GAME NOTES: The South Florida Bulls will try to return to the win column when they host the West Virginia Mountaineers in a Big East Conference battle at the St. Pete Times Forum. The Mountaineers have been solid throughout the majority of the season and head into this contest with wins in three of their last four games. The last time WVU was on the court, the team grabbed a 73-64 victory over St. John's. The recent win pushed the Mountaineers' league mark to 3-2 on the year. Next up for West Virginia will be an intrastate rivalry matchup against Marshall. As for the Bulls, they have lost four consecutive games, including a rough, 74-64 setback to Seton Hall this past Thursday. Due to the current skid, the Bulls have fallen to a pathetic 1-4 in Big East action. South Florida has performed well at home this season, winning six of its eight games at the Times Forum. West Virginia won the last meeting, taking a slim 2-1 lead in the all-time series.

The Mountaineers have been strong at the offensive end of the court, and head into this matchup averaging a strong 80.7 ppg, while shooting an equally impressive 47.3 percent from the field. Four players are currently posting double figures, with Alex Ruoff leading the way. Ruoff is shooting a strong 45.3 percent from behind the arc and is leading WVU with 16.2 ppg. Joe Alexander has been the main option down low, as the forward is posting 15.8 ppg to go along with a team-best 5.9 rpg. Da'Sean Butler and Darris Nichols have also made solid contributions, netting 12.8 and 10.8 ppg, respectively. West Virginia was not at its best this past Thursday, but the team played well enough to grab a nine-point win over St. John's. In the victory, the Mountaineers shot 43.4 percent from the floor and made 8-of-19 attempts from long range. Butler led the way with 19 points and nine boards, while Alexander chipped in 15 points. As for Ruoff, he connected on only 1-of-10 attempts from the field, but still finished with nine points and nine assists.

The Bulls also have four players producing double figures on the season. However, the team's best option without question is Kentrell Gransberry, as the big man is averaging a double-double on the year with 16.5 ppg and 11.1 rpg. Dominique Jones has been strong from the perimeter and is boasting a 42.5 percent shooting effort from long range, leading to 15.6 ppg. Chris Howard has been a terrific floor general, as the guard is netting 11.5 ppg, but more importantly has a team-high 93 assists. Jesus Verdejo's 10.3 ppg rounds out the double-digit producers for this squad. Gransberry was at it again this past Thursday, as the center scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. However, his performance was not enough, as South Florida fell to Seton Hall by 10 points. In the loss, USF shot 43.9 percent from the field, but the team made just 7-of-17 shots from the foul line. Verdelo added 13 points in the loss, while Howard chipped in 12 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists.

The Bulls definitely have the firepower to go basket for basket with West Virginia, but at this point in the season South Florida is in a terrible rut. The team's losing skid should continue this afternoon against the solid Mountaineers.