Connecticut didn't exactly have a pleasant trip to the Bahamas, and its first game since returning stateside might prove just as difficult.
After a week off, the eighth-ranked Huskies will face an Arkansas team that thrives on wreaking havoc defensively during Saturday's Big East/SEC Challenge matchup in Hartford.
Connecticut's stay at the Battle 4 Atlantis got off to a solid start with a 73-63 win over UNC Asheville on Nov. 24. The Huskies, however, suffered a 68-63 loss to Central Florida the next day to end their 16-game win streak, then needed overtime to edge then-No. 22 Florida State 78-76 in the consolation game Nov. 26.
Shabazz Napier posted career highs of 26 points and six 3-pointers in the win, while leading scorer Jeremy Lamb (21.1 ppg) added 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Ryan Boatright hit three key free throws to pull UConn even late in regulation in his collegiate debut. He finished with 14 points, three assists and zero turnovers in 33 minutes.
The Huskies' backup guard was given a six-game NCAA suspension for receiving improper benefits - reportedly the purchase of a plane ticket while he was playing AAU basketball.
"He was the missing piece of the puzzle we needed," Napier said. "To have him beside me is the best I can hope for."
Connecticut (6-1) will likely need Napier and Boatright to play well again with Arkansas having returned to its "40 Minutes of Hell" defense made famous under Nolan Richardson.
Former Richardson assistant Mike Anderson brought the full-court pressure defense over from Missouri, where he led the Tigers to three straight NCAA tournament berths and the 2009 Big 12 tournament title.
The Razorbacks (5-1) are forcing 19.5 turnovers per game but won't have Marshawn Powell to help them in the first game outside their home state. Arkansas lost the junior forward, who averaged 19.5 points on 71.4 percent shooting in two games, to a season-ending knee injury during a practice last month.
"(Playing at Connecticut is) an awful big challenge for our basketball team, and the challenge got a lot bigger with the absence of Marshawn Powell," Anderson said. "It's the ultimate challenge, but at the same time it's a great opportunity."
Arkansas dropped its first game after losing the second-team preseason all-SEC selection, 87-78 to Houston on Nov. 18, but has won three in a row since then, with the latest victory a 97-64 drubbing of Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday.
Sophomore guard Mardracus Wade's career-high 20 points led five players in double figures. Among those was freshman Devonta Abron, who had a season-high 13 points and has averaged 10.3 since moving into Powell's starting spot.
Fellow freshman B.J. Young is averaging 13.3 off the bench and 15.5 since Powell's injury. Two more first-year Razorbacks, Rashad Madden and Hunter Mickelson, have contributed a combined 13.8 points over the past four games.
"They look over there and (Powell's) not there; that's one way it's going to help," Anderson said. "Who does that mean has to step up? These guys have to look in the mirror at themselves. It's an opportunity for those guys to showcase what they're capable of doing."
That opportunity will come against a Connecticut team that's won 37 straight non-conference home games and is 15-5 against SEC foes during Calhoun's tenure.
The Huskies have won both previous meetings with the Razorbacks, the most recent of which was in the 2005 Maui Invitational, and are facing Arkansas in a non-neutral setting for the first time.
Connecticut also defeated Anderson's Missouri squad in a 2009 NCAA regional final, 82-75 in Glendale, Ariz.
