Syracuse vs. South Florida: Bulls On Parade

Quick, name every Division 1 basketball team that hasn't lost to a school currently unranked in the AP poll since December 28.

The Kentucky Wildcats, Syracuse Orange, North Carolina Tar Heels and South Florida Bulls.

It's the perfect stat to use to describe the Bulls' surprise season. It's impressive and yet not all that impressive at the same time.

The Bulls are 17-10, which is impressive. However they don't have any notable wins as victories over Pitt, Villanova and Seton Hall don't mean as much as they should. They've also lost to every quality opponent they've played this season.

The Bulls are 10-4 in the Big East and have clinched at least one bye in the Big East Tournament. However, this might be the worst Big East we've had in years.

The Bulls have a record that could be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. But for the time being, they're not there yet.

So despite the fact that they enter the Dome riding a four-game winning streak and a desire to finish among the top four teams in the conference, the Bulls are still a bit of an enigma. Though perhaps enigma is still a step up from what they're used to being.

Not only would a win over Syracuse be the biggest of the season for them, it would be the biggest win in school history. If nothing else, head coach Stan Heath sees it as a chance for USF to pass the eyeball test.

"A lot of times, especially where we are right now, you want to pass the eyeball test,'' said USF coach Stan Heath, whose team has won four straight games. "This is an eyeball type of game, the moment where people could get a feel for what we are and what we can do.

"I still think we're on a mission. I still think we know we've got to win games. I don't feel like we think we've done something or we're satisfied. That's a good thing. There's no two ways about it. This is quite a challenge.''

If there's a player to keep an eye on, it's freshman point guard Anthony Collins. Collins went for a career-high 22 points and dished out six assists earlier this week at Pittsburgh and the Bulls are 14-8 overall and 10-4 in Big East play with him in the lineup.

Syracuse is 8-1 all-time against USF and 5-0 mark at the Carrier Dome. If you can believe it, we first played them all the way back in 1987. The sole USF win was an 89-78 win at the Sun Dome in 2008.

The game will be televised on BIG EAST Network, Time Warner Cable, SNY and ESPN3.