The South Florida Bulls (3-13), who have the top scoring defense in the American Athletic Conference, will go head-to-head against the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-5) at USF Sun Dome. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 10 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Bulls are hoping to rebound after their 75-64 loss to UCF on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Jaleel Cousins earned his sixth double-double this season with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Bearcats, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 59-57 loss against SMU on Thursday. Cincinnati lost despite the best efforts of Gary Clark, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulls might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Bearcats rank 21st in defensive efficiency, while South Florida ranks 328th in offensive efficiency. Furthermore, the defense of the Bearcats should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re 33rd in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 44.7%), while the offense of the Bulls ranks 327th in eFG% (45.1%).
Notes
Cincinnati lost its last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, South Florida is 1-1. Cincinnati is 0-3 in close games this season.
Ranked 38th, the Cincinnati Bearcats have an offensive rating of 114.6. The South Florida Bulls rank 263rd with a defensive rating of just 106.6.
South Florida has an average field goal percentage of 41.5%. Cincinnati is a subpar 1-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The South Florida Bulls rank higher based on their field goal percentage (291st) than their effective field goal percentage (327th). The Cincinnati Bearcats rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (91st) than their field goal percentage (114th).
Cincinnati ranks 41st in assists, recording 16.5 per game. South Florida performs worse at 341st with 10.3 assists per game.
South Florida ranks 57th in rebounds per game with 39.8 and Cincinnati ranks 64th with 39.4 rebounds per game.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank 30th in offensive rebounds. The South Florida Bulls rank 107th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, South Florida forces a turnover rate of 14.0%. When Cincinnati turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 9-4 record.
