You can count the number of surprising outcomes on one hand for the UConn men's basketball team this season.

And you wouldn't use all your fingers.

The Huskies have been fairly predictable through 26 games. They've lost to every ranked team and registered only one win against teams currently above them in the American Athletic Conference standings.

They've dropped all but one true road game.

With that all said, there's good reason to be optimistic for UConn (12-14, 5-8) on Sunday afternoon when it visits East Carolina at Minges Coliseum (3 p.m., ESPNews).

The Pirates (10-14, 4-9) are one of four teams looking up at the eighth-place Huskies, who are 4-0 against foes below them in the standings. And East Carolina will be without suspended Kentrell Barkley, the team's third leading scorer and top rebounder.

Plus, the Huskies won the first meeting, 70-65, on Jan. 6 in Hartford to end a four-game losing streak.

This time, they've attempting to dig out of another funk, having lost seven of their last nine games. The latest loss — 73-71 loss to Tulsa on Thursday in Hartford — really hurt because of their poor execution in the final minutes on both ends of the court.

"I'm going to stay positive," coach Kevin Ollie said after the loss. "Our guys are going to stay positive."

No shortage of things to work on, that's for sure. The Huskies keep committing eliminate damaging mistakes that are preventing them from going on a winning streak.

"We've just got to be consistent with our effort throughout the game," said freshman Josh Carlton, who'll be playing about eight miles from his home (Winterville, N.C.)

Shoddy defense has been the latest culprit.

In the last two games, opponents are shooting 53.6 percent from the field, 52 percent 3-point range, and averaging 84 points.

The Huskies failed to adequately defend a play late in the Tulsa game that they had gone over in practice "about 16 times," according to Ollie.

There were a few encouraging signs in the loss to Tulsa.

Freshman Tyler Polley provided a rare spark off the bench, scoring a career-high tying nine points while sinking all three 3-point attempts and adding four rebounds in 21 minutes. He had scored just four points in the previous five games.

"It was nice to contribute and get some shots," Polley said. "I've been putting some extra work in. So it felt really good to see my work pay off. ... My coaching staff, my teammates, my family, my friends, everybody is just giving me confidence every single day to shoot the ball. I just came into the game with that confidence."

The Huskies are searching for consistent help from their bench to take pressure off leading scorers Jalen Adams, Christian Vital and Terry Larrier. Reserves are averaging 15.9 points per game and that number is inflated by Vital scoring 30 and 29 points off the bench earlier this season against Boston University and Columbia.

Vital eventually moved into the starting lineup, starting 17 of the last 19 games. He's been UConn's best all-around player in the last five games, averaging 16.8 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds.

Ollie hopes Polley and his fellow bench buddies can build off their strong performance. UConn reserves totaled 19 points overall vs. Tulsa.

"We haven't been getting a lot off our bench, so I thought that was encouraging going forward, (Polley) getting a little confidence in his shot," Ollie said. "He's been shooting great in practice. He's been staying even after practice. That just shows when you put work into your game, results follow that.

"I was very happy and proud of Tyler and his effort."

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN at EAST CAROLINA

Location: Minges Coliseum, Greenville, N.C.

Tip: 3 p.m. (ESPNews)

Records: UConn 12-14, 5-8; East Carolina 10-14, 4-9

Last game: UConn lost to Tulsa, 73-71, Thursday; East Carolina won at Tulane, 82-80,Wednesday

Probable starters: UConn, 6-3 jr. guard Jalen Adams (17.5 pts, 4.2 rebs, 4.4 assists), 6-2 so. guard Christian Vital (14.8 pts, 5.2 rebs), 6-8 r-jr. forward Terry Larrier (13.8 pts, 4.5 rebs), 6-8 r-fr. Forward Mamadou Diarra (2.8 pts, 2.7 rebs), 6-9 freshman forward Josh Carlton (4.7 pts, 4 rebs)

East Carolina, 6-0 r-fr. guard Shawn Williams (11.6 pts), 6-3 jr. guard Isaac Fleming (12.6 pts, 4.8 assists), 6-3 sr. guard B.J. Tyson (14.5 pts, 4.3 rebs), 6-6 grad. forward Aaron Jackson (1.2 pts, 2.0 rebs), 6-8 fr. forward Dimitrije Spasojevic (6.6 pts, 4.2 rebs)

Noteworthy: Two teams with second most overall losses in AAC. ... UConn lost five of six. ECU won two of three. ... Series: UConn leads, 7-2, winning last meeting 70-65 on Jan. 6 in Hartford. Adams 18 pts. Teams combined for 37 turnovers. Lost last trip to ECU, 66-62, Jan. 2017. ... ECU's AAC wins vs. last place USF (two), Memphis, Tulane. ... Jr. Kentrell Barkley (12.5 pts, 7.5 rebs) out due to suspension.  ... Top reserve: 6-10 sr. Jabari Craig (5.2 pts, 6.3 rebs). ... UConn 9th in scoring defense (72.0) in AAC, ECU 11th (72.9). ... Williams averaging 19.4 pts over 8 games. ... Pirates out-scored by 9.8 pts in AAC action. ... Tyson league's 2nd all-time leading scorer with 1,471 pts. ... Hot: Vital first in AAC in FT percentage at 85.3. Cold: Larrier shooting 34 percent from field in last five games, averaging 10.2 pts. ... Adams 3rd in AAC in scoring. ... UConn 1-7 in true road games, ECU 8-8 at home. ... Up next: UConn visits No. 5 Cincinnati Wednesday.

— Gavin Keefe