Bulls Host No. 21 Houston in Saturday Showdown
Matchup: USF (12-5, 2-3) vs. No. 21 Houston (17-1, 4-1)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPNU (Matt Schick, Sean Harrington)
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (
Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
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TAMPA, JAN. 18, 2019 – The USF men's basketball team returns home for a marquee matchup with No. 21 Houston Saturday evening at 8 p.m. at the Yuengling Center.
USF opens play Saturday in search of its first eight-game home winning streak since the 2000-01 season when the Bulls won nine consecutive home games. The Bulls have not lost inside the Yuengling Center since falling to The Citadel on Nov. 24. Â
USF (12-5, 2-3) suffered an 82-74 setback Tuesday at Cincinnati behind a career-high 34 points from Bearcat guard Jarron Cumberland. USF redshirt junior
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) paced the Bulls with 26 points to go along with four assists and two steals. Overall, Rideau leads the USF offense with 14.6 points per game and ranks third in the NCAA with 3.3 steals per game. In addition, Rideau is 92 points shy of 1,000 for his career and needs 13 more steals to set a new single-season school record. Â Â
Sophomore
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) scored 10 points against the Bearcats and ranks second on the team with 14.3 points per game. Collins adds 2.6 steals per game and ranks 12th in the NCAA and has formed a formidable duo with Rideau that has helped USF rank ninth in the NCAA with 9.6 steals per game.
Redshirt freshman
Alexis Yetna (Paris) finished with 12 points and four rebounds Tuesday against Cincinnati and ranks 11th in the NCAA and first in The American with 10.4 rebounds per game. Yetna also paces the league with nine double-doubles and has more than 10 teams in The American. Overall, Yetna pours in 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and is the only player in The American to average a double-double. Â
THE OPPONENT
Houston (17-1, 4-1) opened the season with 15 consecutive victories before suffering its first loss of the season Jan. 9 at Temple. The Cougars have since won their last two games and own a 3-1 record on the road. Houston features one of the top defenses in the NCAA and leads The American in scoring defense by limiting opponents to 60.5 points per game and have held 10 teams to fewer than 60 points this season.
Senior guard Corey Davis Jr. leads Houston and ranks 10th in The American with 15.7 points per game while pacing the league at the free throw line by shooting 93.6 percent. Fellow guard Armoni Brooks is second on the team with 14.5 points per game and leads the Cougars with 6.7 rebounds per game.
QUOTABLE
Coach Brian Gregory on the matchup with Houston…
"They are phenomenal in transition. They have three veteran guards who know what to do on every single play and in every single situation. We have to match that and do a tremendous job on the defensive glass because they are the most efficient offensive rebounding team in our league. We need to play the way we are capable of playing. We need to be at our best for 40 minutes."
NOTABLE
• USF is in search of its first win over a ranked team since winning at No. 19 Louisville on Feb. 29, 2012.
• USF is 12-16 against Houston in the all-time series that dates back to the 1976-77 season.
• USF is looking for its 13th win of the season, which would be the most since the 2011-12 season.
• USF's four losses are by a combined 19 points. Four of five losses have been by three points or less.
• USF is the only school in the NCAA to have its conference leader in rebounds, assists and steals.
• USF redshirt junior
Laquincy Rideau is only 92 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career.
• USF redshirt freshman
Alexis Yetna has more double-doubles (9) than 10 teams in The American.
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Alexis Yetna is first in The American and 15th in the NCAA with nine double-doubles.
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Laquincy Rideau ranks third in the NCAA and first in The American with 3.3 steals per game.Â
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Alexis Yetna leads The American and ranks 11th in the NCAA with 10.4 rebounds per game.
• USF has taken the fourth-most free throw attempts in the NCAA with 486.
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Laquincy Rideau is 13 steals shy of setting a new USF single-season school record.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
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.Â
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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