawson 17 double-doubles this season, ranking 5th in nation. Quickest player to reach 1,000 career pts in AAC history, doing it in 58 games. ... Tigers 2nd in steals in AAC. Had 11 vs. UConn. ... Five Huskies averaging in double digits in last 6 games. ... Hot: UConn sinking 61.8 percent (34-for-55) from 3-pt range in last 3 games. Cold: Foes shooting 38.4 percent overall in last 4 games. ... UConn 7-4 at home, winning 5 straight. Memphis 4-4 on road. ... Huskies 13th in nation in blks per game at 5.7. ... Up next: UConn visits Temple in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

— Gavin Keefe