WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: BEN/BHSN/ESPN3.com - Mike Kelley and Mike Gleason

RADIO: WHNZ 1250-AM - Jim Lighthall (play-by-play) and Todd Kalas (analyst)

Complete Game Notes

By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - There have been a lot of ingredients to the Bulls' recipe for success during their Big East hot streak.

The USF men's basketball team is off to its best start in Big East play and takes a 5-2 league record into Tuesday's 8 p.m. test at Marquette.

The Bulls, winners of three straight and five of the past six, have been ruling the boards lately. USF has outrebounded its opponents in six consecutive contests and had a 40-29 edge in Sunday's 75-59 victory over DePaul.  The Bulls pulled down at least 30 rebounds in each of the past nine games.

Strong individual scoring efforts have provided a big boost for the Bulls during their hot stretch.

Augustus Gilchrist poured in a season-high 22 points against DePaul and the senior is second on the team in scoring at 11 points per game.

"Our guys kept going to him because he was in that rhythm," head coach Stan Heath said. "When Gus gets in that rhythm he's hard to stop."

Jawanza Poland earned a spot on the Big East honor roll this week after he posted two straight double-digit scoring games. The junior guard posted 19 points against DePaul - 12 in the first half - after scoring 16 in a victory over St. John's.

"We isolate him a little bit and give him late-clock situations, and he has that ability to create his own shot and get to the rim," Heath said.

It's certainly hard for USF fans to forget about Victor Rudd Jr., who scored 24 points in the second half against St. John's.

"Rudd goes from a goose egg in the first half to 24 - that was pretty impressive," Heath said. "He did a great job of being aggressive and not just settling for threes."

The main ingredient to the Bulls' winning recipe has undoubtedly been its defense. USF leads the Big East in scoring defense (57.7 ppg) and ranks 13 nationally in the category.

Sunday was a prime example of the Bulls' shutdown defense when they held DePaul to a season-low 59 points. Senior guard Hugh Robertson added his usual strong effort and helped the Bulls hold DePaul's Brandon Young without a field goal (0-for-13).

"That's phenomenal and I think Hugh sometimes doesn't get enough credit. He was awesome on the boards as well and threw in a few points," said Heath of Robertson, who had nine points and nine rebounds.

Tuesday's game at Marquette can be seen on Bright House Sports Network or online at ESPN3.com. USF is back at home at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Sunday to face Providence at 2 p.m.