South Florida @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 23, 2019 ) South Florida 59, Houston 71

Houston hopes to make things easier on itself Sunday afternoon and post a fourth straight victory when the 24th-ranked Cougars host struggling South Florida in an American Athletic Conference matchup. Houston had to rally from six points down in the final five-plus minutes to earn a 63-59 victory over Connecticut on Thursday for its ninth win in the past 10 outings.

“Sometimes when you don’t have your best stuff, and you’re in a fight like that, you have to find a way to win,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters. “That’s where your culture comes, where how you practice every day comes in. Your preparation.” Houston shares the top spot in the AAC with Tulsa and has won five straight in the series - 18 of 30 overall - against USF, which trails the pack in the league after suffering four consecutive losses. The Bulls lost the first three during their slide by a total of eight points against East Carolina, Memphis and Central Florida and led early in the second half Tuesday night against Wichita State at home before settling for a 56-43 defeat. “We’re holding each other up,” USF’s leading scorer David Collins told reporters. “We know what we’re capable of. We’ve lost some really close games and been in some games, so we know we just gotta keep it going. The light always shows.”

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (8-11, 1-5 AAC): Collins leads the team in scoring (14.7 points), and the junior guard needs one made free throw to break the tie with Memphis’ Jeremiah Martin (368) for the AAC’s all-time record. Senior guard Laquincy Rideau, who tops the Bulls in assists (4.3) along with steals (ACC-best 2.5), is the only other player averaging in double figures scoring (12.2) despite managing just six per game on 6-of-31 shooting the past three outings. Sophomore guard Ezacuras Dawson III, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is averaging 10.3 points over the past three contests, while 7-0 sophomore forward Michael Durr tops the team in rebounding (6.2).

ABOUT HOUSTON (15-4, 5-1): Freshman guard Caleb Mills has taken over the team lead in scoring (13.0 points) after averaging 17 over the past five contests, while sophomore backcourt mate Quentin Grimes (12.6) managed just 6.6 per game over the same span. Sophomore guard Nate Hinton, who leads the team in rebounds (9.5) and steals (1.3), was saddled with foul trouble and did not score against UConn to drop his season average to 11.0. DeJon Jarreau finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday to post his second consecutive double-double, and the junior guard leads the team in assists (3.7) after collecting 14 combined in the past two outings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. USF junior F Justin Brown leads the team in made 3-pointers (32) and is third in scoring (7.8) but did not score against Wichita State.

2. Houston junior F Fabian White Jr. is averaging 12.3 points on 50 percent shooting over the past three contests.

3. The Cougars are second in the AAC in free-throw shooting percentage (71.9), while the Bulls are last at 61.4 - 342nd in the nation.

PREDICTION: Houston 74, South Florida 60