Matchup: USF (8-12, 1-6) vs. Tulane (10-9, 2-5)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
Time: 8 p.m. (EST)
Location: New Orleans, La. | Fogelman Arena
TV: ESPN3 (Bob Licht, Victor Howell)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall)
TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 25, 2020 – The USF men’s basketball team closes out the month of January on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (EST) when the Bulls travel to New Orleans, La., to take on Tulane at Fogelman Arena.
USF (8-12, 1-6) enters play coming off a setback at No. 25 Houston in which the Bulls held their 18th opponent of the season under its scoring average. Junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) connected on three free throws and became the all-time leader in career free throws made in American Athletic Conference history. Collins paces USF with 14.2 points per game and has attempted the 20th-most free throws of any player in the NCAA this season.
Senior guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) stands second on the team with 11.8 points per game and leads The American with 2.5 steals per game. Rideau enters play Wednesday at Tulane needing just one more theft to move into a tie for fifth place on the league’s career steals list with 151. Rideau also ranks fourth in the conference with 4.2 assists per game.
Sophomore guard Ezacuras Dawson III (Miami) adds 7.6 points per game and ranks sixth in the league with a .393 three-point field goal percentage. Fellow sophomore Michael Durr (Atlanta) is tops on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
THE OPPONENT
Tulane (10-9, 2-5) lost its third consecutive game on Saturday following an 81-62 setback at East Carolina. During the losing streak, the Green Wave has lost all three games by at least 13 points and has not scored more than 62 points in any of the three.
Junior guard Teshaun Hightower leads the Tulane offense with 16.1 points per game and ranks third in scoring in The American. Newcomer K.J. Lawson adds 13.7 points and senior guard Christion Thompson is third on the team with 12.7 points per game to go along with a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.
NOTABLE
• USF is 16-21 against Tulane in the all-time series that dates back to the 1991-92 season.
• David Collins has made more career free throws than any other player in American Athletic Conference history.
• USF has played eight games this season decided by 10 points or less.
• USF ranks 42nd in the NCAA with 8.2 steals per game and has at least eight in 13 of 20 games this season.
• David Collins has made 371 career free throws and ranks third all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 32nd in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 16.4 per game.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks 12th in the NCAA with 2.5 steals per game.
• USF is 15-4 since the start of last season when Justin Brown scores in double figures.
• USF ranks 32nd in the NCAA in scoring defense by allowing just 62.3 points per game.
• USF has held 18 of its 20 opponents under their season scoring average.
• David Collins ranks 16th all-time at USF in scoring with 1,125 career points.
• Justin Brown has made the 10th-most career three-pointers in school history with 132.
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 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.
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.
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