The unprecedented level of consistent success UConn basketball enjoys under coach Geno Auriemma doesn’t come without acute attention to detail. 

At the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, the No. 2-ranked Huskies begin to build the perennial championship juggernaut, with emphasis on the finer points. 

“It’ll be nice to see if we can take some of the things we’ve been emphasizing in practice and translate them into real action — just small stuff that we weren’t able to do before, like being in the right position on defense,” All-America swing player Katie Lou Samuelson told FloHoops.com. 

Watch the 2018 Paradise Jam (Women's) LIVE on FloHoops!

The idea of a program with a 178-3 record over the past half-decade needing refinement might seem absurd, but it’s UConn’s commitment to solidifying all phases of its team game that has the Huskies in national championship contention year after year. 

And in the early phases of 2018-19, Samuelson and fellow All-American Napheesa Collier echoed the same area of focus: team defense. 

“We don’t have two lockdown defenders like we did last year, who can one-on-one guard the other teams’ best players,” Collier said. 

Gone from last season’s lineup are American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Gabby Williams, as well as Kia Nurse. The absence of their harassing presences on the perimeter place rotation at a premium for the Huskies. 

Once UConn locks in that element of its team game, look out, because there’s no question about the Huskies’ proficiency on the offensive end. UConn can score in bunches, feeding off the four-year leadership of Samuelson and Collier. 

“We know what each other likes to do offensively, and we know where each other wants the ball,” Collier said. “So we’re really good at putting each other in those situations. ...That just comes with experience.”

Either could conceivably put up bigger individual numbers with more of the offensive workload on her shoulders, but unselfishness is one of those critical details that makes UConn so successful every season. 

The All-Americans Samuelson and Collier are averaging a combined 33 points per game through the Huskies’ first two contests, right in the line with their 2017-18 output. But this season, the Huskies have Crystal Dangerfield also in the mix with 37 points against Ohio State and Vanderbilt. 

That doesn’t mean the Huskies stars defer on offense, though. Last year, the 6-foot-3 Samuelson averaged a team-best 17.4 points per game with one of the most effective touches from behind the three-point line at any level of basketball. She connecting on 47.5 percent of her 202 attempts from deep. 

This season, Samuelson said she has aimed to “step up” by adding a more effective offensive game from inside the arc to her repertoire. 

UConn’s fluid team offense mirrors the standard the Huskies aim to establish on defense. They get their first opportunity to implement it in the Paradise Jam on Thanksgiving day against Ole Miss. 

The Lady Rebels are the first of three UConn opponents in as many days over the course of the tournament. The Huskies renew an old Big East Conference series on Friday with St. John’s, then close out their trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands against Purdue. 

The Thanksgiving tournament format is new for this group of UConn players, but a welcome opportunity to forge a team identity both on and off the court. 

“I’ve been a part of UConn for a really long time, and we have a lot of fun,” Collier said. “But when it’s time to get down to business, we do what we have to do.” 

“This will be good for seeing if we can do that balancing as a team,” Samuelson said. “There’s going to be a lot of distractions during the day, but when it’s time to play, we can compartmentalize.

“It’s good preparation for when it does come time to the end of the season, and you’re playing those games close together,” Samuelson added.

Once the American Athletic and NCAA Tournaments arrive, the details UConn emphasized in the Paradise Jam should have the Huskies prepared for another Final Four push.

Don't forget to catch the Huskies live on FloHoops during the 2018 Paradise Jam.

Kyle Kensing is a freelance sports journalist in southern California. Follow him on Twitter @kensing45.