USF vs. Villanova Free College Hoops Pick + Preview

The third game of round one of the 2011 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is a matchup between the No.15 seed South Florida Bulls against the No.10 seed Villanova Wildcats. Tip-off for Tuesday’s game is set for 7 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

South Florida started the New Year with an 83-71 loss to Villanova as a 7 ½-point road underdog, paving the way for 3-12 straight-up record from that point on. The Bulls only managed a pair of wins over DePaul and one over Providence on their way to an overall record of 9-22 SU (15-13-1 against the spread) and a 3-15 SU record in the Big East.

Augustus Gilchrist is the only player scoring in double-figures for South Florida with an average of 13.2 points a game. Jawanza Poland is second with 9.2 points and Ron Anderson Jr. leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 a game. The Bulls are shooting just 41.7 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from three-point range.

Villanova is primed for an early exit from this tournament and the NCAA’s if it cannot quickly turn things around. It finished with six losses in its last eight games including four straight to close out the season. The Wildcats have fallen to 21-10 SU overall (11-16-1 ATS) and 9-9 SU in conference play.

To make matters worse, Villanova’s second leading scorer, with 14.9 points a game, Corey Stokes is listed as questionable for this game with a sore hamstring. Corey Fisher, who leads the team with 15.5 points and 4.8 assists, and Maalik Waynes, who is averaging 13.7 points, will be counted on to carry the load if Stokes cannot go.

The Wildcats are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Bulls and should have little trouble advancing to the next round even with Stokes out of the lineup.