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After Tuesday’s loss to Providence, Roscoe Smith said UConn, assured of a losing record in the Big East, isn’t worried because it has great players.

So, the obvious question: Why can’t great players put it together and become a great team?

“I don’t know….I don’t know,” Smith said. “No comment.”

Shabazz Napier (AP)

And that, my friends, pretty much sums things up. There weren’t answers back in November when UConn allowed a 17-point lead to slip away against UCF, and there certainly aren’t any today, the last day of February.

Some links and additional info from a loss that could cost the defending national champion a tournament berth:

*UConn blows lead, falls to Providence

*Chris Elsberry: Say farewell to UConn’s NCAA hopes

* Three Months After UCF Loss, Not Much Has Changed For Huskies (vote if UConn is tournament worthy)

Notes/Quotes:

* Aside from the 10 3-pointers it gave up — that’s been a theme all  year — the numbers don’t look bad: UConn had 17 assists and just seven turnovers, shot 46 percent from the field and scored 70 points. Sounds like a win, right?

“It was one of those games where you do everything right, and it was just neck-and-neck,” Smith said. “It was a hard-fought game, but congratulations to Providence.”

* Providence has now won five of the past seven meetings between the two teams. UConn hasn’t won at “The Dunk” since 2006. So, really, it doesn’t make much sense for Shabazz Napier to say “No disrespect to them, but this is one of the games you put a ‘W’ before you even play it.”

Ouch.

Truthfully, UConn can’t say that about many teams in the Big East. Remember, this team was 9-9 a year ago. It was 7-11 the year before that. Ever since the Glory Days ended (the Hasheem Thabeet/A.J. Price/Jeff Adrien/me as a student era), UConn has conference mark of 23-30. The Huskies are now in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

* Check back tomorrow afternoon for the daily Bubble Watch/Calhoun Watch.

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As you all know, Shabazz Napier has no problem speaking his mind. And I respect that — it’s definitely refreshing to hear something that isn’t pre-meditated media talk. Here’s his take from Tuesday.

“No disrespect to them, but this is one of the games you put a ‘W’ by before you even play,” Napier said.

Only problem is, against Providence, it’s not always an easy ‘W.’ In fact, the Friars have nipped the Huskies in five of the past seven meetings.

Andre Drummond (AP)

This one — a brutal 72-70 loss  — hurts the most.

Earlier today, I said UConn needed two wins — any two — to sneak into the Big Dance. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore. I mean, this was a bad loss. Beating Pitt and winning one Big East tournament game (Villanova, Pitt and Providence are among the likely opponents) may not make up for all the bad losses.

It’s funny: I remember witnessing UConn’s 17-point meltdown against Central Florida in the Battle 4 Atlantis at the Bahamas. It was one of the first games I covered on the beat. And I remember thinking “That was one of the most bizarre UConn games I’ve seen. That won’t happen again this year, right?”

On Tuesday, UConn was up 14  with 12 minutes to play. Providence caught fire, and the Huskies — dead last in the Big East in 3-point defense — fell into another downward spiral. It always seems to start with the 3-point shot.

Sometimes you just say “Well, the other team shot the hell out of it. Not much we can do.”

But after a while, when it happens time and time again, it can’t be a coincidence. It has to be something you’re doing wrong. Andre Drummond was on LaDontae Henton, who primarily played the perimeter. Drummond has guarded those types of players — Kevin Jones, Jae Crowder — and, simply put, it’s not the best matchup for him. He’s super-athletic, yes, but his shot-blocking presence is completely negated when he’s chasing around Henton, Jones or Crowder.

Or Keith Clanton, remember him? The UCF big man knocked down 4-of-5 long-range attempts in that November disaster.

I remember calling the loss to UCF a “colossal meltdown.”

Turns out it was just a preview of the 2011-12 season.

After that game, I wrote “How will this team respond in tight situations? Furthermore, who can step up in a time of need?”

Three months later, there still aren’t definitive answers.

During Monday’s media session,  Blaney said something interesting: “It seems to me that they handle adversity pretty well, but they sometimes just let it go and don’t play together for periods of time. And that’s been a problem most of the year.”

Indeed, they “just let it go.”

Their offense deteriorates — UConn scored 38 points in the paint, but failed to get the ball inside when the snowball kept growing — their body language becomes discouraging and, worst of all, they get beat to loose balls and offensive rebounds.

It was that way when UConn lost to UCF in November, and on the second-to-last day of February, not much has changed. As a result, there may not be any Madness in March. At least not in Storrs.

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If the UConn Huskies get to 19 wins, they’ll be dancing. Given the weak bubble, their No. 1 strength of schedule and their six wins against the Top 50, I don’t see any possible way they’ll be excluded.

Problem is, there are only two more regular season games remaining. And UConn, which hasn’t put together consecutive victories since early January, is stuck on 17 wins.

Yes, the loss to Cuse was encouraging (it was certainly the best half UConn has played this year), but there’s work to be done.

The Huskies are on their way to Providence for a crucial late-season matchup against a team that always seems to give them trouble.

Some quick notes from Monday’s practice:

* Associate head coach George Blaney said Pat Calhoun called following Jim’s surgery and delivered some good news.

“Pat called and said they were really pleased with what went on in the procedure,” Blaney said. “At the time she called, he was still in recovery. They were hoping he’d be feeling really good when he gets out of recovery. Everything looks encouraging. I believe he’ll be home sometime tomorrow and then we’ll take it day-to-day from there.”

* Shabazz Napier (zero points Saturday) was back with the starting five in practice and Ryan Boatright was running with the second team. Blaney said he “wasn’t sure” of the starters for Tuesday.

* At 17-11, UConn is in dire need of a few wins to close out the year.

“I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t know that we need to win games,” Blaney said. “Coach (Calhoun) has been saying it before he left. I’ve been saying it since I took the team. You have to win games at this level, you can’t just play well, so we need these two games coming up.”

* Roscoe Smith has provided a nice boost for the Huskies in the past two games. As Blaney pointed out, he’s the only Husky capable of guarding post players and wings — and any hybrid who can play multiple positions.

“I love what (Smith) is bringing to the table right now, love his physical aspect, love his passion,” Blaney said. “He made some big-time plays the other day.”