Nova's Wright: Temple has edge over Bulls

South Florida, which meets Temple in the second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday in Nashville, defeated Villanova three times - twice during the Big East regular season and once last week in the conference tournament.

The Bulls limited the Wildcats to an average of 51.7 points and outrebounded them by an average of nine per game. Villanova shot 34 percent from the field and 22.9 percent (11 of 48) from the three-point arc. Strangely, South Florida had more turnovers (a 14.0 average) in the three games than Villanova (10.7).

Here is what 'Nova coach Jay Wright said about the Bulls this week:

"They're so solid defensively, and they pack their defense in. They use their length. The best way to have success against them is to be able to move them and then beat them off the dribble, which I think Temple can do. When you set a screen, they'd just switch and keep everybody in front of them. But when you get them moving and then make them guard the dribble, they can be vulnerable.

"Usually when you play South Florida, it comes back to: Can you score against them? I think Temple is so solid defensively that they'll be in good shape. But the key is, you've got to score on them. Temple's guards have got to score on them.

"If you look at their scores, they're always in the 50s. Somebody that can get into the 60s against them can beat them. If they give the Temple guards the space that they give other guards, the Temple guards have the size to score over that space. I think that size gives them a very good advantage."