Bulls Return Home for War On I-4 Matchup With UCF

Bulls Return Home for War On I-4 Matchup With UCF

Matchup: UCF (12-6, 3-3 AAC) vs. USF (7-12, 0-6 AAC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 20
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Sun Dome (10,411)
TV: ESPNU (Jay Alter, Mark Wise)
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Neil Solondz)
Follow: Listen | Stats | Twitter

TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 19, 2018 – The USF men's basketball team returns home after an extended one-game trip to Greenville, N.C., to take on UCF in the opening game of the War On I-4 of the season. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

The Bulls (7-12, 0-6 AAC) were scheduled to return home immediately following the loss to ECU on Wednesday night, but a winter storm in the Greenville area prevented the team from arriving in Tampa until Thursday evening.

In the game against ECU, Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md.) led the Bulls in scoring, putting up 15 points on 6-for-11 from the field. It was his first double-digit scoring performance since the ECU matchup at the Sun Dome on Jan. 3. Jiggetts has now led USF in scoring six times this season.

Freshman David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) put up a career high six assists to go with eight points. Collins went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the game, his first perfect performance from the charity stripe in his career.
  
THE OPPONENT 
UCF (12-6, 3-3 AAC) has lost two straight after opening the American Conference slate at 3-1. Most recently, the Knights lost, 49-38, to the No. 11-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats after holding a slim 19-15 lead at halftime.

No Knights scored in double-figures in the game, with Tacko Fall and Terrell Allen leading the way with seven points each. Fall added nine rebounds and had a block.

UCF has two of the top four leading rebounders in the conference, with A.J. Davis sitting second in the AAC with 8.4 rebounds per game and Fall at fourth with 7.3 boards per contest. Fall is also the conference leader in field goal percentage, shooting 76.7 percent on the season.

Redshirt junior B.J. Taylor, UCF's leading scorer from last season, played in his first game since the season opener after missing 16 games with a foot injury. Taylor scored six points in 21 minutes off the bench against Cincinnati. Taylor averaged 17.4 points and 3.5 assists per game last season for the Knights.

This will be the 36th all-time meeting between the Bulls and the Knights. USF holds a 22-13 lead in the series, including a 12-5 edge at the Sun Dome.

PROMOTIONS
Salute To Service
Saturday marks the annual Salute To Service game for the Bulls. Military and veterans can receive a ticket to the game for $7 with a valid ID.
 
#BeatUCF SoFlo Rally Towel
The first 500 USF students through the Sun Dome gates will receive a #BeatUCF SoFlo Rally Towel.

NOTABLES

  • Since returning from a five-game absence due to a left knee sprain on Dec. 21 against Charlotte, David Collins is averaging 8.3 points and 3.2 assists per game in seven games. Collins is second on the team in points since the start of conference play, with 8.7 points per game.
  • Terrence Samuel has taken the conference lead in free throw percentage. Samuel is shooting 86.4 percent (57-for-66) from the line this season. That ranks 63rd in the country.
  • Stephan Jiggetts is shooting 91.4 percent (32-for-35) from the free throw line this season, but does not have enough attempts to qualify for rankings. If he did, Jiggetts would rank 12th in the country in free throw shooting.

About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.

– #GoBulls –

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