TAMPA, Fla., (Jan. 14, 2023) – South Florida looks to snap a four-game losing skid Sunday in another road contest when they visit East Carolina for a Sunday afternoon game.
The Bulls are coming off a tough 83-77 loss at No. 1 Houston.
The Pirates have lost three consecutive games, most recently an 83-55 beat down by Cincinnati.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against East Carolina:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (7-10; 0-4 AAC) East Carolina (10-8; 1-4 AAC)
Date: Sun. Jan. 15
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Watch: ESPN2
Radio: 102.5 The Strike HD-2 & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
History: USF leads the all-time series with ECU 12-11. The Pirates swept the Bulls in their two contests last season.
The Opponent: At the helm of ECU this season is Michael Schwartz, a first-year head coach who led the Pirates to a 10-5 start. Sophomore point guard Javon Small leads ECU in scoring (15.5 ppg) and assists (5.9 apg). ECU is 8-14 in games played on Jan. 15 since the 1960-61 season.
Small can play on or off the ball. He is a good shooter and half of his shots are threes. Small is good off the bounce and wants to get all the way to the basket to finish or draw fouls. He makes 85.4 percent of his free throws. He isn’t super quick but he is strong and knows how to use his body.
RJ Felton, is Small’s backcourt mate and he is a very aggressive and physical scoring guard. At 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, Felton uses his athleticism off the bounce to draw fouls but it makes him susceptible to charging fouls. A capable shooter, look for Felton to spot up in transition. He likes to attack the rim going to his right and is a good offensive rebounder.
Another sophomore, Brandon Johnson, is a space 4-man with length and athleticism. ECU uses him at the 5 in their small-ball lineup. Johnson is the Pirates best rebounder and second leading scorer. The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder gets his threes off of drives-and-kicks. He will pick-and-pop and trail in transition for threes. In the post he wants to get to his left shoulder.
Ezra Ausar has started the last ten games at center for the Pirates. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound freshman is skilled and plays hard. He has range to 15-feet on his jumper and is comfortable on the perimeter. Make no mistake, Ausar is willing to bang. He can score over either shoulder. He goes hard to the glass and must be boxed out.
Jaden Walker is a wing with length who likes to dribble. He will attack the cup in transition. ECU will ball screen for him. Walker is right handed but likes to drive left. An okay perimeter shooter but needs time and space. Stay down on pump fake.
ECU likes to spread the floor and drive. They will always have at least four guys on the court who can drive it from the perimeter and multiple guys who can push it in transition. The Pirates aren’t shooting a higher percentage from three as a team but they are dangerous from distance.
Defensively, ECU is as exclusively man as you can get (99.6 percent) and they have been good at it for a month. Until Cincinnati scored 83 points on ECU on Wednesday, the Pirates had gone 30 days without allowing an opponent to score 70 points. They will use a 3/4 court zone to try and slow teams down. Attack it.
KEYS TO A WIN
Don’t give up open threes or layups in transition, guard the ball in the half court, defend without fouling – ECU leads the AAC in FTA at 22 per game – REBOUND – ECU gives up 10 OREB per game – cut down on turnovers and feed the post.
