TAMPA, Fla. (January 10, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team is back inside the Yuengling Center on Friday for a nationally televised contest with Rice. The Bulls (8-5, 1-1) and the Owls (6-9, 0-2) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
 
Friday's game will be presented by Tampa General Hospital. Friday will also be USF's Athletes 4 Athletes game as well as the Week of Welcome game. The First 2,000 fans will receive a HornsUp Foam Finger. There will be a pregame party starting at 4 p.m. outside of Gate D with food trucks for all fans.
 
The first 250 USF students will receive a SoFlo t-shirt as well as a voucher for free food at one of the food trucks at the pregame party.
 
Bulls at a Glance
Chris Youngblood leads the squad with 15.1 points per game. He is averaging 2.4 rebounds per game to go along with 25 assists, eight blocks, and eight steals. He is shooting 81.0 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 184th in the country and eighth in the AAC. Selton Miguel is second on the team with 14.5 points per contest and is fourth on the squad with 4.1 boards per game. He is second on the squad with 16 steals and is second on the team with 28 assists. He has added five blocks. Jayden Reid leads the team with 54 assists. He is tied for 108th in the NCAA with 4.3 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.84, which is tied for 38th in the country, second in the conference, and fifth among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 17 steals. He averages 2.8 rebounds per game to go along with 8.8 points per contest. Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per contest. He averages 9.0 points per game with 20 assists and 14 steals. He has a team-best 10 blocks. Corey Walker Jr. and Kobe Knox are tied for third on the team with six blocks.
 
Strong Bench
South Florida's bench is 43rd in the NCAA and best in the conference averaging 28.31 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 368-222. Opposing benches are averaging just 17.07 points per game.
 
Cashing in on Free Opportunities
The Bulls are tied for 39th in the NCAA and fifth in the conference with 16.5 made free throws per game. USF is tied for 33rd in the country with 23.2 free-throw attempts per game, which is fifth in the AAC.
 
Fast and Furious
The Bulls have been playing stout defense and are tied for 41st in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.3, which is second in the conference. South Florida is 56th in the country with 14.31 forced turnovers per contest, which is fourth in the AAC. USF has used the turnovers to lead to fastbreak opportunities. The Bulls are 49th in the nation with 14.08 fastbreak points per game, which is fourth in the conference.
 
Last Time Out
USF fell in a 40-minute battle to UAB 75-71. Chris Youngblood tied for a team-high 17 points. It was his 10th game in double figures. He added five rebounds and two steals. Selton Miguel finished with 17 points, his 11th game in double figures and his ninth straight. He added three blocks, two rebounds, and one steal. Kobe Knox notched a 10-point performance, his fourth game in double digits, to go along with five rebounds.
 
History with Rice
The Bulls and the Owls will meet for just the second time in program history. South Florida won the previous matchup, 49-46, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 30, 1997.
 
Scouting the Owls
Rice is led by Travis Evee who is averaging 16.9 points per game. He has a team-best 20 steals. He is second on the team with 35 assists. He averages 3.3 rebounds per game. Mekhi Mason is the only other Owl averaging double figures with 12.9 points a contest. He is tied for a team-best 10 blocks. He has added 33 assists and 12 steals to go along with 4.0 rebounds per game. Max Fiedler paces the squad with 8.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for 55th in the country. He is tied for 55th in the nation with 131 total rebounds. His 3.60 offensive rebounds per game are tied for 19th in the NCAA. He is tied for the team lead with 10 blocked shots. He leads the team with 74 assists. He averages 9.1 points a game and has 12 steals.
 
Tale of the Tape 

USF	Category	Rice
76.1	POINTS PER GAME	73.4
70.1	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	75.5
.432	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.436
.426	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.454
.331	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.301
.322	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.361
.709	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.715
37.4	REBOUNDS PER GAME	36.7
0.2	REBOUNDING MARGIN	0.6
14.3	ASSISTS PER GAME	14.3
11.0	TURNOVERS PER GAME	12.1
3.3	TURNOVER MARGIN	-0.5
7.1	STEALS PER GAME	6.2
3.2	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.5

 
American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 9)
1. Memphis – 13-2, 2-0
2. UAB – 10-5, 2-0
3. North Texas – 9-5. 2-0
4. Florida Atlantic – 11-4, 1-1
5. Tulane – 10-4, 1-1
6. SMU – 10-5, 1-1
7. South Florida – 8-5, 1-1
8. ECU – 8-7, 1-1
9. Temple – 8-7, 1-1
10. Charlotte – 7-7, 1-1
11. UTSA – 7-8, 1-1
12. Tulsa – 9-5, 0-2
13. Wichita State – 8-7, 0-2
14. Rice – 6-9, 0-2
 
Follow Live
Watch: ESPNU
Live Stats: gousfbulls.com
Listen: Bulls Unlimited
Tickets: gousfbulls.com
 
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.
 
– #GoBulls –