GAME NOTES: Heading out on the road for the first time this season, the South Florida Bulls will put their 2-0 record to the test as they face the UAB Blazers at Bartow Arena Thursday in a non-conference tilt.

USF has won back-to-back games to start the season, handling Flagler College (75-61) and then Jackson State (73-64). The Bulls are on the road for a two- game swing, and then return home next week.

This game for UAB is the third consecutive home clash out of a four-game set at Bartow Arena. The Blazers dropped their season opener to ULM, 74-65, but then rebounded for a 94-81 victory over Young Harris Monday.

USF and UAB have met 57 times on the court in their long series history, with the Bulls commanding a large lead, 37-20.

South Florida was able to earn a seven-point lead over Jackson State at the half in the team's most recent outing, and then the Bulls coasted through the second half en route to a nine-point win. The starters for USF got the job done, as Chris Perry netted a team-high 21 points with 10 boards for the double-double, and Corey Allen Jr. chipped in with 17 points. Jackson State's bench outscored USF's, 35-8, in the contest, but the Bulls had the edge from the free-throw line (24-9) and in rebounding (35-29). USF shot 52.4 percent from the floor in the game, and held Jackson State to 39.3 percent on its field goal attempts.

In two games played, Perry leads USF in scoring with a 19.5 ppg average, connecting on 66 percent of his shot tries from the field. Perry also leads his team on the glass, grabbing 8.5 rpg. Allen Jr. is the next closest to Perry's scoring total at 13.5 ppg, while Nehemias Morillo contributes 11.0 ppg. Through two contests, USF is netting 74.0 ppg and holding opponents to 62.5 ppg with just a 36 shooting percentage. The Bulls are also averaging 42.0 rpg as a unit.

Rebounding from a season-opening loss, the Blazers stomped out Young Harris by cruising to a 94-81 victory. UAB led by eight points at halftime, and continued to pile onto its lead in the second half. Tosin Mehinti dropped in 19 points to lead the Blazers in their most recent win, while big man C.J. Washington scored 18 with seven rebounds. Tyler Madison came off the bench to score 15 points, Chris Cokley chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Nick Norton rounded out the double figure scoring with 11 points and a team- high eight assists. One of the best rebounding teams in the nation in the 2013-14 season, UAB pulled down 51 boards in the win over Young Harris.

Through two contests, three Blazers are averaging scoring figures in the double digits, led by Mehinti's 17.0 ppg mark. Mehinti has filled up the stat sheet well, adding 7.5 rpg and six blocked shots in two starts. Madison, having not started either of the team's first two games, has dropped in 12.5 ppg, followed by Washington's 11.0 ppg average. Washington is adding 5.0 rpg, and Cokley chips in with 7.0 rpg as the Blazers continue to emphasize controlling the loose ball.

This will be a great matchup of two of the bigger and better rebounding teams in the country, with UAB having the homecourt advantage. But after losing some key pieces in the offseason and then a season-opening contest to ULM, the Blazers may have some work to do to get back to heightened form.