The USF Bulls (7-5) try to end their non-conference schedule on a high note as they take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-2) tonight in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Game is scheduled for 8:00 PM and can only be heard on 1250 WHNZ, where Jim Lighthall and Andrikk Frazier will have the call.
Southern Miss will be slightly shorthanded as starting forward Torye Pelham will be suspended after fighting Ruslan Pateev in USM's 64-61 win over Arizona State on Monday. Pelham is one of the better defenders for the Golden Eagles and is a nice compliment for Robert Bolden in the post. Even without Pelham, Southern Miss have a few quality players on the court.
PG Angelo Johnson, SG LaShay Page, and F Maurice Bolden each average over 10 points a game, and do so in their own way. Johnson attacks the lane with abandon while Page sits out on the perimeter and is lethal from distance. Bolden takes other team's posts out of their comfort area and uses his length and athleticism to create open shots for himself. Add backup PG Neil Watson and Kentucky transfer Darnell Dobson who also average over 10 PPG and it will mean the Bulls will have to keep an eye on everyone on the court.
The Bulls will try to have a repeat performance of their 70-55 victory over Cleveland State earlier in the week. The Bulls looked like a completely different team with Jawanza Poland on the court, and his strong play in the 2nd half really opened up the game for the rest of the team. I wouldn't be surprised to see Poland start tonight instead of Shaun Noriega.
While Southern Miss will be a bit shorthanded, I still think they will be a hair better than the Bulls tonight. Southern Miss will win a tough game by 5.