Toughness is a key trait of any successful UConn basketball team.

Entering this season, coach Dan Hurley questioned if the Huskies had what it takes in the toughness department to be a Big East and national championship title contender.

Recent evidence indicates the Huskies are making important strides in that area.

As Hurley put it, UConn was “Big East tough” on Wednesday in its first game this season as the No. 1 team in college basketball.

The Huskies showed their physical toughness on defense and while dominating the rebounding battle in a 14-point win over No. 18 Creighton in Storrs. They showed their mental toughness by not letting a sub-par offensive performance negatively affect the rest of their game.

And prior to Donovan Clingan’s return on Wednesday, they relied on toughness to win five straight without their starting center and defensive anchor.

“We answered a lot of questions about some issues that could hold this team back,” coach Dan Hurley said.

Some other observations and storylines from Wednesday’s game:

• What was the best thing that happened Wednesday?

No, not $2 dollar beer night.

The return of Clingan, who played his first game since being sidelined with a foot injury nearly a month ago.

Having a healthy 7-foot-2 Clingan is vital for UConn (16-2, 6-1 in the Big East) to have a good shot at accomplishing its championship goals this season.

“He’s one of the most impactful players in the country,” Hurley said. “The analytics tell the story, that our defense improves when he’s on the court, how our offense improves when he’s on the court and how rebounding improves when he’s on the court.

“The group really held down the fort when he went out (for five games). He’s going to elevate the play of everyone around him.”

It was Clingan’s decision to play against Creighton. He made the choice after consulting the team’s medical staff and talking to Hurley.

“My foot was 110 percent and I told (Hurley) that and he trusted me, so he put me out there,” Clingan said. “After the game, I’ve got no soreness and nothing to worry about, so I feel good. I’m happy.”

Clingan, who practiced only a few times before playing Wednesday, will need time to shake off all the rust and get into full game shape.

In a positive development, he dropped about 10 pounds while sitting out.

“I realized it would be better for my body,” Clingan said. “I really locked into watching what I was eating and just cut down the calories.”

For now, Clingan will continue to come off the bench like he did against Creighton, chipping in six points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists in a productive 16 minutes.

“His impact, offensively, is one thing, but defensively his ability to protect the rim is elite,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “Much like we have (Ryan) Kalkbrenner down there that can block some shots and discourage some shots. Donovan is the same way. It’s not just the ones he blocks, it’s the ones you don’t take because he’s there that don’t show up in the stat sheet but they certainly impact the other team’s offense.”

• When Hurley challenges his team, they usually respond.

Unhappy with UConn’s rebounding in recent games, Hurley talked to his players about aggressively attacking the boards.

The Huskies responded by piling up a 48-32 rebounding edge against a team that ranks second in the Big East in rebounding margin. They had 21 offensive boards compared to just six for the Bluejays.

“We’re an effort rebounding team,” Hurley said. “We get there with their quickness and life or death pursuit. … We were able to get off bodies and just go get the ball.

“We had a really brutal film session the last couple of games, in particular the last one where we challenged the manhood of these guys and the warrior spirit. We didn’t like being embarrassed the way we’ve been on the backboard, and the boys responded.”

Guards Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle led the way with eight rebounds apiece, Alex Karaban had seven while Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra each added six.

• The Huskies are a lethal team when Newton is locked in and fully engaged during the game.

That was the case on Wednesday.

Newton got involved right from the start and played a strong all-around game. He scored 10 of his game-high 16 points in the first half to help the Huskies take an 11-point halftime lead and finished with a team-high tying eight rebounds, a team-best five assists and two steals.

“Just his energy and the way he approached this game, it was unbelievable…,” Karaban said. “He was really locked in this game. He knew that he wanted to have a big game and he really showed.”

The Huskies need Newton, who had converted just 28 percent from the field in six Big East games prior to Wednesday, to consistently play at a high level to go far this season.

“I thought Tristen was great,” Hurley said. “He was engaged. When you get an engaged Tristen, with what he can do on the backboard and what he can do defensively and the things that he sees as a facilitator, he’s one of the best players in this league. He’s having as good a year as any guard in the country.

“He’s gotta stay connected and he’s gotta stay engaged.”

Newton leads the team in rebounds per game at 6.6, assists at 6.0 and ranks third in scoring at 14.9.

• Funny thing about being No. 1.

College basketball coaches downplay the accomplishment when it happens.

But they want to stay on top for as long as possible.

Here’s Hurley’s mindset:

“It’s like carrying around a UFC heavyweight belt or some type of WBC boxing belt. When you’re the No. 1 team in the country, it’s not going to have any bearing on how our season goes – regular season, Big East tournament, national championship, Final Four, Elite Eight, any of that.

“But somebody should have to pry it out of our lifeless body and our dead hands. We should play so hard to keep this thing right now that somebody has got to rip it out of our lifeless body.”

If UConn wins at Villanova Saturday night in Philadelphia, it will likely stay at No. 1. The Huskies are off all next week.

g.keefe@theday.com