Matchup: USF (4-4) vs. Dartmouth (5-3)
Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPN3 (Drew Fellios, Mike O’Donnell)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
TAMPA, FLA., DEC. 5, 2019 – The USF men’s basketball team looks for its sixth straight win in the month of December when the Bulls host Dartmouth Friday at 8 p.m. at the Yuengling Center on Celebrate Tampa Bay Night.
Fans can purchase tickets for as low as $10 and will receive free foam fingers while supplies last. There will also be a pregame tailgate featuring two inflatables, games, photo booths and several different Tampa Bay vendors.
USF (4-4) turned in another dominating defensive effort Monday en route to a 65-55 victory over Furman. The Bulls held the Paladins to 26.1 points below their season average and have now held seven of the eight opponents this season to less than their scoring average.
Sophomore guard Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) scored a career-high 18 points and hit four 3-pointers as USF finished with nine treys and a 39.1 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) added 16 points and four assists and enters play Friday needing 27 points to become the 20th player in school history with 1,000 career points. Overall, Collins leads the team and ranks ninth in The American with 14.6 points per game.
Senior guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished with 11 points and six assists against Furman and ranks second on the team with 13.0 points per game. The 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year also has a team-high 21 steals and ranks second in the league with 2.6 thefts per game.
Junior forward Justin Brown notched his first career double-double with 10 points to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds. Brown pours in 8.1 points per game, is second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game and has
sunk a team-best 14 three-pointers.
THE OPPONENT
Dartmouth (5-3) dropped its second straight game after losing, 83-80, in overtime Tuesday at Georgia State. The Big Green took a 69-67 lead with 13 seconds remaining, but Georgia State hit a jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Junior forward Chris Knight leads Dartmouth with 12.9 points per game and has collected a team-high 19 assists and 13 blocks. Junior guard Aaryn Rai is second on the team with 10.9 points and leads the Big Green with 6.8 rebounds per game. James Foye also scores in double figures with 10.0 points per game.
QUOTABLE
“With Dartmouth, we’re going to see a similar style of play to what we faced against Furman, Loyola Chicago and Wofford. They are very good at reading defenses, adjusting and making the proper cuts, so we’re going to need the same type of defensive effort that we had in all three of those other games. I thought we took a really good step the other night with our defensive intensity, our rebounding and some timely offense. We’re still working, but I like our guys’ attitude moving forward.” – Head Coach Brian Gregory
NOTABLE
• USF and Dartmouth will meet for the second time in history on Friday.
• USF is 4-1 all-time against schools currently in the Ivy League.
• David Collins is 27 points shy of becoming the 20th member of the USF 1,000-point club.
• Junior Justin Brown is three three-pointers away from moving into the top 10 all-time at USF.
• USF ranks 46th in the NCAA with 8.9 steals per game and has at least nine in all five of eight games this season.
• David Collins has made 319 career free throws and ranks sixth all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 35th in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 17.3 per game.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks 19th in the NCAA with 2.6 steals per game.
• USF is 18-6 at home against non-conference competition under Brian Gregory.
• USF is 14-4 since the start of last season when Justin Brown scores in double figures.
• USF has made at least one three-pointer in 137 consecutive games.
• USF has won five straight games in the month of December and has won by an average of 14.2 points per game.
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.
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.
– #GoBulls –
