Bulls Begin Two-Game Road Trip Sunday at No. 25 Houston
Matchup: USF (8-11, 1-5) vs. Houston (15-4, 5-1)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 26
Time: 2 p.m. (EST)
Location: Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center
TV: CBS Sports Network (
John Sadak, Avery Johnson)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (
Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
Follow: Listen | Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 25, 2020 – The USF men's basketball team begins a two-game road trip when the Bulls travel to Texas to face No. 25 Houston Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Fertitta Center for a matchup broadcast live on CBS Sports Network during Coaches vs. Cancer week.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised over $100 million for the American Cancer Society.
Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause – saving lives from cancer! Coaches and their staff across the nation wear sneakers with their suits during games to raise awareness and help save lives from cancer by raising funds and encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening, and early detection.
USF (8-11, 1-5) was defeated by No. 22 Wichita State on Tuesday despite limiting the Shockers to 56 points, which was the eighth time this season the Bulls have held an opponent to fewer than 60 points. Junior guard
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) scored a game-high 14 points and added eight made free throws to move into a tie for the most career free throws made in American Athletic Conference history. Overall, Collins leads USF and ranks ninth in the league with 14.7 points per game to go along with 1.9 steals per game, which is good for fourth in the league.
Sophomore Ezacuras Dawson II (Miami) added 10 points and tied a career-high with five rebounds against the Shockers. Dawson also hit a pair of treys and stands ninth in the league with a .386 three-point field goal percentage. Dawson is currently fourth on the team with 7.6 points per game.
Redshirt senior guard
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) ranks eighth in the NCAA with 2.5 steals per game and needs just three more thefts to move into fifth place on the AAC all-time steals list with 151. Rideau also stands fourth in the conference with 4.3 assists per game while ranking second on the team with 12.2 points per game.
THE OPPONENT
Houston (15-4, 5-1) sits in first place in The American after defeating UConn 63-59 on Thursday to run its winning streak to three. In addition, the Cougars have won nine of their last 10 games and have not fallen at home since dropping a 61-55 decision to Oklahoma State on Dec. 15.
Freshman guard Caleb Mills leads Houston with 13.0 points per game, while sophomore guard Quentin Grimes adds 12.6 points per game. Nate Hinton also scores in double figures with 11.0 points per game and is shooting 40.5 percent from three-point range.
QUOTABLE
"Houston does so many things well. They defend very well and are the number one rebounding team in the country. We have to do a great job on the glass. We're gonna have to really tighten up our block outs and our cut outs, those around the basket and those on the perimeter. We have to play well for all 40 minutes and we have to do a great job defensively. Obviously, one of the improvements that we need to rapidly make is on the offensive end, and we're gonna be tested in that against one of the best defenses in the country." —
USF Head Coach Brian Gregory
NOTABLE
• USF is 12-18 against Houston in the all-time series that dates back to the 1976-77 season.
• USF is seeking its first win over an Associated Press Top 25 team since defeating Louisville in 2012.
• USF has played eight games this season decided by 10 points or less.
• USF ranks 33rd in the NCAA with 8.4 steals per game and has at least eight in 13 of 19 games this season.
•
David Collins has made 368 career free throws and ranks third all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 26th in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 16.8 per game.
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Laquincy Rideau ranks eighth in the NCAA with 2.5 steals per game. Â
• USF is 15-4 since the start of last season when
Justin Brown scores in double figures.
• USF ranks 32nd in the NCAA in scoring defense by allowing just 61.9 points per game.
• USF has held 17 of its 19 opponents under their season scoring average.Â
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David Collins ranks 16th all-time at USF in scoring with 1,120 career points.
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Justin Brown has made the 10th-most career three-pointers in school history with 132.
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 owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.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, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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