There's a firm belief among the UConn basketball team that it can compete with anyone in the country.

That confidence comes from some early-season success.

Tuesday night, UConn can state its case on a big stage, facing Indiana in a nationally-televised Jimmy V Classic game at Madison Square Garden. Starting time is expected to be approximately 9:15 p.m. (ESPN), following the first game of the doubleheader between Louisville and Texas Tech.

The Huskies (6-2) are riding some momentum from winning five of their last six games with their only loss during that stretch in double overtime to No. 23 Xavier.

They realize what's at stake against the Hoosiers (8-1).

"Big-time game," freshman James Bouknight said. "They're one of the best teams on our schedule. We've just got to win that game and show that it's another step just to prove that we're here and we're getting better."

The Hoosiers have something to prove, too.

After rolling up eight straight home wins against mostly inferior competition with the exception of No. 21 Florida State, Indiana suffered a humbling 20-point defeat against Wisconsin on Saturday in its first road game of the season.

Like the Huskies, the Hoosiers are attempting to make the long climb back to respectability with a passionate, energetic coach in Archie Miller. Indiana has hovered around .500 in each of the last three seasons.

"I just think every game for us where we're at is a chance to establish ourselves as a program, or re-establish ourselves as a program," coach Dan Hurley said. "Indiana is a top brand program. Everyone's always dreamed of either playing in Indiana or playing against Indiana. The same can be said about UConn, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky.

"Two brands that are really trying to get their act together are going to play in one of, if not the best venue for a basketball game. It's an exciting stage for both of us. ... This is a big game for both programs. One of us is going to come out of it feeling really, really good with a win on Tuesday."

Hurley isn't downplaying the importance of the game to his Huskies. He wants them to be amped up.

To prepare for playing a physical and deep Big Ten opponent, Hurley turned up the intensity in practices in recent days.

"We've just tried to simulate how tough and how hard this game is going to be played, how hard Indiana plays, how physical the Big Ten is," Hurley said. "We tried to simulate that in practice, so we really ramped it up here."

The Hoosiers are a tough match-up. They attack in waves, with 10 players averaging in double figure minutes and five averaging at least nine points per game. They've dominated the boards, out-rebounding foes by 10.4 per game and like to pound the ball inside to 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and 6-11, 245-pound center Joey Brunk.

They also push the pace and score at a high rate, averaging 83.2 points..

They like to get the ball out really quickly on misses and makes," redshirt junior Alterique Gilbert said. "The defensive end is definitely an emphasis for us."

Some of the best moments in UConn basketball history have come at Madison Square Garden. It will be a homecoming game for several Huskies, including Bouknight (Brooklyn), redshirt sophomore Sidney Wilson (Bronx) and senior Christian Vital (Queens Village).

The Huskies are excited about the challenge and relish the chance to make a statement.

"It's a big game for us," junior Josh Carlton said. "A lot of eyes on this game. Just to be able to get that type of win on a national stage like that would be really good for the program. ... Every game is an opportunity to show people that we're building something here and this is another op-portunity Tuesday."

And maybe even get some national recognition, too. The Huskies didn't receive a single vote in Monday's Associated Press top 25 poll.

"We feel we should be ranked," Bouknight said. "We took a tough loss to Xavier, but we feel we should be ranked. We feel we're one of the best teams in the country and I don't see why not."

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN vs. INDIANA

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York

Tip: approximately 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Records: UConn 6-2, Indiana 8-1

Last game: UConn beat Iona, 80-62, Wednesday; Indiana lost at Wisconsin, 84-64, Saturday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-0 r-jr. guard Alterique Gilbert (10.1 pts, 4.6 assists), 6-2 sr. guard Christian Vital (14.8 pts, 8.3 rebs, 3 assists, 2.9 steals), 6-8 jr. forward Tyler Polley (10.5 pts, 2.8 rebs), 6-9 r-fr. forward Akok Akok (5.5 pts, 6.1 rebs, 2.8 blks), 6-11 jr. center Josh Carlton (12.4 pts, 7.9 rebs)

Indiana, 6-4 fr. guard Armaan Franklin (5 pts, 2.6 assists), 6-4 jr. guard Aljami Durham (13.1 pts), 6-7 jr. forward Justin Smith (13.8 pts, 4.8 rebs), 6-9 fr. forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (14.8 pts, 8.7 rebs), 6-11 r-jr. center Joey Brunk (7.2 pts, 5 rebs)

Noteworthy: Fourth appearance in Jimmy V Classic doubleheader for UConn, which lost to N.C. State (2012), Maryland (2015) and Syracuse (2017). ... Huskies shooting for season-high fourth straight win. ... Series: UConn leads, 6-3, winning last meeting, 59-58, in 2013 in 2K Sports Classic final at MSG. ... Two teams won a combined nine national championships. .... Best win for Indiana, an 80-64 decision over No. 17 Florida State on Dec. 3. ... UConn's Dan Hurley and Indiana's Archie Miller coached vs. each other in A-10 while at URI and Dayton, respectively. ... Jackson-Davis one of the top freshmen in the country. ... Top reserve: 6-3 sr. guard Devonte Green (14.8 pts), whose made 15 of 29 3-pointers. ... Hoosiers out-rebound foes by 10.4 per game and lead nation in free throws attempted (29.7) and made (20.9) per game. ... Hot: Indiana shoots 50.8 percent from the field. Cold: UConn converts 41.5 percent. ... AAC leaders: Akok (blocks), Vital (steals, free throw percentage at 93.9). ... Homecoming game for Vital (Queens Village), Sid Wilson (Bronx), James Bouknight (Brooklyn), asst. coach Kimani Young (Queens), director of player development Taliek Brown (Corona), student asst. coach Mamadou Diarra (Queens) ... Up next: UConn hosts Saint Peter's Dec. 18 in Hartford.

— Gavin Keefe