GAME NOTES: The South Florida Bulls will try to put an end to a season-long five-game slide tonight, as they welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Tampa for a Big East showdown. The Bulls opened Big East play with a win over Rutgers (68-45) on January 2nd, but it has been all downhill since then, as they have dropped their last five contests. All five setbacks have come in league play, including a 69-52 beating at West Virginia on Sunday. With the loss, USF dropped to 10-9 overall and 6-3 at home. As for Louisville, it also comes into the tilt on a down note, losing out at Seton Hall, 92-82, on Saturday. The defeat put an end to the team's four-game win streak, as it fell to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play. It was also the Cardinals' first loss in four true road games. Louisville though, has dominated the all-time series with USF, 20-3, and it has posted victories in each of the past six meetings.

The Cardinals simply couldn't slow down Seton Hall on Saturday, allowing the Pirates to hit on 50.0 percent of their attempts from the floor and 13-of-28 from long range in a 10-point loss. Louisville dominated the boards, 42-32, and it also outscored Seton Hall in the paint, 42-20, but it wasn't enough to overcome the hot shooting of the Pirates. Jerry Smith paced the team in defeat with 25 points and three steals, while David Padgett and Juan Palacios chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Terrence Williams also got involved, notching his second triple-double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was quite an effort by Williams, who leads the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and assists (4.4 apg), while ranking second in rebounding (7.9 rpg) for the season. Smith is next in line with 11.4 ppg and Padgett follows him with 11.0 ppg. Earl Clark nearly averages a double-double with 10.9 ppg and a team-high 9.3 rpg, while Derrick Caracter adds 10.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg to the rotation. As a team, the Cardinals have thrived on defense despite last game's performance, as they are holding their foes to just 60.3 ppg and a sub par 37.7 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulls were outscored at the foul line, 22-4, and that was the difference in their 69-52 loss to WVU over the weekend. The team struggled from long range (4-of-19) in the game and it also committed 14 costly turnovers. Kentrell Gransberry guided USF in the setback with 22 points and seven boards, while Dominique Jones logged 11 points and six rebounds. For the season, Gransberry is one of the few players around averaging a double-double with team highs of 16.8 ppg and 10.9 rpg. Jones ranks second to him with 15.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg, while Chris Howard contributes 11.3 ppg and a team-best 5.4 apg. Jesus Verdejo turns in 10.3 ppg for the Bulls, who are averaging 72.9 ppg on 45.3 percent shooting from the floor this season.

The Cardinals are the more talented and physical team here and they should be able to control the paint and the game with solid defense, en route to the triumph tonight.