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GAME NOTES: The Providence Friars visit the Sun Dome tonight for a Big East Conference clash with the Bulls of South Florida.

The Friars have fallen on hard times, having lost seven straight, and nine of their last ten games overall. On Tuesday, they were dealt a 99-85 home loss by No. 4 Syracuse. Following tonight's tilt, Providence will play at Pittsburgh on Thursday, then return home to wrap up the regular season against Seton Hall next Saturday.

USF has also struggled of late, with losses in two straight and four of its last five games. The Bulls traveled to seventh-ranked Villanova on Wednesday night and wound up getting trampled in a 74-49 final. They'll head to DePaul on Tuesday, then close out their schedule at home against Connecticut next Saturday.

These teams played a shootout on January 23rd in Providence, with the Bulls claiming a 109-105 victory in overtime. The Friars had won the previous five meetings, and they still hold a 5-2 series edge.

Providence has really been struggling at the defensive end for the past month and change. Over their last 10 games, the Friars have allowed an eye-popping average of 88.5 ppg. Syracuse found plenty of open looks on Tuesday night, as the Orange shot 55.6 percent from the floor and knocked down 10-of-21 three- pointers. The Friars shot a healthy 51.5 percent and buried 14-of-33 threes, but they also committed 16 turnovers and were out-rebounded by 10. Marshon Brooks and Jamine Peterson shared team-high scoring honors with 23 points apiece for Providence. Sharaud Curry and Vincent Council each scored 11 in the loss. On the season, the Friars are putting up an average of 81.6 ppg, though they have struggled to contain Big East opponents. Peterson leads the team with 19.1 ppg, followed by Curry with 15.1 ppg and Brooks with 14.4 ppg.

Fortunately for the Friars, USF hasn't cracked 70 points in the last five games. Still, Dominique Jones remains an elite talent and he ranks third in the Big East with 21.3 ppg to go along with his 6.1 rebounds per contest. Augustus Gilchrist (14.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Jarrid Famous (11.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) have been reliable options, as both are shooting better than 50 percent from the floor. Chris Howard (10.1 ppg) has started all 27 games, but the Friars have not gotten much production from their bench. They struggled in all facets Wednesday against Villanova, shooting just 38.1 percent as a team while committing a staggering 23 turnovers. The sloppy play led to a 30-10 advantage for the Wildcats in points off turnovers. Jones (12 points) shot just 2-of-10 from the floor and committed six of those turnovers. Mike Mercer joined him in double figures with 11 points, though he also committed six turnovers.

Considering Villanova's defense is miles ahead of the Friars', another 23 turnovers from USF seems unlikely. Still, the Bulls will need contributions from more than just Jones if they want to keep pace in this one.