A mental and emotional hangover from a disappointing Big East tournament semifinal exit will likely linger into Selection Sunday.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection show will provide the perfect cure for UConn, which will feel much better when it pops up in a bracket on the television screen sometime after 6 p.m.

Based on their successful season, the Huskies are already a lock to earn an at-large bid for the third straight year.

They would have preferred to punch their March Madness ticket by capturing the Big East tourney title. But they lost Friday in the semifinals by less than four points for the third straight year, falling to top-seeded Marquette, 70-68, at Madison Square Garden.

Friday night, coach Dan Hurley planned to quickly move on from the stinging defeat and begin prepping for potential NCAA first-round opponents.

And Hurley believes his Huskies will be able to do the same, unlike in the last two years.

“We have a special team,” Hurley said. “We’re not going to do what our past teams have done, which was to maybe get caught up in the wallow of losing. The Big East tournament is such a big deal. The crowd is unbelievable. The atmosphere is incredible.

“Losing in this environment in your conference tournament in the past couple of years has put us in a bad mental state. We’re not going to allow that to happen this year. We’re going to get our minds right very quickly and get ready to make a run next week. … We’re just going to turn the page quicker than we have in past years.”

Hurley’s players heard his message.

They remain a confident group despite seeing their six-game streak end and leaving New York earlier than they expected.

There’s certainly no shame in losing in the Big East semis to the top seed and No. 6 ranked team by just two points.

If UConn sinks just one 3-pointer or gets one more defensive stop, the outcome could have been different. Or, if the Huskies, who went 9 for 15 from the line, make a few more free throws.

They plan to learn from their mistakes.

“This team is different,” junior Andre Jackson said. “This is not like the other teams that I’ve been a part of. I think this is going to make this group stronger. I don’t think it’s going to tear us apart. I think it is going to build us and it’s going to make us come together.”

UConn’s resume is strong.

The Huskies (25-8) stacked up some impressive victories and recorded the most overall wins in Hurley’s five-year tenure in Storrs. Heading into Saturday’s action, they stood eighth in the NCAA NET Rankings.

They’re in line to be a top four seed – the highest under Hurley. And they have a decent shot to remain in the East and start tournament play in Albany, N.Y. The next stop would be back at MSG.

As of Saturday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed UConn as a No. 3 in the East. Sporting News projects the Huskies will be a No. 4 seed.

Of course, the outcome of the remaining conference tournaments will impact UConn’s status.

The Big East will likely have five teams in the field. Xavier, Creighton and Marquette also will be in the tournament, with Saturday night’s Marquette-Xavier winner earning the conference’s automatic bid into the 68-team field.

Providence, which stands at No. 56 in the NCAA NET Ranking, will experience some nervous moments on Selection Sunday but should receive an at-large bid.

The neighborhood battles in the league should be great preparation for what lies ahead.

“We have a ton of confidence,” Hurley said. “This knocked us back a little bit, but I think we’re capable of playing elite defense. We’ve got tons of answers on offense.

“I think the league battle tests you like few conferences will battle test you. You play so many different types of styles. Games are so physical. We’re going to go into the tournament and feel like we have as good a chance as anyone to make a deep run in the tournament.”

The Huskies have faith great things are ahead for them despite their disappointing exit in the Big East semis.

“We’re going to bounce back for sure next week,” junior Adama Sanogo said.

g.keefe@theday.com