It's way too early to consider this a trend, but all signs point to UConn being an improved defensive basketball team this season.

The Huskies are a tighter, more disciplined group defending the basket in year two of coach Dan Hurley's system.

Hurley has noticed an improvement in practice as well as in his team's limited amount of competition so far — a scrimmage at Harvard, an exhibition vs. Division II Saint Michael's and the season opener against Sacred Heart.

"We've gotten better in all facets," Hurley said during a conference call on Tuesday. "A better understanding of rotations, a better understanding of ball screen defense. Guys have just grown up and gotten physically more mature and then grown athletically.

"It's just something that we've been really trying to emphasis. If we're going to have a good year and compete for something and compete for a postseason chance, we've got to be a top 50 defensive team."

Last season, defensive breakdowns regularly contributed to UConn's demise. The Huskies finished eighth in scoring defense (71.3 points) and ninth in field goal percentage defense (43.9) in the American Athletic Conference.

The Huskies (1-0) are off to a stingy start.

In an 89-67 win on Friday, they limited Sacred Heart to 30 percent from the field, forced 25 turnovers and came up with 10 steals and nine blocks. The field goal percentage and turnover numbers would have been season lows for a UConn opponent last season.

Next up is Saint Joseph's (1-1), an Atlantic 10 program that will be at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday (7 p.m., CBSSN).

The St. Joe's program is in a different state than the one Hurley faced while at Rhode Island for six seasons (2012-18). Former Philadelphia 76ers assistant Billy Lange has replaced Phil Martelli, who was fired last spring after 24 seasons and 444 wins and now is an assistant at Michigan. Four players transferred, forcing Lange to scramble to round out his roster.

The Hawks play a small, quick lineup and spread the floor. They'll regularly fire it up from the perimeter, averaging 34 3-pointers per game and making 10.5. Their top 3-point weapon is one of their biggest players in 6-foot-8 forward Lorenzo Edwards.

"It's like a match-up nightmare," Hurley said. "We're going to have to mix up what we're doing in ball screen defense because they spread you out and they really shoot tons of threes."

It is a particularly difficult opponent for the frontcourt duo of redshirt freshman Akok Akok and junior Josh Carlton to defend.

"For Akok and for Josh, these are different types of games than they'll be playing in conference against bigger teams and some of the bigger non-conference opponents are more traditional," Hurley said. "St. Joe's is a unique style of play.

"... These non-conference games, some of them are a real challenge for those guys. That's why you see teams struggle in these types of games because you're playing against teams that are going really, really small."

UConn will have a size advantage up front, which should help in the rebounding department but didn't against Sacred Heart. The Huskies were out-rebounded 49-41 and allowed 19 offensive rebounds. Hurley called his team's rebounding effort "indescribably bad."

"Obviously, the film session was a tough one for guys to sit through, because we literally analyzed every shot off the glass and then emphasized it in drilling," Hurley said. "It wasn't just the defensive glass, it also was the offensive glass. ... We're not making anywhere near the effort that we need to make to create extra possessions."

• In recruiting news, 6-11 center Javonte Brown-Ferguson of Thornlea Secondary School in Ontario will announce his college plans on Wednesday night. UConn is in the running along with Kansas and Texas A&M.

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN VS. SAINT JOSEPH'S

Location: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs

Tip: 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

Records: UConn 1-0, Saint Joseph's 1-1

Last game: UConn beat Sacred Heart, 89-67, Friday; Saint Joseph's lost to Old Dominion, 82-69, Sunday

Probable starters, UConn, r-jr. guard Alterique Gilbert (6 pts, 5 assists), 6-2 sr. guard Christian Vital (17 pts, 7 rebs, 7 steals), 6-8 jr. forward Tyler Polley (10 pts, 4 rebs), 6-9 r.-fr. forward Akok Akok (4 pts, 4 rebs, 4 blks), 6-11 jr. center Josh Carlton (18 pts, 8 rebs, 2 blocks)

Saint Joseph's, 6-5 fr. guard Cameron Brown (10 pts), 6-5 r-jr. guard Ryan Daly (17 pts, 9 rebs, 7.5 assists), 6-7 r-so. Myles Douglas (11 pts), 6-8 jr. forward Lorenzo Edwards (17.5 pts, 5.5 rebs), 6-8 jr. forward Taylor Funk (7 pts, 4 rebs)

Noteworthy: Second of three home games to open the season. ... UConn leads series, 5-2, taking five of last six including winning the last meeting, an 89-81 OT decision in first round of 2014 NCAA tourney in Buffalo. ... Hawks picked to finish near bottom of Atlantic 10 under new coach Billy Lange. Lost top four scorers from a 14-19 team last season. ... St. Joe's win came vs. Bradley, 86-81, on Nov. 5. ... Hawks shooting just 37 percent from field, out-rebounded by an average of 8.5 in first two games. Attempted 68 3-pointers in two games, sinking 31 percent. ... Top reserve: 6-3 fr. guard Rahmir Moore (9.5 pts). ... Daly (Delaware) and Douglas (UCF) are transfers. ... Vital made the AAC weekly honor roll after 17 points, 7 rebs, 7 steal effort vs. Sacred Heart. ... Out: fr. guard James Bouknight (suspension). ... Up next: UConn hosts No. 15 Florida at 3 p.m. Sunday at Gampel Pavilion.

— Gavin Keefe