Preview: South Florida Bulls vs. Louisville Cardinals

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Interstat) — A pair of surging teams riding strong late-season form will meet Thursday when the South Florida Bulls face the Louisville Cardinals in an NCAA Division I men’s basketball playoff game at KeyBank Center.

The No. 9-seeded Bulls (25-8) enter on a nine-game winning streak, their last loss coming on Feb. 1. They are coming off a 70-55 victory over Wichita State on Sunday, powered by 19 points from Wes Enis and 13 points from Izaiyah Nelson. South Florida’s offense has been potent during the run, scoring 83 or more points in seven of those nine wins.

The No. 8-seeded Cardinals (23-10) have won five of their last seven, with the losses coming by a combined eight points on the road against ranked foes Clemson and North Carolina. They fell 78-73 at Miami (Fla.) in their last outing on March 12 despite 22 points from Ryan Conwell and 19 points from J’Vonne Hadley.

A key matchup will feature South Florida’s Nelson against Louisville’s Hadley. Nelson, a versatile guard, has averaged 14.6 points over his last seven games, including a 24-point performance at Rice. Hadley, a forward, has been a consistent scorer for the Cardinals, reaching double figures in 10 straight games and averaging 16.4 points over that stretch.

Louisville’s schedule has been rated among the nation’s toughest, with its losses largely coming against high-major competition. South Florida boasts one of the country’s best records since Jan. 1 and leads the nation in field goal percentage defense.

The Cardinals have been installed as a 6-point favorite by oddsmakers. The over/under is set at 163 points.

The winner will advance to face the winner of Thursday’s game between seed Kansas and seed St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.

Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on CBS.