South Florida-Rutgers: Bulls Celebrate First Conference Win

USF finally got on the board as they recorded its first Big East win of the season over Rutgers.

The Bulls got another strong performance out of Dominique Jones, who has scored at least 20 points in two straight games now.

Mike Mercer and Jarrid Famous both chipped in 13 points, while Toarlyn Fitzpatrick added 12 of his own. Anthony Crater, who has played sparingly since becoming eligible from transfer and his subsequent suspension, scored 10 points and hit a crucial three-point shot to seal the win for the Bulls.

The Bulls are getting along without Augustus Gilchrist as most would expect, with losses to better Big East teams and close games with the average and below average Big East Teams.

Rutgers (9-8), now going through a six-game losing streak, isn't quite sure which of the two categories it fits into. The more they play, the more they look like a below average team.

Mike Rosario limped off in the second half of the game against the Bulls. If sidelined for any length of time, the Scarlet Knights might just keep that streak going.

Despite the loss, Rutgers played a very balanced game on offense. Four players had 13 points, including the gimpy Rosario. Accompanying him in the scoring column were Mike Coburn, Jonathan Mitchell, and Hamady Ndiaye. Mitchell and Ndiaye had 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively, while Coburn chipped in seven assists.

USF (11-6) goes on the road for its next two games against Cincinnati (12-6) and Providence (11-6). The Bearcats have had a rough January, accumulating three of their six losses on the season during the month. The Bulls look to capitalize on their own momentum in hopes of stealing a win on the road against a very good Big East opponent.

Providence, much like USF, gets overmatched against the conference elite, but is very competitive with the rest of the conference. This will be a tough, hard fought game for the Bulls, one that’s winnable but also one that will have to be mistake free.

Providence is a tough team, evidenced by the fact they're 7-3 at home this season.