TAMPA -  The University of South Florida men's basketball team prepares to embark on a two-game road trip this week to No. 7/7 Louisville and St. John's.

USF faces the Cardinals on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. The game is an ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Network game and televised locally on Bright House Sports Network. It is the second meeting between the Bulls and Louisville this season with the Cardinals winning 71-57 on Jan. 7 at the Sun Dome.

After Louisville, the Bulls head to New York City to take on St. John's on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. The game is nationally televised on ESPNU.

Both games can be heard on WHNZ 1250 and GoUSFBulls.com. A live blog will also be ongoing during the games on GoUSFBulls.com.

The Bulls are 7-12 on the year and 2-5 in BIG EAST play after losing a tight 70-61 matchup with No. 21/20 Villanova on Saturday at home. Freshman Augustus Gilchrist tallied a game-high 18 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Louisville is 15-3 on the year and 6-0 in conference play after beating Syracuse 67-57 on Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. St. John's is 11-8 overall and 2-5 in league action. The Red Storm play at West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 28, before hosting the Bulls.

SETTING THE SCENE
Date:  Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009
Tip-off:  7 p.m. ET
Location:  Louisville, Ky. - Freedom Hall (18,865)
Television: ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Network game televised locally on Bright House Sports Network with Dave Ryan and Bob Valvano calling the action.
Radio: 1250 AM with Jim Lighthall handling play-by-play and Todd Kalas as color analyst. WBUL, USF's student radio station, will also be airing the game with Kyle Campbell and Danny Rabinowitz calling the action.
Webcast: GoUSFBulls.com (audio)
USF's Last Time Out: Lost 70-61 to then-No. 21/20 Villanova on Jan. 24 at the Sun Dome.
Louisville's Last Time Out: Defeated then-No. 8 Syracuse, 67-57, at Syracuse on Jan. 25.
Series History:  Louisville leads 22-3
Last Meeting:  Louisville won 71-57 on Jan. 7 at the Sun Dome.
Website:  GoUSFBulls.com
Website:  UofLSports.com
USF Tickets: 1-800-GoBulls

LEADING THE BULLS
 Sophomore guard Dominique Jones leads USF at 18.4 points per game, with senior guard Jesus Verdejo behind him at 14.1 an outing. Jones also leads the team in assists at 4.1 an outing and with 28 steals. Freshman forward Augustus Gilchrist paces the Bulls at 5.0 rebounds a game and with 15 blocks.

YEAR TWO OF THE HEATH ERA IS UNDERWAY
 This season marks head coach Stan Heath's second season at the helm. He is the eighth head coach in the 38-year history of the program.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE
 The Cardinals are coached by Rick Pitino who is in his 8th year at Louisville and 23rd overall. They are ranked 7th in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and the Associated Press poll. The Cardinals were one win away from the Final Four last season. Louisville is 15-3 overall and 6-0 in BIG EAST play after winning 67-57 at Syracuse on Jan. 25. Junior Earl Clark leads the way at 14.1 points per game and 9.1 rebounds. Terrance Williams leads the team in rebounding at 9.3 boards a game and averages 13.5 points. Freshman Samardo Samuels is at 13.3 points per game.

THE LOUISVILLE SERIES
 USF and Louisville have met 25 times previously, with UofL owning a 22-3 lead in the series, including a 71-57 win on Jan. 7, 2009 at the Sun Dome. The Bulls and Cardinals were also opponents in the Metro Conference and Conference USA, before joining the BIG EAST together. USF's last win in the series was a 73-67 victory on Jan. 31, 2001 at the Sun Dome. It is the 13th meeting in Louisville. Louisville has won the last eight in the series.

UP NEXT: ST. JOHN'S
 The Red Storm are coached by Norm Roberts who is in his 5th year overall and at the school. St. John's is 11-8 overall and 2-5 in BIG EAST play after beating Rutgers 70-59 at home on Jan. 24. They play at West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 28, before hosting the Bulls. Paris Horne leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game with D.J. Kennedy at 13.3 a game. Kennedy also leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game.

AJAYI PARTIALLY TEARS RIGHT ACL, OUT FOR REMAINDER OF THE YEAR
 USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced on Jan. 23 that senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi has a partially torn right Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and will miss the remainder of the season.
 The injury happened during practice Thursday, Jan. 24. He had appeared in all 18 games, starting 12. Ajayi was averaging 3.7 points per game and 4.7 rebounds in 17 minutes of action a game.
 “We are extremely disappointed for Mobolaji,” said Heath. “Our coaching staff and team will support him during his rehabilitation and continue to push him academically while he's regaining his health. He has been playing well recently and his size and presence will be missed.”

GILCHRIST NAMED BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
 The BIG EAST Conference announced Jan. 26 that forward Augustus Gilchrist has been named the league's Rookie of the Week.
 The 6-foot-10 freshman averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and one block per game last week as USF went 1-1. He tallied his first career double-double in a win vs. DePaul last Tuesday, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. He totaled 18 points and seven rebounds in a hard fought loss to Villanova on Saturday.
 “It is a well deserved award,” said Heath. “This is another step in his maturation as a player. He continues to improve each day in practice and with each game he plays. He has a very exciting future ahead of him.”

GILCHRIST LEADS WAY AGAINST VILLANOVA
 Freshman Augustus Gilchrist had a game-high 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds vs. Villanova. He has scored in double-figures in five of his last six games, and seven times in 13 games since joining the team in December.

VERDEJO RETURNS FROM CONCUSSION
 USF's second leading scorer, senior guard Jesus Verdejo, returned from a concussion and mouth injury to score 13 points with four rebounds vs. Villanova.

BULLS PUT FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES VS. VILLANOVA
 The Bulls had four scorers with double-digit points vs. Nova including Augustus Gilchrist, Chris Howard, Jesus Verdejo and Dominique Jones. The Bulls also had four scorers in double-digits against Virginia on Nov. 19 and at DePaul on Jan. 10.

JONES HAS SHORTENED DAY AGAINST NOVA
 USF's leading scorer Dominique Jones fouled out of the game with 5:48 remaining in the Villanova game. He finished with 11 points, two boards and three assists. Jones had played in 159 of the last 160 minutes entering the game against Villanova.
 
BULLS CLAMP DOWN ON REYNOLDS
 The Bulls held Villanova's second leading scorer, Scottie Reynolds, to just seven points. Reynolds was averaging 15.2 points coming into the game against USF.

HOWARD TOSSES IN SEASON HIGH 15 VS. VILLANOVA
 Junior guard Chris Howard tallied 15 points vs. Villanova, which is a season high. Howard had 14 points against High Point on 11/25/08. He also made a career high three 3-pointers.

JONES HAS FOUR GAME SCORING RUN SNAPPED, LONGEST IN 10 YEARS
 Dominique Jones had his personal best scoring run of scoring 22 or more points in four straight games snapped vs. Nova when he scored 11. He had totalled 26, 35, 22 and 22 in his last four games, respectively. His previous best was a three-game run last season against UCF, Richmond and UAB. The last time a USF player had scored 22 or more points in four straight games was more than 10 years ago when B.B. Waldon did it during the 1998-99 season.

JONES ABOUT TO MOVE INTO TOP 25 ALL-TIME ON USF SCORING LIST
 With his 11 points vs. Villanova, Dominique Jones now has 880 career points, which is 26th on the all-time USF scoring list. He is one point behind Chonsey Asbury's 881 points for 25th all-time.

VERDEJO CLIMBING SCORING LADDER TOO, IS AT 729
 Jesus Verdejo tallied 13 points vs. Villanova and moved into 38th on the all-time USF scoring list with 729 points. He is eight points out of 37th all-time.

HOWARD SITS AT 10TH ALL-TIME ON USF ASSIST LIST, GOES OVER 300
 With four assists vs. Villanova, junior Chris Howard now has 305 career assists, which ranks him 10th on the all-time USF assist list. He is nine assists behind Brian Lamb for 9th all-time.

VERDEJO 10TH ALL-TIME AT USF FOR 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE
 Jesus Verdejo is moving up the all-time 3-point made list at USF. The senior has 99 career 3-pointers, good for 10th on the all-time list, and eight out of ninth.

VERDEJO MISSES DEPAUL GAME WITH CONCUSSION
 USF's second leading scorer, senior guard Jesus Verdejo, missed the DePaul game with a concussion and a mouth injury that occurred during the West Virginia game. He returned for last Saturday's Villanova game.

JONES LEADS BULLS OVER DEPAUL
 Sophomore guard Dominique Jones tallied a game-high 26 points to lead the Bulls. He was four assists shy of just the third triple-double in USF history, finishing with 10 rebounds and six assists.

SECOND DOUBLE DOUBLE OF JONES' CAREER
 The 26 points and 10 rebounds for Jones vs. DePaul is just the second double-double of his career. The other was a 30-point, 14 rebound performance last year at Richmond (12/5/07).

19 CAREER GAMES WITH 20 OR MORE POINTS FOR NIQUE
 Jones now has 19 career games with 20 or more points after 26 vs. DePaul.

SEASON HIGH 10 REBOUNDS FOR JONES VS. DEPAUL
 The 10 boards vs. DePaul is a season high for Jones and the second most of his career, bested only by the 14 he had last year at Richmond (12/5/07).

JONES JUST MISSES CAREER HIGH ASSIST MARK VS. BLUE DEMONS
 Jones' six assists vs. DePaul were one off his career high seven done twice previously (1/14/09 at Pitt and 12/9/07 vs. Winston-Salem State).

FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR GILCHRIST AND CAREER HIGH REBOUNDS
 Freshman forward Augustus Gilchrist tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. The 11 rebounds by Gilchrist is a career high, besting the eight he had vs. Vanderbilt (12/16/08).

FIRST POINTS-REBOUNDS DOUBLE-DOUBLES OF THE YEAR VS. DEPAUL
 The pair of double-doubles by Jones and Gilchrist were just the second and third by USF this season, and the first two as points and rebounds. Chris Howard had a 12 point and 10 assist outing at DePaul on 1/10/09.

+ 18 AND NOW +20 ON THE BOARDS
 USF owned DePaul on the glass in its two meetings. The Bulls garnered a +18 advantage in rebounding at DePaul and bested that at home with a +20 advantage. They are the top two rebounding performances of the year for USF.

JONES POURS IN 35 AT WVU, HIS HIGH FOR A BIG EAST GAME AND ONE SHY OF HIS CAREER HIGH
 Sophomore guard Dominique Jones poured in a game-high 35 points at WVU, one shy of his career high of 36 set earlier this season vs. Iona (12/27/09). It was his career high for a BIG EAST game, besting the 31 he had vs. Seton Hall last year (2/26/08).

SIXTH GAME WITH 30 OR MORE FOR JONES
 With 35 at West Virginia, Jones now has six career games with 30 or more points, second most in USF history.

USF FALLS TO NO. 1 FOR THIRD TIME IN HISTORY
 USF's 75-62 loss at Pitt on Jan. 14 was its third loss against the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Bulls faced No. 1 North Carolina and Michael Jordan on Dec. 12, 1981, and No. 1 Cincinnati and Kenyon Martin on Jan. 29, 2000, losing both games on the road. It was just the fifth time overall, men's and women's, that the Bulls have taken on the No. 1 ranked team. The USF women took on No. 1 ranked Connecticut at home earlier this season and traveled to No. 1 UConn last season.

GILCHRIST GOES FOR CAREER HIGH 22 AT PITT
 The 22 points for Gilchrist at Pitt were a career high, besting his previous high of 16 set 1/10 at DePaul. He also played a career high 32 minutes and added two blocked shots.

JONES TIES HIS SINGLE-GAME ASSIST MARK AT PITT
 Jones set a season high and tied his single-game assist mark with seven at Pitt, set last season vs. Winston-Salem State (12/29/07).

VERDEJO HAS ONE OF BEST ALL-AROUND GAMES OF HIS CAREER AT DEPAUL
 Senior guard Jesus Verdejo dropped in 18 points, had eight rebounds and six assists against DePaul. The eight boards are the second most of his career, bested only by the nine he had the previous game vs. Louisville (1/4/09). The six assists are tied for second most of his career, with his high being seven last year vs. Seton Hall (2/26/08).

BEST OVERALL SHOOTING DAY OF SEASON AT DEPAUL
 Despite snowy, blustery weather outside at DePaul, the Bulls were on fire inside Allstate Arena and had their best overall shooting day of the season. USF shot 86.7 from the free-throw line, going 13-15. It was the highest free throw percentage of the year for USF and the highest in two seasons under Stan Heath.
 USF also shot 51.7 percent from the field, its second highest of the year and just the second time shooting better than 50 percent in a game this season.
 The Bulls also shot 41.2 percent from the 3-point line, only the fourth time this season shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.

HOWARD NOTCHES SECOND CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
 Chris Howard notched his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists at DePaul. His other double was last season on 11/17/07 vs. FAU when he had 18 points and a career high 11 assists. It is the third time in his career with 10 or more assists. His other 10 assist game was last year vs. West Virginia (1/20/08).

JUST SECOND BIG EAST ROAD WIN FOR USF
 The win at DePaul was just the second BIG EAST road win in USF history and the second in three games. The Bulls defeated Rutgers 54-52 on March 1, 2008 after starting BIG EAST play 0-23 on the road all-time. They sit at 2-24 all-time.

CRATER TRANSFERS FROM OHIO STATE, IS ENROLLED IN CLASSES
 Stan Heath announced Jan. 5 that freshman guard Anthony Crater has signed a Grant-In-Aid with USF, is enrolled in classes and practicing with the team.
 Crater was granted a release from Ohio State after playing 10 games with the Buckeyes this season. The 6-foot-1 guard will sit out the rest of this year and have two-and-a-half years of eligibility remaining and become eligible as a sophomore at the end of the first semester on December 12, 2009.
 “We are very excited to add Anthony to our basketball team,” said Heath. “I've had the opportunity to watch him play as young player through the years. We felt the need to strengthen our guard play and Anthony's ball skills, quickness and playmaking abilities will be a welcome addition to our team.”
 The Flint, Mich., averaged 13.1 minutes a game at OSU and averaged 1.2 points and had 19 assists to just nine turnovers.
 Crater was highly touted coming out of high school. He was a two-time All-Michigan performer and was voted Class B Player of the Year by the Associated Press following his junior year. He averaged 16.2 points and more than eight assists as a junior and was named an all-league and all-city selection each of his three years at Flint (Mich.) Southwestern Academy.
 Crater led SWA to three city titles and two Michigan Class B final four appearances as a sophomore and junior, helping the Knights finish with identical 24-3 records in 2006 and 2007. After three years at SWA, Crater transferred to Brewster (N.H.) Academy to complete his high school eligibility at the prep school. While at Brewster, the team captured its first New England Class A title and advanced to the national final four with a school-record 31 victories (31-4). He averaged 16 points and 8.0 assists at Brewster.
 He was rated the 21st best point guard in the country by Scout.com after his senior year. Crater is the son of Lisa Jimerson and Anthony Crater Sr. He has a brother, Treyvon, and a sister, Kyla.

VERDEJO PULLS DOWN CAREER HIGH NINE REBOUNDS VS. LOUISVILLE
 Senior guard Jesus Verdejo notched a career high nine rebounds vs. Louisville, smashing his previous high of six done twice previously (3/8/08 vs. Notre Dame last time). He also had eight points, just missing a double-double.

AJAYI NOTCHES CAREER HIGH 15 AGAINST SYRACUSE
 Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi tallied a career high 15 points vs. the Orange, going 7-10 from the field. His previous high was 12 which he has reached twice the last being last year against Notre Dame (3/8/08).

SYRACUSE SECOND LARGEST SUN DOME CROWD SINCE ENTERING BIG EAST
 The crowd of 8,350 against Syracuse was larger than any home game at the Sun Dome last season. It is the second largest Sun Dome crowd since USF joined the BIG EAST. The only crowd larger was on March 1, 2006 vs. UConn with a crowd of 9,636.

JONES EXPLODES FOR CAREER-HIGH 36 VS. IONA
 Sophomore Dominique Jones exploded for a career high 36 points vs. Iona, shooting an efficient 12-16 from the field, 7-9 from 3-point range and 5-6 from the free throw line. The 36 points bested his previous high of 31 done twice previously (12/6/08 at UCF and 2/26/08 vs. Seton Hall). He also finished with five assists, accounting for at least 46 of USF's 68 points. He began the assualt with a 17-point first half, hitting 6-8 field goals, 3-4 3-pointers and 2-2 from the free throw line.
 It was his fifth career game with 30 or more points, which is second all-time at USF. Only Charley Bradley, with 24, has more games with 30 or more points scored at USF.

JONES' 36 TIED FOR FIFTH ON USF SINGLE-GAME SCORING LIST
 Dominique Jones' 36 point outburst vs. Iona is tied for fifth on the all-time USF single-game scoring list. He is tied with five other players for fifth. The record is 42 by Charlie Bradley vs. Florida State on 12/10/82.

JONES HITS CAREER HIGH SEVEN 3-POINTERS VS. IONA
 Jones' seven 3-point field goals was also a career high, surpassing his previous high of five, done twice.

VERDEJO NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM IN PUERTO RICO
 Jesus Verdejo was the only Bull named to the All-Tournament team in Puerto Rico after averaging 17.7 points in the three games. He matched his career high with 26 against Wright State, had nine vs. Murray State and 18 vs. Oral Roberts.

VERDEJO MATCHES CAREER HIGH VS. WRIGHT STATE
 Senior guard Jesus Verdejo tallied 26 points vs. Wright State, matching his career high from earlier this season on Dec. 3 at UAB. It was his fourth game this season scoring 20 or more points, after going for 20 or more just twice the two previous seasons (one each season).

EMORY DOES NOT RETURN
 Freshman walk-on Mitch Emory has decided not to return to the team for the second semester. Emory is focusing on his acedemics at USF.

JONES GOES FOR 30 OR MORE FOR SECOND TIME VS. UCF
 Sophomore guard Dominique Jones matched his then career high with 31 points at UCF, going 11-17 from the field and 2-5 from 3-point range. His previous 31-point outing was last season vs. Seton Hall (2/26/08). Jones also had 30 points in a USF win over UCF last season.
 
VERDEJO FIRES AWAY FOR CAREER HIGH 26 AT UAB
 Senior guard Jesus Verdejo led USF with a game and career-high 26 points at UAB, besting the 22 he had at Virginia earlier this year (11/19/08). He was 10-20 from the field buried a career high six 3-pointers on 12 attempts. His previous best was four 3-pointers made three times previously.

LEEMOW GOES FOR CAREER HIGH NINE, HITS THREE 3-POINTERS AT UAB
 Freshman guard Justin Leemow had a career-high nine points at UAB, going 3-3 from 3-point range, also a career best.

UAB JUST SECOND OT GAME OF THE HEATH TENURE AT USF
 The UAB game was just the second overtime game played for Stan Heath while at USF. The other OT game was last season vs. UConn.

37 POINTS ALLOWED VS. NORTHEASTERN SECOND LOWEST IN USF HISTORY
 The 37 points that USF held Northeastern to is the second lowest defensive performance in the 38-year Bulls history and only the fifth time in history holding an opponent to less than 40 points. The record is 34 in a 45-34 win over St. Peters on Dec. 4, 1985. Only one opponent last season, Rutgers 45 in the BIG EAST opener, scored fewer than 46 points scored in a game. This season has seen three teams score 46 or less against the Bulls.

USF HOLDS NORTHEASTERN TO 11 HALFTIME POINTS
 The 11 points that Northeastern scored in the first half is the lowest defensive half under Stan Heath. The previous low half was the last half USF played, the second against High Point where they gave up 18.

WILLIAMS MATCHES CAREER HIGH IN TWO STRAIGHT GAMES
 Aris Williams matched his career high with 11 points vs. Northeastern, which he set Nov. 25 vs. High Point. He also pulled down seven rebounds.

ANOTHER LOW IN HEATH ERA
 USF's 24.1 percent field goal percentage defense vs. NU was the lowest in the Stan Heath era, besting the 27.7 against SMU in the season opener.

WILLIAMS NOTCHES CAREER HIGH VS. HIGH POINT
 Senior forward Aris Williams posted a career high 11 points vs. High Point, including eight in a 10-2 USF run that gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 34-32, at the 14:14 mark of the second half. Williams also finished with six rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist and a steal.

ESPINOSA PULLS DOWN CAREER HIGH 10 BOARDS VS. HIGH POINT
 Freshman Eladio Espinosa grabbed a game and career high 10 rebounds vs. High Point and added nine points, just missing his first career double double.

TWO GO FOR OVER 20 AT UVA
 USF had two 20-point scorers against Virginia, Jones with 23 and Verdejo with 22. The Bulls had three games last year with two players scoring 20 or more points in the same game (Kentrell Gransberry 21 and Aaron Holmes 20 vs. Winston-Salem State; Gransberry 20 and Jones 24 vs. Rutgers at home; and Gransberry 23 and Jones 29 vs. Syracuse at home).

AJAYI MATCHES CAREER HIGH FOR REBOUNDS AT UVA
 Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led USF with 11 rebounds vs. SMU, matching his career high set last  year vs. Seton Hall (2/26/08).

BULLS SIGN DUMARS AND NORIEGA
 USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced on Nov. 12 the signing of guards Jordan Dumars and Shaun Noriega to NCAA Letters of Intent during the November signing period.
 Dumars (6-5, 225) and Noriega (6-4, 195) will join USF as freshmen for the 2009-10 season and bring with them sharp-shooting skills and perimeter size. Noriega is already North Port High School's all-time leading scorer in just three seasons with 1,282 points, while Dumars holds perennial high school power Detroit Country Day's single-game mark for 3-point field goals made with nine.
 “We felt we needed to address our perimeter shooting and both Shaun and Jordan are very skilled players that can stretch the defense and consistently knock down 3-point shots,” said USF Head Coach Stan Heath. “We also felt both players had very high basketball IQ's and will be players that will make good decisions and be good teammates. Both players come from winning programs and have very strong academic backgrounds.”

WALK-ON ADDED TO ROSTER
 Junior college transfer Ryan Kardok has been added to the 2008-09 roster as a walk-on. Kardok spent two years playing at Broward Community College. He attended Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where he averaged 17 points and six assists per game as a senior.