4-1 Bulls Host The Citadel on Saturday
NEXT GAME: The Citadel (3-2) at USF (4-1)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/2 p.m.
LOCATION: Yuengling Center, Tampa
TV: ESPN3
RADIO: 820-AM, Bulls Unlimited
FOLLOW: Live stats |
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TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 23, 2018 – USF men's basketball looks to build on its solid start to the season in front of the home fans Saturday at the Yuengling Center.
Head coach
Brian Gregory's Bulls seek the program's first 5-1 start since the 2014-15 season when they take on The Citadel at 2 p.m.
USF is 3-0 at home this season after a
69-59 victory over Florida A&M on Wednesday night. Redshirt freshman forward
Alexis Yetna posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the first Bull with two straight double-doubles since Jaleel Cousins in 2015. The Bulls ruled the boards by a 42-28 margin and did damage inside against the Rattlers with 38 points in the paint.
Yetna has been a force in the past three games, averaging 12.3 points and 11.7 rebounds while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. The Paris native leads The American with 9.6 rebounds per game after grabbing a career-high 17 against Georgetown in the Bulls' final game at the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic on Nov. 18.
Gregory continues to put an emphasis on lockdown defense and the Bulls have responded by holding opponents to 62.8 points per game and a 39.4 field goal percentage, both good for third in The American. USF ranks 31
st nationally with 9.2 steals per game.
Know the Foe
USF is 2-1 in its all-time series against The Citadel with two straight victories. The programs haven't met since the Bulls' 98-72 win on Dec. 21, 1999 at the Pearl Harbor Classic in Hawaii.
The Citadel (3-2) is coming off a 91-82 overtime win over James Madison on Tuesday. The Bulldogs' two losses this season were against No. 22 Clemson (100-80) and Texas (97-69).
The Citadel packs a lot of offensive firepower, averaging 105 points per game after pouring in 148 and 137 points against Mid-Atlantic Christian and Johnson (Florida) before its loss to Texas on Nov. 16.
The Bulldogs shoot from long range often with 37.2 three-point attempts per game and they're averaging 13.8 made threes per outing. Four players are averaging double-digit scoring figures and Lew Stallworth is leading the way with 17.2 points per game. Matt Frierson (16.6 ppg) has made 25 of his team's 69 total three-pointers.
USF is 13-3 all-time against schools currently in the SoCon and has not lost to the league since 1978.
Bulls Bits
COLLINS' SCORING SURGE: Star sophomore guard David Collins is tied for ninth in The American with 16.6 points per game after consecutive 21-point performances. The Youngstown, Ohio, native has already made nine three-pointers (45.0 percent) and he's nearly halfway to his entire 2017-18 total of 20. Collins has gone 7-for-10 from long range over the past two games.- NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: USF is 9-3 at home against non-conference foes since head coach Brian Gregory took over the program prior to last season. USF's 69-59 victory over FAMU on Wednesday marked the Bulls' sixth straight win home win against a non-conference opponent.
- BULLS CRASHING THE BOARDS: USF has registered at least 40 rebounds in three of five games this season after pulling down 42 boards against FAMU on Wednesday. USF's season high of 47 rebounds was reached in an overtime win over Austin Peay on Nov. 12.
- MORE HOME HOOPS NEXT WEEK: USF wraps up a four-game home stand with tests against Stetson (Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m.) and Colgate (Friday, Nov. 30, 8:30 p.m.). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, 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. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14.
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.
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