South Florida @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2020 ) Connecticut 60, South Florida 75

When Connecticut hosts South Florida on Sunday in the last meeting as conference opponents between the two former Big East schools, the Huskies will look to get even after being manhandled by the Bulls in a 15-point defeat in early January. Connecticut has been a significantly better team on its home court this season and has never lost to South Florida at home.

Despite picking up big wins against Tulsa, Cincinnati and Memphis in the month of February, UConn's season can be highlighted by multiple heartbreaking losses, as their last six have come by no more than seven points, including four overtime decisions. "I'll have to ask the players, 'Would you prefer getting beat by 25, embarrassing yourselves, or show up with competitiveness and determination and play the game and compete the way we have?'" coach Dan Hurley said of the close losses following Thursday's double-overtime setback at Temple. The Huskies were dealt a further blow last weekend against Memphis when freshman forward Akok Akok went down with a complete rupture of his left achilles, leaving them with just eight healthy scholarship players. Following an upset win against Memphis, South Florida has dropped three straight games against top American Athletic Conference opponents while averaging under 54 points in that span, well shy of the team's conference-worst 61.8 points per game.

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

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (11-15, 4-9 AAC): As leading scorer David Collins has lost nearly 1.5 points off his scoring average since the start of conference play, senior Laquincy Rideau has picked up some of the slack, averaging 15.8 points in the last six games, reaching double figures in each contest, and dishes out a tick under four assists per game. Sophomore Ezacuras Dawson's 41.7 success rate from 3-point range is second-best in the conference and he is shooting over 52 percent from behind the arc in the last six games. The Bulls are 7-1 on the season when guard Justin Brown reaches double figures, and he has done so in three of the last five games, averaging 10.6 points in that stretch.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (14-12, 5-8 ): With the injuries to Akok and forward Tyler Polley, Isaiah Whaley has stepped into a starting role and scored 18 points and 14 rebounds against Temple, both career highs, and has blocked eight shots in the last two games. Freshman James Bouknight has emerged as one of the Huskies' top players, reaching double figures in each of the last eight games and averaging just under 20 points in his last five. But senior Christian Vital remains the team's leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points, has been in double figures in 12 straight games and has not missed a free throw in his last three games.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. South Florida has held 24 of 26 opponents below its season scoring average.

2. Vital and Rideau are tied for the AAC lead and ninth in the nation with 2.4 steals per game.

3. UConn is second in the nation with 6.3 blocked shots per game.

PREDICTION: UConn 70, South Florida 61