USF Athletics

This Week in USF Athletics

January 14, 2019

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Bulls Weekly Highlights

• AAC Freshman of the Week Alexis Yetna and USF men's basketball (12-4) wrap up their two-game road trip Tuesday night at Cincinnati before returning to the Yuengling Center to host Houston on Saturday at 8 p.m.
• After dominating UConn on the boards last weekend, USF women's basketball (10-7) will host Tulane in a conference matchup at the Yuengling Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• USF football head coach Charlie Strong named Kerwin Bell offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Bell led Valdosta State to the 2018 NCAA Division II championship with the nation's No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the division (52.0 ppg).
• Former standout USF center Austin Reiter and the Kansas City Chiefs will host New England in the AFC Championship that takes place Sunday at 6:40 p.m. (TV: CBS).
• USF men's tennis starts its spring season with a home match against Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
• USF women's tennis (1-1) will host LSU on Saturday at 10 a.m. 
• USF softball was picked to finish first by the conference coaches in the 2019 preseason poll.

 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 14, 2019 – Take a look ahead at the week in USF Athletics and catch up on last week's action:

Men's Basketball (12-4, 2-2)
This Week: USF finishes up a two-game road trip with a conference test at Cincinnati on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (TV: ESPNews). USF is looking for its 13th win of the season, which would be the Bulls' most since the 2011-12 season. Check out the preview HERE… The Bulls return to the Yuengling Center to host Houston on Saturday at 8 p.m. (TV: ESPNU). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com… Alexis Yetna was named American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in two outings last week. Learn more HERE.

Last Week: USF posted its most victories since the 2013-14 season and extended its home winning streak to seven games by dominating on both ends of the floor in a 66-48 win over Tulane on Jan. 9… Laquincy Rideau had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 steals, becoming only the sixth college basketball player in the last 20 years to have a points-assists-steals triple-double, but Temple held off a furious rally to defeat USF, 82-80, in overtime on Jan. 12 in Philadelphia. USF's four losses this season are by a combined 11 points.

Need to Know: Against 13-3 Temple, Laquincy Rideau registered USF's first triple-double since McHugh Mattis had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks on Dec. 7, 2006 against Winston-Salem State… USF ranks seventh in the nation with 9.9 steals per game and 13^th with a rebounding margin of plus-8.2… Alexis Yetna ranks ninth in the nation with a league-leading 10.8 rebounds per game and he's averaging a double-double on the season with 12.8 points per outing.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on the team by following the Bulls on Twitter @USFMBB.

 
Women's Basketball (10-7, 1-2)
This Week: USF is back at the Yuengling Center on Saturday to take on Tulane in a 1 p.m. conference clash that will air on The American Digital Network. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

Last Week: With just eight available players, USF led No. 3 UConn for much of the first half and outrebounded the Huskies, 42-26, in a 63-46 setback in Storrs, Conn., on Jan. 13. Enna Pehadzic, Shae Leverett and Tamara Henshaw combined for 33 rebounds… Down to only nine healthy players, USF stayed in a close battle with rival UCF for most of the way in a 62-49 War on I-4 loss at the Yuengling Center on Jan. 8.

Need to Know: USF has had at least two players score in double figures in each game this season… The Bulls lead The American with 44.8 rebounds per game (12^th nationally). USF ranks third in the AAC in scoring offense (69.9 ppg) and fourth in scoring defense (58.2 ppg)… Enna Pehadzic is averaging 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in conference play this season.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on the team all season by following the Bulls on Twitter @USFWBB.

 
Football
This Week: Former standout USF center Austin Reiter and the Kansas City Chiefs will host New England in the AFC Championship that takes place Sunday at 6:40 p.m. (TV: CBS). Reiter saw action in the Chiefs' 31-13 victory over former star Bulls back Marlon Mack and the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round last weekend.

Last Week: After leading Valdosta State to the 2018 NCAA Division II championship with the nation's No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the division (52.0 ppg), Florida native Kerwin Bell was named the Bulls' offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Bell, a former standout quarterback and SEC Player of the Year at the University of Florida (1984-87), comes to USF after 12 seasons as a successful head coach, leading programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15), and a 14-year playing career in professional football, which included stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1989) and Miami Dolphins (1988). Learn more about Bell HERE.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on USF Football on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE.

 
Women's Tennis (1-1)
This Week: USF will host LSU on Saturday at 10 a.m. Admission is free at the USF Varsity Courts.

Last Week: USF posted its first victory of the spring season in impressive fashion with a 5-2 win at Florida Gulf Coast University on Jan. 13… The Bulls opened the season with a 4-3 setback against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 12.

Follow the Bulls: Stay up to date on the Bulls by following @USFWTEN on Twitter.

 
Men's Tennis
This Week: USF starts its spring season with a home match against Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free at the USF Varsity Courts.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on the Bulls by following the team on Twitter @USFMTen.

 
Track and Field
This Week: USF begins its spring indoor season Friday and Saturday at the Gamecock Inaugural in Columbia, S.C.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on the Bulls by following the team on Twitter @USFXCTF.

 
Softball
This Week: Head coach Ken Eriksen will be holding a prospect camp to evaluate and develop future talent Friday through Sunday at USF Softball Stadium. Learn more HERE.

Last Week: Following an American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2018, USF was picked to finish first by the conference coaches in the 2019 preseason poll. Learn more HERE.

Need to Know: USF's impressive 2019 slate features tests against eight NCAA Regional teams, three Super Regional opponents and one Women's College World Series squad. Learn more about the 2019 schedule HERE… Tickets for the 2019 USF softball season can be purchased HERE, or renewed HERE. Season tickets are $80 ($64 for USF alumni, faculty, or staff), and there will be a Flex Pack option that includes 10 tickets for $30. For single-game pricing, the USF Opening Weekend Invitational will be $15 per day. All other opponent single-game tickets will be $7 for ages 12 and over, and $5 for children under the age of 12.

Follow the Bulls: Get all the important updates on the team by following the Bulls on Twitter @USFSoftball.

 
Baseball
Need to Know: USF's 2019 season schedule that features 55 games, 30 being played in front of the home crowd. USF will meet schools from seven different conferences, play a rare non-conference road series and get a unique experience against the Tampa Bay Rays. Learn more HERE… Tickets for the 2019 season can be purchased HERE, or renewed HERE. Season tickets are $80 ($64 for USF alumni, faculty, or staff), and there will be a Flex Pack option that includes 10 tickets for $30. For the Florida State and Florida matchups, the single-game ticket prices will be $10. All other single-game tickets will be $7 for ages 12 and over, and $5 for children under the age of 12.

Follow the Bulls: Stay updated on the Bulls on Twitter @USFBaseball.

 
Athletics
Need to Know: Stay up to date on notable program topics by checking out USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly's Bull Speed Ahead podcast archive HERE.

Follow the Bulls: Stay up to date on the program by following @USFAthletics on Twitter.
 
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 53^rd season in 2018-19. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 16 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including at least three in each of the last three seasons, and own 113 conference championships overall. Nine USF programs reached national post-season competition in the 2017-18 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the third straight year in 2017-18 and have posted a program record seven straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has seen more than 180 student-athletes earn their degree in the last two years.