With a showdown against No. 25 Southern Methodist looming, UConn quickly moved on from Thursday's masterpiece theater.

Coming off their most complete game of the season in a 25-point dissection of Tulsa, the Huskies now play the American Athletic Conference's most complete team.

Adding to the drama, ESPN College GameDay will be on hand at Moody Coliseum in Dallas for tonight's 9 o'clock tip against the dangerous Mustangs.

For the second straight game, UConn (14-9, 7-4) faces the conference leader. SMU (20-5, 11-2), took over first place from Tulsa after beating Houston on Thursday.

SMU joined Louisville as the only teams to beat the Huskies more than once last season.

"They beat us twice last year," senior Ryan Boatright said Thursday night. "I know a lot about them. It's going to be tough. They're a great defensive team. They're a great team, period. We're on the road. They play very well in their building.

"It's College GameDay, so I know it's probably going to be a theme. They're going to have a whole thing going on out there. We've got to focus in and come together and go out there on a tight string."

Road games have been sinkholes for the Huskies in recent weeks, as they've dropped four of their last five away from home. On the plus side, they're playing their best all-around basketball.

During a season-high tying three-game winning streak, they've efficiently executed on the offensive end, shooting 49.3 percent, and created havoc on defense, forcing foes to shoot at a 35.7 percent clip and average just 50 points.

The Huskies credit their recent surge to their work ethic, accountability and commitment in practice.

"They're practicing very, very hard," coach Kevin Ollie said. "They're coming in and paying attention to detail. That's what I see. They're executing. And it's not just executing when we're playing, it's really the two hours of practice. … That's the thing that's getting us over the hump and keeping us in games.

"We want to keep having that."

Ollie expects his team to compete hard on every possession. On the defensive end, they are challenging nearly every shot and playing as a cohesive unit. Intimidating center Amida Brimah has swatted away 18 shots during the unbeaten streak.

"We just got that good in the last three weeks and we got to the level that we're at now," Boatright said of UConn's smothering defense. "The communication is great. The guards are moving their feet and keeping guards in front of us and not letting them get in the paint.

"Then the big fella is just cleaning everything up back there. He's really the anchor of our defense."

UConn has yet to play a conference team as talented, balanced, disciplined and unselfish as SMU, which ranks either at or near the top in several offensive and defensive categories in the AAC. The Mustangs are 10-1 in their last 11 games and their only conference losses were to Cincinnati.

Junior guard Nic Moore, who averages a team-leading 14.6 points and leads the league with 5.4 assists per game, is serious challenger to Boatright for conference player of the year honors. Moore is far from a lone ranger. Three other players average in double figures including super sub Markus Kennedy, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward.

Plus, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who guided Ollie during his NBA days in Philadelphia, is one of the best in the college game.

The Huskies will be underdogs tonight, a role that they are relishing. They plan to prove that people shouldn't count them out.

"When you've got guys with the caliber of talent that we have on our team, you can't ever count us out," guard Rodney Purvis said. "All of us, we're all dogs. We all work for whatever we have. Nothing was ever given to us. We're all bringing that on the court."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe

UCONN AT NO. 25 SMU

Location: Moody Coliseum, Dallas

Tip: 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Records: UConn 14-9, 7-4; SMU 20-5, 11-2

Last game: UConn beat Tulsa, 70-45, Thursday; SMU defeated Houston, 75-69, Thursday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-0 sr. guard Ryan Boatright (18 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.4 assists), 6-4 so. guard Terrence Samuel (4.2 pts), 6-4 so. guard Rodney Purvis (10.1 pts), 6-7 fr. forward Daniel Hamilton (10 pts, 7.1 rebs), 7-0 so. center Amida Brimah (10 pts, 4.7 rebs, 3.2 blks)

SMU, 5-9 jr. guard Nic Moore (14.6 pts, 5.4 assists), 6-4 sr. guard Ryan Manuel (6.2 pts. 3.2 rebs, 6-6 so. guard Sterling Brown (4.4 pts, 4.0 rebs, 6-8 so. forward Ben Moore (7.5 pts, 5.1 rebs), 6-11 sr. center Yanick Moreira (11.6 pts, 6.8 rebs)

Noteworthy: UConn shooting for season-high fourth straight win. … AAC leader SMU is league's hottest team, winning 10 of 11. … Series: UConn trails 3-0, losing 64-55 and 74-65 last season. Moore averaged 17.5 pts in those two games. … Mustangs lead AAC in FG percentage (49.8), scoring (68.8), FG percentage defense (38.1), scoring margin (11.8) and assists (17.3). … Top reserve: 6-9 jr. forward Markus Kennedy (10.9 pts, 5.8 rebs). … Moore (44.8) and Boatright (42.3) best two 3-pt shooters in AAC overall. … UConn 0-2 vs. ranked foes this season, losing to Texas and Duke. .. Hot: Brimah with 15 blocks in last two games. Cold: UConn held last four foes to a combined 36.1 percent from the field and an average of 55 pts. … Huskies lost four of last five road games, 3-4 overall away. Mustangs 13-2 at home. … Injury update: UConn reserve Sam Cassell Jr. (stress fracture) out. …. Up next: UConn visits Memphis Thursday.