What to Watch For: USF vs ECU

South Florida takes the floor for the first time in 2018 tonight against East Carolina in the Sun Dome. USF and ECU both played on New Year’s Eve, both teams lost, and both teams scored just 39 points -- the lowest scoring output of the season for both teams. Tonight, both teams will be looking to notch its first American Athletic Conference win of the season after losing their first two games.

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

Quick Facts

Matchup: East Carolina (6-7, 0-2 AAC) at USF (7-8, 0-2 AAC)

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 3

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Tampa, Fla. | USF Sun Dome

Watch: ESPN3 (Drew Fellios, Mark Wise)

Radio: AM 820 | GoUSFBulls.com | USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Neil Solondz)

History: This will be the 15th meeting between ECU and USF. The Bulls own an 8-6 record in the series and is 4-2 in games played in Tampa.

The Opponent: It’s a younger, less experienced ECU team compared to last season, in fact, he Pirates only return two starters. Senior guard B.J. Tyson (15.5 ppg and 5 rpg) and junior forward Kentrell Barkley (12 ppg and 6.7 rpg). A third, sophomore guard Jeremy Sheppard is serving a suspension.

Tyson has improved as a ball handler and point shooter and has already made more three pointers than he did all of last season. He is the Pirates best spot up shooter, hitting 42.6 percent of those attempts. Before his career is over Tyson will be the leading scorer in the history of the AAC. Barkley plays with a lot of energy when he comes into the game.

The big question mark for ECU this season was in the front court. Jabari Craig (7.0 rpg) is the only returning player over 6-foot-5 but the Pirates do have a 6-foot-10 JuCo transfer in Usman Haruna, who gives them size and rebounding off the bench, and freshman forward Dimitrije Spasojevic who has started each game this season. Craig gives the Pirates some physicality in the post, and he will challenge shots. Spasojevic can score in the paint, depending on matchups, and can finish with either hand. What we did not see him do is create for himself off the bounce.

Freshman guard Shawn Williams is a wild card for ECU off the bench. He can give them six points or he can give them double-digit points as he has done in six of 13 games. He thinks he is a shooter but he is making just 32 percent of his field goals.

The Pirates are not a great jump shooting team so Tyson and point guard Isaac Fleming (13.3 ppg and 4.6 apg) will try to get into the lane off of ball screens and dribble-drive.

One thing the Pirates are very good at is scoring after timeouts. ECU scores at least one point on 44.5 percent of its ATO possessions.

Defensively ECU has played man defense the overwhelming part of the season but will sometimes show a 2-3 zone after they score or off of a dead ball. They will pick up full court in a man press at times, but not frequently. ECU is sixth in the AAC in scoring defense (USF is sixth). The Pirates own the conference’s best three-point field goal percent defense holding opponents to 30.1 percent shooting beyond the arc. The Pirates spot up defense is one of the best in Division I basketball, allowing just .733 points per possession putting them in the 99th percentile.

Michael Perry was named interim head coach for ECU on November 29, 2017 following the resignation of Jeff Lebo. Perry is in his 11th season as a member of the ECU coaching staff, and served as acting head coach for the final 14 games of last season while Lebo recovered from hip replacement surgery. His record as interim or acting head coach for ECU is 10-11 overall. He also served as head coach at Georgia State for five seasons and compiled a 62-75 overall record there.

Outlook: Due to ECU’s poor shooting and propensity to turn the ball over, USF could play some zone defense and use a full court press against them. ECU is shooting just 29 percent vs. zone defenses this season. UCF used a 2-2-1 soft contain press against the Pirates and was successful with it generating four ECU turnovers on ten press possessions. The Pirates post up defense is below average. This could be a game where the Bulls’ bigs are able to score inside easily if USF feeds the post.

Prediction: USF 64 ECU 59