CHARLESTON, S.C. - The UNC Wilmington men's basketball team faces its third BCS Conference opponent in a row Sunday when the Seahawks take on South Florida for third place in the Charleston Classic at Carolina First Arena.

      The Seahawks carry a 1-3 record into the 3:30 p.m. tip-off on the College of Charleston's home floor. USF suffered its first loss in four outings late Friday night when South Carolina edged the Bulls, 69-66, in the semifinals.

      "We came here to face quality competition and that's what we're getting," said fourth-year coach Benny Moss. "South Florida is very big, athletic, and presents a big challenge for our team. We'll have to play a very disciplined game and execute well to come out on top."

      UNCW is 1-1 in the eight-team event after stunning defending NIT champion Penn State in the opener, 80-69, and losing to Miami, 67-60, on Friday.

      Through four games, the Seahawks are averaging 69.8 ppg and allowing opponents 72.8 ppg. UNCW, which was held to season lows of 60 points and 38.2 percent shooting, is converting 43.1 percent from the field and 69.6 percent at the free throw line.

      Junior guard Chad Tomko tops the club in scoring at 16.7 ppg and junior center John Fields is chipping in 12.0 ppg.

      USF, meanwhile, is collecting 66.0 ppg and giving up just 59.2 ppg. The Bulls are connecting on 46.6 percent from the field and 69.0 at the charity stripe.

      Sophomore forward Augustus Gilchrist is averaging 20.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg to anchor USF's offense. Junior guard Dominique Jones is collecting 17.3 ppg and junior forward Jarrid Famous is averaging 10.3 ppg.

      USF is limiting opponents to only 37.4 percent shooting, including a paltry 21.2 percent (14-for-66) behind the arc. Conversely, UNCW is shooting 37.2 percent from long range and hitting 7.25 treys each contest.

      The Seahawks are just 2-14 against Big East Conference opponents lifetime, but those two wins both came against USF. However, the Bulls clipped the Seahawks, 57-38, on Jan. 2, 1995, in Tampa.

      Following Sunday's clash with the Bulls, the Seahawks return to Trask Coliseum to play four of their next five games, beginning on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. matchup against VMI.