South Florida @ Tulane preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2019 ) South Florida 75, Tulane 70

After a surprising non-conference slate and a decent start to American Athletic Conference play, Tulane is in the midst of a three-game losing streak that has seen them toppled by a combined 51 points. The Green Wave will host South Florida on Wednesday to take on a Bulls team that boasts one conference win and is on a five-game losing streak of their own.

The biggest issue during the losing streak for the Green Wave has been offense, shooting just over 37 percent from the floor - well off their season average of 42 percent. “Our defense has been outstanding really all year. When we get to the point where we’re consistently making shots, then we’ll take off,” coach Ron Hunter told The Times Picayune. Despite Hunter’s remarks, Tulane’s defense ranks second-to-last in the AAC in scoring defense (68.8 points per game), field goal percentage defense (44.7 percent) and 3-point field goal defense (34.5 percent). The Bulls also come into the contest struggling offensively, failing to score 60 points in four of their last five games, sitting last in the conference at 62 points per game.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: None

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (8-12, 1-6 AAC): The offensive woes for the Bulls have hit leading scorer David Collins, shooting 7-for-28 from the floor in his last three games. Though senior guard Laquincy Rideau has failed to crack double-digits in that same span, he has been useful elsewhere, leading the team with 4.2 assists while leading the conference at 2.5 steals. While outsider shooter Justin Brown has failed to connect from three in the last two games, Ezacuras Dawson is trending in the opposite direction, hitting 40 percent of his outside looks over the last four games.

ABOUT TULANE (10-9, 2-5): Despite the recent shooting struggles, the Green Wave lead the AAC in 3-point shooting led by Nic Thomas (conference-best 45.8 percent), who has made 14 threes in the last five games. Graduate transfer Teshaun Hightower is third in the conference with 16.1 points per game and is 10-for-21 from the floor in his last two games after making one shot against Central Florida. Along with Hightower, forward K.J. Lawson forms the third-highest scoring duo in the AAC, as the graduate transfer from Kansas chips in 13.7 points per game while shooting nearly 37 percent from 3-point range.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. South Florida won both meetings last season and three of the last four matchups.

2. Hightower, Lawson and Christion Thompson are all in the top five in the conference in minutes played.

3. Collins has the most made free throws (371) in AAC history.

PREDICTION: Tulane 67, South Florida 61