USF Bulls Face Notre Dame in Quarterfinals of Big East Tournament

This winning thing is fun, why not keep it going tonight?

The Quest for 21 is on. After beating Villanova in the first round, the USF Bulls, 20-12 (13-6) will take on the 23rd ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. Notre Dame is 21-10 (13-5) on the season, having the double bye in the tournament, so this will be the first time they are taking the floor. ND beat USF earlier this season 60 to 49, but with come tournament time, anything can happen.

Notre Dame is led by junior forward Jack Cooley (6-9 248-pounds). Cooley averaged 12.5 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game and had 47 blocks during the regular season, taking over the primary scoring duties with Abromatis went down at the start of the season. Sophomore guard Jerian Grant (6-5 195-pounds) is averaging 12.5 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, 4.9 assists per game, and has 38 steals on the year. Sophomore guard Eric Atkins (6-1 182-pounds) is averaging 12.4 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, has 118 assists on the year and has 37 steals, giving the Irish a strong backcourt, something Collins and Robertson will have to contend with.

Senior guard Scott Martin (6-8 222-pounds) is averaging 9.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game (more of a forward when Mike Brey goes with a bigger lineup on the court). Sophomore guard Alex Dragicevich (6-7 221-pounds) is averaging 7 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game. Freshman guard/forward Pat Connaughton (6-5 206-pounds) is averaging 6.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Joey Brooks (6-6 220-pounds) is averaging 3.4 points per game and 2 rebounds per game.

This is going to be a very interesting game to watch. Many voters and experts have the Bulls in the tournament, but there are still a few that are not sold yet on USF (for whatever reason). Of all the teams the Bulls could face, Notre Dame is probably one of the best matchups they could get for the quarterfinals. Notre Dame likes to slow the pace of the game down and go inside the paint to Cooley, exactly what USF likes to do.

What can we expect in this game? If you're looking for points, don't watch this game. This will be a low scoring affair with both teams working the clock for their open shots and playing hard defense. With the momentum from last night, the Bulls might be able to carry it over to tonight and get a huge upset win.