As part of his recruiting pitch, Dan Hurley shows potential future Huskies highlight clips of magical moments in UConn basketball history.

Shabazz Napier's game-winning buzzer-beater against Florida in 2013 is in Hurley's regular rotation. Napier's heroics and wild reaction by the Gampel Pavilion crowd are what Hurley, who was at Rhode Island at the time, is trying to recapture in his coaching quest to return the program to an elite status.

"That's part of the videos that we show recruits," Hurley said. "I've probably seen that shot 125 times on unofficial visits, official visits trying to sell the atmosphere at games and what it means to be a UConn player. The crowd was obviously great, to see the fans running on the court. I've seen that clip a bunch."

Florida is back at Gampel Pavilion Sunday afternoon (3 p.m., ESPN) for the first time since Napier's memorable basket in a 65-64 win. And the Gators are ranked 15th, as just they were in 2013.

But the Huskies have had a significant drop-off since that season during which they won the national championship and beat Florida in the semifinals.

A gruesome performance in Wednesday's loss to Saint Joseph's was another sign of just how far the Huskies have to go. Hurley called it a step back.

Hurley knows the rebuilding process can at times be painful.

"I understand what this is daily," Hurley said. "This is a climb, man, and we're not going to get there overnight. We'll have some moments like that (Florida game) hopefully in the near future, hopefully sooner than later, but we're a long way from that, from playing a game at that level. That's why they hired me here.

"We need the fans. We need their support. Blueblood programs have great crowds every night. To get from where we're at right now to back up toward the top of the mountain where everyone wants to be, we need their help."

Sunday's game is expected to be a sellout. Only 4,081 fans showed up for the St. Joe's game.

The Huskies must shake their bad habits, especially sluggish starts, if they expect to have any shot at pulling off an upset. Before they could blink, they were down 14-0 against St. Joe's.

"If we don't have (a better start) Sunday, it's going to be a long day for us," junior Tyler Polley said. That's definitely an emphasis for us."

UConn hasn't won a home game against a ranked opponent since February 2016 (a 68-62 decision against No. 21 SMU), so perhaps the Huskies are overdue.

Florida (2-1) is young and extremely talented. The Gators added the nation's top graduate transfer in 6-foot-10 Kerry Blackshear, Jr., who earned All-ACC second team honors last season at Virginia Tech. The preseason SEC player of the year has registered a double double in all three games this seaosn.

McDonald's All-Americans Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann anchor a recruiting class ranked seventh in the country. They comprise the starting backcourt.

If there is a good time to play the Gators, it is probably early in the season before they hit their stride. They started the season ranked in the top five before a loss to Florida State dropped them down.

"They're a talented team, several NBA draft prospects," Hurley said.

Hurley hopes that Wednesday's ugly performance serves as a wake-up call for his Huskies. They might have come into Sunday's game a bit overconfident if they had rolled over St. Joe's.

"That was trash the other night," Hurley said. "You're not going to see that. I can't guarantee you any type of an outcome on Sunday but we will not show up like punks like that."

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN vs. No. 15 FLORIDA

Location: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs

Tip: 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Records: UConn 1-1, Florida 2-1

Last game: UConn lost to Saint Joseph's, 96-87, Wednesday; Florida beat Towson, 66-60, Thursday

Probable starters, UConn, r-jr. guard Alterique Gilbert (14 pts, 3.5 assists), 6-2 sr. guard Christian Vital (21.5 pts, 11.5 rebs, 4.5 steals), 6-8 jr. forward Tyler Polley (11.5 pts, 3 rebs), 6-9 r.-fr. forward Akok Akok (8 pts, 6.5 rebs, 3.5 blks), 6-11 jr. center Josh Carlton (13.5 pts, 8.5 rebs)

Florida, 6-4 fr. guard Tre Mann (7.3 pts), 6-5 fr. guard Scottie Lewis (9.3 pts), 6-5 so. guard Andrew Nembhard (6.3 pts, 5.3 assists), 6-5 so. forward Keyontae Johnson (11.3 pts, 5 rebs), 6-10 graduate forward Kerry Blackshear, Jr. (14.3 pts, 12 rebs)

Noteworthy: First game against ranked foe this season. Went 1-3 last season vs. Top 25, beating No. 15 Syracuse at MSG. ... Series: UConn leads, 3-1, winning last meeting 63-59 on the road in 2015. ... Blackshear SEC preseason player of the year. ... Florida lost came vs. rival Florida State, 63-51, on Nov. 10. ... Top reserve: so. guard Noah Locke (6.3 pts). ... Gators averaging 63.7 pts, allowing 60.7. Shooting 37.9 percent from field. ... First meeting in home and home series, with Huskies visiting Gainesville in 2020-21 season. ... Hot: Blackshear registered double-double in all three games. Cold: Gilbert shooting 25 percent (7 for 28) from field. ... Huskies have more turnovers (25) than assists (23). ... Out: fr. guard James Bouknight (suspension). ... Up next: UConn plays Buffalo on Thursday in first of three games in Charleston Classic in South Carolina.

— Gavin Keefe