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Matchup: USF (1-2) vs. Wofford (2-3)
Date: Thursday, November 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPN3 (Drew Fellios, Mark Wise)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
TAMPA, NOV. 20, 2019 – The USF men’s basketball team returns closes a four-game homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Bulls host 2019 NCAA Tournament participant Wofford at the Yuengling Center.
USF (1-2) enters play as one of the top defensive teams in the NCAA and stands fourth in the nation in turnovers forced with 23.7 per game. The Bulls have caused at least 21 turnovers in all three games thus far this season and have 14 games with 20 turnovers or more since the start of the 2018-19 season.
The Bulls also collected 12 steals Nov. 14 against IUPUI and have recorded nine or more steals in every game this season, which includes a season-high 18 Nov. 10 against Boston College. USF ranks first in The American and sixth in the NCAA with 13.0 steals per game, and senior guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) stands eighth in the country with 3.7 per game.
Junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) paces the USF offense with 13.3 points per game to go along with 3.3 steals per game. Collins opens play against Wofford with 896 career points and is only 104 shy of becoming the 20th member of the USF 1,000 point club.
Rideau stands second on the team with 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while redshirt sophomore Ezacuras Dawson III adds 7.7 points per game in his debut season with the Bulls.
THE OPPONENT
Wofford was defeated 75-56 Monday at Missouri and has lost three in a row after opening the season with two straight wins. The Terriers also dropped an 80-61 decision at Butler on Nov. 16 and have lost both road games by an average of 19.0 points per game.
Senior guard Nathan Hoover leads Wofford with 16.8 points per game and stands second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game. Junior Storm Murphy adds 16.2 points per game and shoots 55.6 percent from three-point range, while forward Chevez Goodwin grabs a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game to go along with 10.0 points per game.
QUOTABLE
“We used this week off to kind of reset a little bit and we’ve had some good practices. Our guys have responded well and I’m excited about these next two days of practice and our next game against a very good and successful Wofford team. They run great stuff on offense and are very tough and physical on defense. They have highly-skilled players that know how to play and how to win. We’re going to have to do a much better job on defense than we did in the previous two games.” — Head Coach Brian Gregory
NOTABLE
• USF and Wofford will meet for the first time in history when the two schools matchup on Thursday.
• USF is 16-6 all-time against schools currently in the Southern Conference.
• David Collins is 104 points shy of becoming the 20th member of the USF 1,000 point club.
• Junior Justin Brown is 12 three-pointers away from moving into the top 10 all-time at USF.
• USF ranks sixth in the NCAA with 13.0 steals per game and has at least nine in all three games this season.
• David Collins has made 303 career free throws and ranks seventh all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 4th in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 23.7 per game.
• USF was picked to finish fifth in The American in the league’s preseason poll.
• USF was the only team in The American to have three players named preseason all-conference.
• USF has made at least one three-pointer in 131 consecutive games.
• Laquincy Rideau was one of only three players in the NCAA last season with 100 steals and 100 assists.
• USF redshirt sophomore Ezacuras Dawson III will celebrate his 21st birthday on Thursday.
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.
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