Arkansas St. @ South Florida preview

South Florida looks to put wins back-to-back for the first time this season when it hosts Arkansas State on Friday afternoon. The Bulls knocked off visiting Howard 75-52 on Wednesday and Arkansas State lost at Indiana 87-70 on the same night after splitting its first four contests of the season.

While looking to establish a new culture for USF, head coach Brian Gregory has many areas to shore up. But the key is defense, which is a big reason Gregory brought in a handful of upperclassmen or graduate transfers in his first year. In the early stages, the Bulls' defense has been an area that has shown improvement under the former Georgia Tech coach. The Bulls have allowed an average of 63.2 points in the first five games, among the leaders in the American Athletic Conference and more than 10 points fewer than last season.

TV: Noon ET, No TV

ABOUT ARKANSAS STATE (2-3): Senior guard Deven Simms (16.5) and junior guard Ty Cockfield (16.0), who registered a season-high 25 in a victory over Howard on Monday, lead the Red Wolves offense. But the strength of Arkansas State lies in its depth. In the past four games, the Red Wolves outscored their opponent in bench points 128-54 - getting at least 31 from their reserves in the past three outings.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (3-2): One of the reasons the Bulls have been able to keep games close in the early part of the season has been their success from the free-throw line. USF is hitting 78.1 percent from the charity stripe overall, despite making just 14-of-21 in the victory over Howard. Guard Stephan Jiggets has converted 15-of-16 from the foul line while Terrence Samuel is 20-for-22.

TIP-INS

1. Arkansas State had at a player reach the 20-point mark in all five games to start the season and Simms accomplished the feat Wednesday against Indiana, leading the Red Wolves with 21.

2. USF is averaging 14.4 turnovers per game, which jumped up after committing 19 against Howard on Wednesday.

3. South Florida sophomore F Tulio Da Silva, one of two returning starters to the Bulls this season, averages 6.8 rebounds per game - nearly two more than any teammate.

PREDICTION: Arkansas State 71, USF 66