Houston @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2016 ) Houston 70, South Florida 56

Houston and host South Florida both enter the start of American Athletic Conference play riding high on Thursday. Houston has won nine of the past 10 while USF is on the longest winning streak in more than three years.

Houston enters play as one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, ranked 10th in percentage at 41.8 per game and is third in the conference at 8.7 3-point conversions per game. Armoni Brooks (50 percent), Corey Davis Jr. (43.8 percent) and Rob Gray (41.7 percent) are all over 40 percent on the season for the Cougars. But USF, winners of three consecutive games for the first time since the start of the 2014-15 season, is one of the top teams in the nation in defending the 3-point line, holding teams to 30.1 percent from beyond the arc - ranked tied for 37th in the country and second in the conference. The Bulls have held 10 of their 13 opponents this season to below 40 percent from behind the 3-point line with only one opponent reaching double digits in made 3-pointers while Houston has been above 40 percent six times in 12 games and have hit double digits in 3-point field goals made six times.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT HOUSTON (10-2, 0-0 AAC): Gray, a senior guard, has maintained his spot among the elite players in the AAC this season. Gray leads the conference in scoring at 20.7 points per game and is in the top 15 in assists, free-throw percentage, 3-point field goals per game, 3-point field goal percentage and assist-turnover ratio. Gray has scored at least 20 points in seven of the 11 games he has played this season and needs 16 points to move into 22nd on the school's all-time scoring list.

ABOUT USF (7-6, 0-0): The Bulls already matched last year's win total as they enter the first year of conference play under coach Brian Gregory. The team's play this season has been different with 10 new players on the roster including three key graduate transfers in Payton Banks, Terrence Samuel and Stephan Jiggetts, but the early part of the season has been about building blocks as Gregory starts to see improvements from the underclassmen. "We win seven games in the non-conference, that's the first time in four years with the most wins in the non-conference, that's important,'' Gregory told reporters after last week's victory against Charlotte. "Three straight home wins, that's the first time in four years we've done that against Division I teams. Those are little things that four, five years down the road, you'll look back and say that was really important in what you're trying to build.''

TIP-INS

1. USF freshman G Justin Brown set career highs with 12 points and four 3-pointers in 18 minutes of play in the Bulls' victory against Charlotte last time out.

2. Houston has won 10 of the past 11 conference openers and three straight. The Cougars are opening conference play on the road for the fourth consecutive season, posting a 2-1 record in the first three.

3. USF freshman G David Collins returned to the Bulls on Dec. 21 against Charlotte after missing five games with a knee injury and scored six points in eight minutes.

PREDICTION: Houston 81, USF 65