Bulls Welcome Tulane for Autism Awareness Game on Sunday
Matchup: USF (7-6, 3-4) vs. Tulane (8-8, 3-8)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 14
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPNU (
Robert Ford, Robbie Hummel)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (
Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
Follow: Listen | Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, FLA., FEB. 13, 2021 – The USF men's basketball team looks to return to its winning ways Sunday at 2 p.m. when the Bulls welcome Tulane to the Yuengling Center for the program's annual Autism Awareness game.
The Coaches Powering Forward for Autism initiative was created in 2014 by USF assistant coach
Tom Herrion and Towson head coach Pat Skerry. The duo founded the project to help raise awareness about autism, which affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today and more than 70 million people worldwide.
Inspired by their sons, both diagnosed with autism, Herrion and Skerry made a simple request to fellow coaches – wear the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece pin during the televised February weekend games. In an overwhelming response, more than 82 NCAA coaches and broadcasters took to the sidelines and airwaves throughout that weekend in 2014, wearing the puzzle pin. By 2018, the support soared to 375 NCAA coaches wearing the pins and more than 420 schools showing their support of people with autism.
USF AND TULANE
USF and Tulane will meet on the hardwood for the 39th time in school history when the two teams battle on Sunday. The Green Wave own a 21-17 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1991-92 season. The Bulls, however, have won the last three meetings with Tulane, which includes a 66-52 victory last season in the most recent matchup between the two. In that game last season in New Orleans,
David Collins had 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while
Laquincy Rideau added 14 points and three assists.
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AUTISM AWARENESS GAME
Sunday will serve as USF's annual Autism Awareness Game. The Coaches Powering Forward for Autism initiative was created in 2014 by USF assistant coach
Tom Herrion and Towson head coach Pat Skerry. The duo founded the project to help raise awareness about autism, which affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today. Inspired by their sons, both diagnosed with autism, Herrion and Skerry made a simple request to fellow coaches – wear the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece pin during the televised games to help raise awareness.
THE FIRST TO FOUR
USF enters play Sunday against Tulane in search of its fourth straight win over the Green Wave. Should the Bulls emerge victorious on Sunday, it would mark the first time USF has beaten an American Athletic Conference opponent four consecutive times. The Bulls have not lost to Tulane since 2018 and have won by an average of 12.3 points per game during the winning streak.
BIG RUSS. BIG GAME
USF sophomore center
Russel Tchewa scored seven points Wednesday against No. 7 Houston to register his second straight game of seven points. Tchewa has come on strong of late and become a bigger part of the USF offense. Tchewa scored just 28 points over the first 11 games of the season.
FEEL THE LOVE
USF will tip-off on Valentine's Day for the first time since the 2017-18 season when the Bulls dropped a road game to UCF in the War on I4. Overall, USF is 5-9 all-time on Valentine's Day and will be playing at home on the holiday for the first time since 2015 against Memphis.
THIRTY TWO IS TRUE
The USF men's basketball team went 32 days in between games due to Covid-19 protocols within the program. The Bulls played their 12th game of the year Jan. 9 at East Carolina and turned in a 69-63 victory over the Pirates. It wouldn't be until Feb. 10 that USF would resume games with a matchup against No. 7 Houston at the Yuengling Center. During the layoff, the Bulls had seven consecutive games postponed and only had two full practices that included all 13 players.Â
MAY I HELP YOU?
USF guard
Caleb Murphy registered two assists Wednesday against Houston and upped his season total to 44. Murphy enters play Sunday against Tulane needing 22 more helpers to move into 10th place on the USF single season list for assists by a freshman. Senior guard
David Collins currently ranks 10th on the list with the 65 assists he delivered during his 2017-18 freshman season. Â
BOARD BROTHERS
USF junior posts
Michael Durr and
Alexis Yetna have gobbled up rebounds since they arrived on campus as freshmen, and this season is no different as the duo are two of the top rebounders in The American again this season. Durr stands fourth in the league with 8.0 rebounds per game and Yetna ranks sixth with 7.1 per game. USF is the only team in The American with two players ranked in the top seven in rebounding.
X-FACTOR
USF junior guard
Xavier Castaneda hit one of his two 3-pointers Wednesday against Houston and enters play Sunday against Tulane scorching hot from down town. Castaneda is shooting 55.0 percent (11-for-20) from three-point range over his last seven games. Overall, Castaneda is shooting 44.8 percent from three-point range and ranks third in The American.
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 owns over 300 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.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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