Storrs — Weeks are winding down in the college basketball regular season. Conference championship season begins in less than a month.

UConn is making progress as a program but doesn’t have as many wins as it would like to show for it. The Huskies (13-11, 4-7) are hovering just above .500 and reside well-under that mark in American Athletic Conference play.

There’s still plenty at stake for the Huskies. Their competitive spirit remains high.

“These guys know where we’re at here,” coach Dan Hurley said after Saturday’s workout at the Werth Center on campus. “We’re obviously taking this one game at a time. We understand the process that we’re in as a program. There’s a lot for this team to play for.

“We’ve had some quality wins, we’ve beaten some NCAA caliber teams. Minus that Saint Joe’s game, which still is tough to look at on the schedule to this day, and the week to start conference play, we’ve been a good team without the type of record that we want.

“We just want this team to attack these last seven games and see if we can put ourselves in a position to continue to play meaningful games and have a chance to play for the postseason through to the end of the season.”

Sunday, UConn is out to avenge an earlier loss to Memphis (17-7, 6-5) when the AAC teams meet at 3 p.m. at the XL Center. The Huskies will be playing in front of their first sell-out crowd in Hartford in two years.

The Huskies are looking forward to a rowdy atmosphere.

“I’m actually really excited, to be honest,” junior Isaiah Whaley said. “When the XL is packed and sold-out, it’s one of the craziest environments.”

The full house also is another sign that Husky fans believe the program is on the upswing with Hurley in charge.

Hurley hopes fans will arrive early and be really loud.

“They understand where we’re at and where the program is going,” Hurley said. “They’re showing up for this team because of how the team has battled the whole year and they’re obviously excited about the future.

“When you’re on that climb back up, crowds start getting bigger and games become a lot more exciting.”

Part of UConn’s climb is being able to knock off the top teams in the AAC. The Huskies are starting to do that, beating Tulsa and Cincinnati in consecutive games. But they were unable to complete the comeback at SMU Wednesday, losing 79-75.

While they’re improved offensively recently, scoring over 70 points in three straight games for only the second time this season, they’ve slipped a bit on the defensive end.

“I hope that was just an outlier (at SMU), a really bad night on the road versus a great offensive team,” Hurley said. “We’ve tried to do the practice plan the last couple of days to get back to our identity. We got very far away from our identity at SMU.”

Prepare for a potentially ugly game on Sunday.

UConn and Memphis combined for 44 turnovers in the first meeting, which was won by the Tigers, 70-63, on Feb. 1.

The Huskies know they have to be better at taking care of the ball and reacting to an active, trapping defense. They also have to contain freshman forward Precious Achiuwa, a strong candidate for AAC player and freshmen of the year.

''Precious punked us on the glass,” Hurley said of the first meeting.

After a brutal road schedule, UConn will be at home for three of the next four games. Home court advantage just may be what the Huskies need to build some momentum.

“Everybody still has their hopes high...,” Whaley said. “Coach is still motivating us and still showing us there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and that we still have a lot to play for.”

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN vs. MEMPHIS

Location: XL Center, Hartford

Tip-off: 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Records: UConn 13-11, 4-7; Memphis 17-7, 6-5

Last game: UConn lost at SMU, 79-75, Wednesday; Memphis lost at Cincinnati, 92-86 (OT), Thursday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-2 fr. guard Jalen Gaffney (3.4 pts), 6-2 sr. guard Christian Vital (14.2 pts, 6.3 rebs), 6-4 fr. guard James Bouknight (12 pts, 3.3 rebs), 6-9 r-fr. forward Akok Akok (6 pts, 5.8 rebs, 2.7 blks), 6-11 jr. center Josh Carlton (8.3 pts, 6.3 rebs)

Memphis, 6-5 fr. guard Lester Quinones (11.1 pts), 6-3 fr. guard Boogie Ellis (8.2 pts), 6-7 fr. forward D.J. Jefferies (10.8 pts, 4.3 rebs), 6-9 r-so. forward Lance Thomas (4 pts), 6-9 fr. forward Precious Achiuwa (15 pts, 10.1 rebs)

Noteworthy: Huskies play 3 of next 4 games at home where they’re 10-3. .. First sellout at XL Center since Jan. 20, 2018 vs. Villanova. … Series: UConn trails 8-7, losing last meeting 70-63 in Memphis on Feb. 1. Huskies shot 33.8%. Vital with 20 pts, Bouknight 17. Achiuwa with 16 pts, 8 rebs. Teams combined for 44 turnovers. … Achiuwa only fr. in nation averaging a double-double. … Entering Saturday’s action, Memphis tied for 5th in AAC, UConn tied for 8th. … Top reserve: 5-9 so. guard Tyler Harris (8.5 pts). … AAC Individual leaders overall: Achiuwa, rebounds at 10.1; Vital FT percentage at 89.9, steals at 2.5, Akok blocks at 2.7. … Memphis 1st in AAC in FG% defense at 36.6, 2nd in scoring offense at 74.2 pts. … Game pits two top shot blocking teams in league — UConn 1st at 6.4, Memphis 2nd at 6.3. … Hot: Bouknight averaging team-best 14.8 pts in AAC action. Cold: Huskies shooting 39.3% in league play. … Average margin of victory in series in games at UConn 3.2 pts. … Up next: UConn visits Temple Thursday in Philadelphia.

— Gavin Keefe