GameBox: USF at Villanova

Posted Feb 23, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Feb 23, 2010 at 03:25 PM

Hey folks, the Bulls stunk up the Sun Dome on Saturday and really need to come back strong at Villanova to keep their chances of an at-large NCAA bid alive.

USF coach Stan Heath was so disgusted after Saturday’s game that he basically told the team to get lost. They took Sunday off and had a brief team meeting on Monday afternoon to get refocused following their disappointing loss to St. John’s.

I’m heading up to cover the game in the morning and will post my preview story on the blog later this afternoon. For now, here is a quick look at the game in capsule form:

SOUTH FLORIDA AT NO. 7 VILLANOVA

TIP-OFF: 9 p.m.; The Pavilion, Villanova, Pa.
RECORDS: USF 16-10 (6-8); Villanova 22-4 (11-3)
TV/RADIO: Big East Network/1250 AM
NEED TO KNOW: USF is 0-3 all-time against Villanova and 5-20 on the road against ranked teams since joining the Big East … Villanova has lost two consecutive games and after a 20-1 start, the Wildcats have lost three of their past five games … USF junior G Dominique Jones shot just four free throws in Saturday’s loss to St. John’s; when Jones shoots five or less free throws in Big East play, USF is 0-5 this season … Jones has also cooled off from the floor, shooting 32.3 percent (22 of 68) over the last four games … USF’s Jarrid Famous (knee) and Alex Rivas (hip flexor) are expected to play but were not 100 percent against St. John’s … Villanova is coming off 70-65 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, the fewest points the Wildcats have scored this season; Villanova averages 84.2 points a game, second in the nation … Villanova G Scottie Reynolds averages 19.0 points a game, fourth-best in Big East.

Scott Carter