East Carolina @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2020 ) South Florida 59, East Carolina 62

East Carolina looks to string victories together for the first time since Jan. 7-11 when the Pirates visit South Florida for a battle between two of the bottom three teams in the American Athletic Conference on Wednesday. East Carolina snapped a frustrating three-game losing streak that included an overtime setback against co-AAC leader Cincinnati with a 67-63 victory over Temple on Sunday to surpass last season’s total with its 11th win.

“We’ve still got some basketball to play this year,” Pirates coach Joe Dooley told reporters after his team held Temple to 35.5 percent shooting. “If we finish the season the right way with some effort and enthusiasm, there’s no telling what might happen.” East Carolina sophomore forward Jayden Gardner leads the AAC in scoring (20.6) and finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds - one of his 13 double-doubles this season - as the Pirates defeated visiting USF 62-59 for their third win in five meetings on Jan. 7. The Bulls looked as though they were making a move a few weeks ago with three straight wins, including an impressive triumph at Memphis, but they have lost four in a row since after Sunday’s 78-71 setback at Connecticut. “Our defense let us down a little bit there,” USF coach Brian Gregory told reporters. “We were active defensively, but maybe a little too gamble-oriented in the second half. We created scrambles, created open shots for them, and created some offensive rebounds for them.”

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

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (11-17, 5-10 AAC): The 6-7 Gardner is also third in the AAC in rebounding (9.6) and sixth in shooting percentage (52.8) after draining 20-of-36 from the field over the past two contests. Gardner needs more help and freshman guard Tristen Newton has been providing some of late while averaging 14.7 points the past three games to push his season mark to 10.2, and freshman forward Brandon Suggs is next at 8.6 per outing. Junior guard J.J. Miles (7.6 points) has also raised his production level by averaging 12.3 points across the last four contests, including 21 at Tulsa on Feb. 12 and 11 versus Temple on Sunday.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (11-16, 4-10): Junior guard David Collins moved into the top 10 in program history in scoring after pouring in 18 against UConn and leads the team in scoring overall (14.0). Senior guard Laquincy Rideau, who is second in the AAC in steals per game (2.41), is averaging 15.1 points over the past seven contests to boost his season mark to 12.7 to go along with a team-high 3.9 assists. Junior Justin Brown averages 8.5 points after recording a career-high 22 points at UConn on Sunday and Gregory told reporters: “He’s not only scoring, but (he’s giving) effort. When he scores like that, it obviously gives us a lift.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. USF sophomore C Michael Durr leads the team in rebounding (6.0) and scored in double figures (10) for the first time in eight games Sunday.

2. East Carolina junior guard Tyrie Jackson (7.0 points) is questionable after missing the Temple game with an undisclosed injury.

3. The Pirates are fourth in the AAC in free-throw shooting percentage (72.5) and South Florida is last at 64.4.

PREDICTION: South Florida 72, East Carolina 66