USF Athletics

Bulls Step Out of Conference to Host Florida College

February 18, 2019

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• Game Notes

Matchup: USF (17-8) vs. Florida College (12-16)
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 19
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Radio: USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall)
Follow: Listen | Live Stats | Twitter

TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2019 – The USF men's basketball team steps out of conference for the first time in 2019 on Tuesday at 4 p.m. when the Bulls host Florida College in a game that will take the place of the Bulls' previously scheduled game at Charlotte that was cancelled on Dec. 9 due to Winter Storm Diego. Admission and parking is free and seating will be general admission.

USF (17-8), has won five of its last seven games and is led by the 15.4 points per game of sophomore guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio). Collins has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games and ranks 12th in The American in scoring. Collins also averages 2.1 steals per game and ranks 32nd in the NCAA and fourth in the league.  

Redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) ranks second on the team with 13.8 points per game and scored 16 points Saturday against Temple to reach 1,000 for his career. Rideau is also one of the top defenders and distributors in the NCAA, ranking fifth in the NCAA with 3.0 steals per game, and 29th in the nation with 5.7 assists per game.  

Redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna (Paris) recorded his second consecutive game with 12 rebounds and continues to pace The American with 10.0 rebounds per game, He is the only player in the conference to average a double-double. Yetna, who pours in 12.3 points per game, also leads the conference with 10 double-doubles.  

THE OPPONENT
Florida College (12-16) competes at the NAIA level and is a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Falcons currently sit in 10th place in their conference and have lost three straight and eight of their last nine games.

Junior guard Stefan Nakic-Vojnovic leads the Falcons with 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while senior guard Jacob Roark stands second on the team with 13.4 points per game and a team-high 100 assists. Junior guard Kent Hegarty (12.2 ppg), freshman gurad Matt Simpson (11.9 ppg) and junior forward Andrew Voss (11.1 ppg) also score in double figures for Florida College.
 
NOTABLE
• USF is 14-4 at home against non-conference competition under head coach Brian Gregory.
• USF has not won 14 home games at the Yuengling Center since winning 15 during the 1982-83 season.
• USF is the only school in the NCAA to have its conference leader in rebounds, assists and steals.
• USF sophomore Justin Brown is shooting 53.1 percent (17-for-32) from three-point range over the last six games.
• USF sophomore David Collins is averaging 19.8 points and shooting 53.7 percent over the last five games.
• USF redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna has more double-doubles (10) than seven teams in The American.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks fifth in the NCAA and first in The American with 3.0 steals per game. 
• Alexis Yetna leads The American and ranks 21st in the NCAA with 10.0 rebounds per game.
• USF has taken the most free throw attempts in the NCAA with 702 and has made the 15th-most in the NCAA (445).
• USF is 28-3 all-time under Brian Gregory when leading by 10 points at any time during a game.
• Five of USF's eight losses are by three points or less and the Bulls eight losses are by an average of 5.3 points.
 
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 10^th 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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