Bulls Travel to Tulsa for Saturday Showdown
Matchup: USF (11-2, 1-0) vs. Tulsa (10-4, 0-1)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 5
Time: 6 p.m. EST
Location: Tulsa, Okla. | Reynolds Center
TV: ESPNU (Kevin Brown, John Thompson III)
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (
Jim Lighthall)
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TAMPA, JAN. 4, 2019 – The USF men's basketball team takes to the road for the first time in league play on Saturday at 6 p.m. (EST) when the Bulls travel to Tulsa for a matchup with the Golden Hurricane at the Reynolds Center. Â
USF opens play Saturday in search of its first eight-game winning streak since the 1982-83 season when the Bulls won nine consecutive games. In addition, a win would give USF its best start to a season since the 1982-83 squad opened the year with a 14-2 record.
USF (11-2, 1-0) ran its winning streak to seven and snapped a 10-game losing streak to UConn with a 76-68 victory over the Huskies on Wednesday in the conference opener.
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) scored a game-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Rideau ranks second on the team with 13.8 points per game and leads The American in both steals (2.8 spg) and assists (5.5 apg). Â Â
Sophomore
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) added 17 points, all in the second half, against the Huskies and continues to pace the USF offense with 14.2 points per game. Collins adds 2.5 steals per game, which ranks second in the conference. He's also shot a team-high 94 free throws, helping USF rank second in the NCAA with 390 free throw attempts. Â
Redshirt freshman
Alexis Yetna (Paris) finished with 12 points and eight rebounds Wednesday against UConn and ranks 11th in the NCAA and first in The American with 10.7 rebounds per game. Yetna also paces the league with six double-doubles and stands 14th in the nation with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game. Overall, Yetna is the only player in The American to average a double-double with 11.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
THE OPPONENT
Tulsa (10-4, 0-1) saw its five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday when the Golden Hurricane dropped a 74-56 road game at No. 17 Houston. The Golden Hurricane, however, are 8-0 at home this season with wins over Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Â
Senior guard DaQuan Jeffries leads Tulsa with 13.6 points per game and stands second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior forward Martins Igbanu tops the Golden Hurricane with 6.1 rebounds per game and stands second in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Martins also ranks fourth in The American in field goal percentage at 60.2 percent.
Notable
• USF is aiming for its first eight-game winning streak since the 1982-83 season.
• USF is looking for its 12th win of the season, which would be the most since the 2013-14 season.
• USF is in search of its first 2-0 start in league play since the 2001-02 season when the Bulls were in Conference USA.
• USF is second in the NCAA in free throw attempts with 390.
David Collins leads the team with 94.
• USF is off to its best start since the 1982-83 team opened the year with a 14-2 record.
• USF is ranked 19th in the NCAA and second in The American with 41.3 rebounds per game.
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Justin Brown is shooting 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from three-point range over the last four games.
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Alexis Yetna is first in the American Athletic Conference and 23rd in the NCAA with six double-doubles.
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Laquincy Rideau ranks seventh in the NCAA and first in The American with 2.8 steals per game.Â
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Alexis Yetna leads The American and ranks 11th in the NCAA with 10.7 rebounds per game.
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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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