HOUSTON, SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 – The USF men’s basketball team added another marquee matchup to its non-conference schedule on Monday as the Bulls will face 2019 Mountain West champion Utah State on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at the Toyota Center in Houston in The Battleground 2k19, a neutral site tripleheader hosted by U-Sports Group.
The other two games of the tripleheader will pit Baylor against UT Martin and Oregon State facing UTSA. For event details and ticket information, visit www.Battleground2k.com. Game times and television broadcast information will be released at a later date. Tickets go on sale on Friday, Sept. 13 and can be purchased online.
The backdrop for The Battleground 2k19 will be a campaign called Athletes Against Abuse. The initiative, in connection with U-Sports Group, will strive to blur the lines between sports and service, inspiring student-athletes to use their ability, notoriety and influence to improve the lives of those around them. The Athletes Against Abuse initiative will utilize The Battleground 2k19 platform to get college programs involved and bring awareness to child abuse in our country.
“The Battleground 2k Series will provide college basketball programs with an alternative to traditional MTE’s and neutral-site events,” U-Sports Group President Rhossi Carron said. “Our platform was constructed to highlight real and relevant social issues, with the idea of using the power of sports to create change in our communities and in ourselves. Competing, not just for the sake of winning, but also for the cause of change, is at the heart of U-Sports Group and will be reflected in our sporting events.”
Utah State featured a 28-7 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference play last season en route to winning the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships. The Aggies, who finished with an NCAA Net Ranking of 31 last season, return four starters from last season’s squad and are ranked No. 18 in ESPN.com’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.
“Adding Utah State to our non-conference schedule provides us with another outstanding opponent that will certainly be in contention for its second straight Mountain West Conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid,” USF head coach Brian Gregory said. “We’re looking forward to playing in the Battleground 2K19 and showcasing our program in another top-notch holiday event.”
USF won a school-record 24 games last season and featured the top turnaround in the NCAA by winning 14 more games than in 2017-18. In addition, the Bulls captured the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship to claim the program’s first postseason championship since 1990. USF enters the season with all five starters back and a total of 92.4 percent of its scoring and 94.6 percent of its rebounding returning.
Last season, guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after pacing the league with 2.9 steals per game. Rideau registered 101 steals and finished the year with the fourth-most of any player in the NCAA and the most single-season steals in conference history. He also led the league with 5.4 assists per game and became the first player in league history to pace The American in both steals in assists. Additionally, Rideau was one of only three players in the NCAA with 100 assists and 100 steals. He also scored 13.4 points per game and was selected to the All-AAC Third Team.
Forward Alexis Yetna (Paris) was tabbed the 2019 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after finishing the season tops in the league in rebounding with 9.6 per game and pulling down a single-season league record 346 boards. Yetna also added 12.3 points per game and paced the conference with 15 double-doubles.
Fellow guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) was also tabbed All-AAC Third Team after leading USF and ranking 12th in The American in scoring with 15.9 points per game. Collins poured in 587 points last season to finish with the ninth-most points scored in a single season in league history. He also made 206 free throws to record the second-most in conference history. In addition, Collins was fourth in The American with 2.1 steals per game and was named the CBI MVP.
Season ticket deposits are now available for the 2019-20 season. By placing a $50 deposit per seat for season tickets, fans will be able to select their seats in advance. Season tickets are available starting at less than $6 per game. Fans also have the opportunity to select their seats earlier than the general public by becoming season ticket members. Season ticket deposits may be purchased at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-GO-BULLS.
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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.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
