TAMPA, Fla., (Feb. 22, 2022) – South Florida faces East Carolina for the second time in six days when the teams lace it up Wednesday night in Greenville, NC.
The Bulls, who lost at home to Tulsa 65-57 Saturday afternoon, are looking for their first American Athletic Conference road win of the season.
The Pirates lost at UCF Sunday 69-66 on a last second three-pointer.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against East Carolina:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (7-19, 2-12 AAC) at ECU (13-13, 4-10 AAC)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 23
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: Bulls Unlimited
History: USF leads the all-time series with ECU 12-10. The teams played last Thursday in Tampa with the Pirates earning a 65-57 victory.
The Opponent: ECU has great size and veteran players. The Pirates returned 54.3 percent of their scoring and 45.6 percent of their rebounding from last season.
Sophomore Tristen Newton makes ECU go. He is second in the AAC in scoring (17.2 ppg), second in assists (5.0 apg) and first in free throw percentage (86.3). He is excellent coming off screens making 60 percent of his shots in that play type. Newton is also a very good catch-and-shoot guy. Newtown scored 14 points, was 8-of-8 from the free throw line, dished 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds.
Vance Jackson is a 24 year-old, 6-foot-9, 230-pounder who is strong, mobile and a good ball handler for his size. He is ranked sixth in the AAC in rebounds per game at 6.0 rpg. Jackson has four double-doubles on the season. We like his versatility and his physicality.
Jackson can grab a DREB and lead the fast break. Jackson is a major threat to score from the perimeter where he is making 43.6 percent of his attempts in AAC games and he has become a better low post scorer as the season advanced. He leads ECU in made three-pointers (70).
Brandon Suggs is a driver who doesn’t shoot threes that often or that well. He has just 11 three-point makes this season. The Pirates don’t run any plays for Suggs but he is a capable playmaker and ECU is a different team when he is in the game. ECU lost all five games that Suggs missed between Jan. 18 and Feb. 5.
The Pirates rotate Alanzo Frink and Ludgy Debaut in the post. Frink is slightly more effective from the left block. Debaut, at 7-foot, 245, is a good ball screen hedger and a good rim protector. He will take high post jumpers. In Tampa the two players combined for 40 minutes, 10 points, 11 rebounds and one block.
Brandon Johnson is impressive in transition and as a rebounder. He’s ranked eighth in the AAC at 6.0 rpg. Johnson is an average finisher after an OREB.
J.J. Miles has missed the last five ECU games due to injury. His status for Wednesday is unknown.
ECU wants to run and shoot threes. They make an average of 7.6 per game. The Pirates share the ball very well, have a 63.1 percent assist rate per game and are third in the AAC in assists per game.
Defensively ECU plays almost exclusively man (92.2 percent) and teams are shooting 41 percent against its man defense. ECU is, however, excellent at defending ball screens and post ups. They will use a 2-2-1 press into a 2-3 zone defense at times for a change of pace out of a timeout or made shot.
Keys To A Win
USF needs to play good transition defense, defend the three point arc, control the glass and get points in the paint. The Bulls also need to find a way to contain Newton without fouling.
