College basketball

Today: USF men at No.9 Louisville

By GREG AUMAN
Published February 12, 2005

WHEN/WHERE: 2; Freedom Hall.

TV/RADIO: Sun Sports; 570-AM and 910-AM. RECORDS: USF - 10-11, 3-7 Conference USA; Louisville - 20-4, 8-2.

COACHES: USF - Robert McCullum (17-31, second season; 61-76 overall), Louisville - Rick Pitino (84-34, fourth season; 436-158).

NOTABLE: The last time the teams met, the Cardinals drubbed the Bulls 85-40 in Tampa. ... Louisville leads the C-USA standings and leads the nation in scoring margin, 22.9 points. ... The Cardinals are led by 6-foot-7 junior forward Francisco Garcia (16.3 points) but have a balanced lineup with all five starters scoring in double figures. ... USF has leaned heavily on seniors Brian Swift and Terrence Leather, who combine for 33.5 points a game. ... Leather, battling the flu, scored three in USF's 55-47 loss to Saint Louis on Wednesday. Swift finished with 21 but missed 14 of his first 16 shots while forced to create offense when no other Bulls could. And on a night when USF shot 12 percent in the first half, sophomore Marius Prekevicius, the Bulls' most accurate perimeter shooter, played only six minutes and did not take a shot. McCullum said he felt any comeback would be keyed by defense, and he didn't believe Prekevicius (who played 30 minutes in Saturday's win against Tulane) would provide the pressure needed. ... The Bulls, tied for 12th in C-USA, need at least one win in their final six games to have a shot at finishing in the league's top 12 and earning a spot in the C-USA tournament in Memphis. For Bulls fans, that also means rooting against Tulane (3-7 in C-USA), East Carolina (2-8) and Southern Miss (1-9).

[Last modified February 12, 2005, 00:25:13]