TAMPA, Fla. (November 9, 2023) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team began the
Amir Abdur-Rahim era on Thursday against South Carolina State inside the Yuengling Center.
Chris Youngblood led South Florida with a game-high 19 points, while
Jayden Reid produced a double-double in his collegiate debut. The Bulls claimed a 96-52 victory in the season opener.
The 44-point victory is tied for the second-largest margin of victory in program history. It's the first time since December 22, 1982, when USF defeated Roosevelt 117-73. The largest margin of victory is 49 points, which happened on November 29, 1972, when USF knocked off Oglethorpe 110-61.
South Florida finished the game with five players in double figures. It is the first time that has happened since February 19, 2019. Youngblood finished with 19, while
Selton Miguel dropped 18.
Sam Hines Jr. was 5-of-6 from the field and added a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line for 12 points. Reid and
Jose Placer finished their debuts with 11 points each.
The USF offense came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and scored the game's first four points. The 4-0 run was capped off by an alley-oop slam by
Daniel Tobiloba. The Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 run to tie the first half at 4-4 with 17:39 left in the opening stanza.
The stout defense and high-octane offense combined led to a 23-3 run. Nine of those points came from Youngblood during the run, while Miguel tallied eight. USF took a 27-7 lead with 10:16 left in the first half.
USF extended its lead to as many as 25, 47-22, with 11 seconds left in the half. The Bulldogs made a free throw before the end of the half. The Bulls took a 47-23 lead into the break.
Sam Hines Jr. showed off his hops with back-to-back monster slam dunks, with the second one giving the Bulls a 66-35 lead with 13:07 left in regulation.
USF utilized another run off of strong defending and distributing the ball around on offense. This run was a 15-5 run and extended the South Florida lead to 81-40 with 6:31 left in the contest. The Bulls extended their lead to as many as 46, 94-50, with 1:08 left on the clock. South Florida went on to win 96-52.
Notables
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Chris Youngblood finished with a game-high 19 points.
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Jayden Reid recorded a double-double in his first collegiate game with 11 points and 10 assists. He also tied for a game-high five rebounds.
· The 44-point victory is the largest by a head coach in his debut.
· The 44-point victory is tied for the second-largest margin in program history. It's the first time since 1982.
· South Florida held South Carolina State to 0-18 from 3-point range, it is only the third time in history that the Bulls held an opponent to zero 3-point field goals. The last time was March 3, 2019, against UConn.
· The 52 points allowed are tied for the fewest points allowed in a team's season opener in the American Athletic Conference.
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Amir Abdur-Rahim became the seventh coach in USF history to win his debut.
·
Amir Abdur-Rahim improves to 3-2 in season openers.
Next Up
South Florida returns to the court on Wednesday, November 15, as Central Michigan makes the trip to Tampa. The Bulls and Chippewas are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 USF men's basketball slate are on sale now. To purchase season tickets, click
here.
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 South Florida men's basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim's Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
USF has retired three numbers in its 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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