USF might feel as if they are playing a mirror image of themselves when they take on East Carolina Tuesday. The Pirates have had multiple players sit with injuries and have had a key reserve leave the program.

The last time out…

The Bulls responded to their New Year’s Day loss to SMU by leading for 27:51 in their 75-60 win over UCONN on Saturday.

ECU has won four of its last five games and nearly shocked No. 24 Wichita State but fell 75-69 on the road.

RunningTheBulls.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against East Carolina:

Quick Facts

Matchup: USF (8-7, 1-1 AAC) at ECU (6-8, 0-1 AAC)

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum

Watch: ESPN3

Radio: Bulls Unlimited

History: This will be the 19th meeting between ECU and USF. The Bulls lead the series 10-8. USF swept ECU last season.

The Opponent: A revamped Pirate roster includes 13 newcomers. Jaylen Gardner is the only scholarship player still on the roster from last season. ECU has yet to have its entire roster available for a game this season due to injuries causing it to use ten different starting lineups this season.

Gardner, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, was named preseason second team all-conference after earning unanimous all-freshman team status in 2019. Gardner has scored at least 20 points in six-straight games and is averaging 21.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. He also ranks among the conference leaders in offensive rebounds (3.1), minutes (32.3), and FG% (.586). KenPom ranks Gardner fifth nationally in fouls drawn. When he gets to the charity stripe he makes 75 percent of his attempts. Gardner dropped 10-pounds, increased his vertical, is more effective around the basket and is more comfortable with his face-up game.

JuCo transfers Tyrie Jackson (NW Florida State College) and Tremont Robinson-White (Garden City Community College) have played just six games together this season as both missed the start of the season due to injury. The Pirates are averaging 76 points per game when they both play but averaged only 64 points per game in the four games Jackson and Robinson-White both missed.

Jackson has been effective in ball screens he’ll look to split and attack. USF must not bail him out by fouling because he is an 80 percent free throw shooter.

The ECU freshmen foursome of Charles Coleman, Logan Curtis, Tristen Newton and Brandon Suggs are averaging a combined 20 points per game and are responsible for 30 percent of the Pirates’ total points this season. Newton also has the highest assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) of any freshman in the league and is averaging 3.8 assists per game.

ECU runs a set play in almost every half court situation however against Wichita State we did see a few instances when they used motion offense. They are not a good perimeter shooting team making just 28.7 percent beyond the arc, compared to 48.6 percent inside it.

Defensively ECU plays almost exclusively man (91.7 percent) during the three games we watched we saw a 2-3 zone, sometimes with traps, and what looked like a 1-3-1. The Pirates are 6-0 this year when holding their opponent to less than 40 percent from the field. They are winless when foes shoot 40 percent or better.

Prediction

USF 70 ECU 66

To win USF needs to play good transition defense, pound the offensive glass, limit turnovers and get points in the paint. The Bulls also need to find a way to contain Gardner without fouling. We also think this could be a game where USF switches from man to zone from time to time.