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The USF Bulls come into Hartford winners of two of their last four giving them a .500 record at 12-12, 3-8 in the AAC. At one point, the Bulls were 8-2 on the year until they dropped two of their last three before conference play. USF's quality wins are limited as they haven't had the strongest schedule. Their best win is against Alabama back in December- a game which USF won 66-64 behind Chris Perry's 14 point, 14 rebound performance.
In conference play, the Bulls have struggled played tough and may be starting to turn a corner, although they did just lose to Rutgers 79-69 on Saturday.
When South Florida played the bottom two teams in the AAC, they have prevailed, winning 82-75 at Temple and 79-78 in overtime at UCF. Their third AAC victory came against, SMU, who just entered the top 25. The Bulls defeated the Mustangs 78-71 two weeks ago at home behind Perry's 18 and 8. Two of USF's conference losses came in competitive games against the conference's best team. They lost to Cincinnati at home 61-54 on January 18 and 50-45 at Cincinnati just nine days ago.
Statistically, USF struggles scoring the basketball. They rank 285th (out of 351 D1 teams) in points per game with 66.7. They shoot poorly with a 43.8% which ranks 215th nationally. And they rank LAST in Division 1 basketball in team three-point percentage. The Bulls shoots an absolutely horrid 25.4%.
Now, a look at the players:
Victor Rudd, F, Senior (6-foot-9, 235 pounds): Leads the team in both scoring and rebounding averaging 15.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds. Rudd does shoot the three a lot, leading the team in makes and attempts going 24-92 on the year so far for a not very good 26.1%. In USF's last two wins, he scored 21 against SMU and 25 against UCF. He also did this against Rutgers on Saturday.
Corey Allen Jr., G, Junior (6-foot-1, 152 pounds): Second on the team in scoring with 10.3 points a contest. Currently the leader in assists per game with Anthony Collins sidelined with a knee injury with 3.0. He may be considered the best three-point threat, which is a stretch, as he shoots 31.5% on the year, 17-54. Allen Jr. is also the Bulls best free throw shooter at 80%.
Chris Perry, F/C, Freshman (6-foot-8, 266 pounds): Only a freshman, Perry is the 3rd on the team in both points and rebounds. He averages 9.7 points a game and pulls down 5.8 rebounds. Perry is one of the better shooters from the floor for the Bulls as he shoots 53.5%. He has scored double digits in four straight games.
John Egbunu, C, Freshman (6-foot-10, 245 pounds): Another freshman for USF who has contributed in big ways. Egbunu averages 7.5 points a game and is 2nd on the team in rebounding with 6.5 a game. He also leads the team in blocks with 1.3. Egbunu is also the team's best shooter from the floor statistically at 57.0%.
Martino Brock, G, Senior (6-foot-5, 205 pounds): 4th on the team in scoring with 9.1 points a game. He has scored 17 points in two straight games. Brock and Allen Jr. have had to play a much bigger role in the USF offense with Anthony Collins out.
USF is coached by Stan Heath who is in his 7th season with the Bulls where he has compiled a 97-121 record. In his first years, he constantly found his team at the bottom part of the Big East but broke out in the 2011-12 season when he led the Bulls to a 22-13 record and an NCAA Tournament win. Before USF, he was the coach at Arkansas where he went 82-71 in five seasons before being fired. Before Arkansas, Heath led Kent State to a 30-win season and the Elite Eight in just his first year as a head coach in Division 1. He was also an assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State where he won a National Championship in 2000.