Matchup: USF (1-0) vs. Boston College (1-0)
Date: Sunday, November 10
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: CBS Sports Network (Chris Hassel, Avery Johnson)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
Follow: Listen | Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, NOV. 9, 2019 – The USF men’s basketball team continues a four-game homestand Sunday at noon when the Bulls welcome ACC foe Boston College to the Yuengling Center for a matchup broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
All fans are encouraged to wear white or come early for a free t-shirt while supplies last.
USF (1-0) opened the season with a 70-41 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday and limited the Lions to the seventh-fewest points in a single game in school history. In addition, the Bulls gave up on 15 points in the second half to tie for the third-fewest points allowed in a half in school history.
Junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) scored a game-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Justin Brown (Atlanta) made three 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.
THE OPPONENT
Boston College began its season in league play and registered a 77-70 victory against Wake Forest on Wednesday. Grad transfer Derryck Thornton scored 23 points and had three steals in his debut, while freshman guard Jay Heath added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in his first game with the Eagles. Senior forward Nik Popovic finished with 19 points and three rebounds.
QUOTABLE
“There is great excitement heading into Sunday afternoon’s game. We’ve got a team coming in here that is already 1-0 in the ACC after a big home win over Wake Forest on Wednesday. The start of college basketball has changed dramatically over the last six or seven years and we’re glad to be ending this first week with a big game on Sunday. We want to build a great home court advantage and our students and fans have a big role to play in that. Our job is to go out there and compete and play well so they want to keep coming back. We’ve also got a lot of our former players and alumni coming back for this game. It’s really important in our program to make sure that the guys that came before us are still part of our program. Having our former players with their families at the game on Sunday is going to be something special.” — Head Coach Brian Gregory
NOTABLE
• USF won a single-season school-record 24 games and won the CBI championship last season.
• 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 won 14 more games than it did during the 2017-18 season and featured the best win improvement in the NCAA.
• The Bulls are looking to win 20 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
• USF has made at least one three-pointer in 130 consecutive games.
• David Collins is 126 points shy of becoming the 20th member of the USF 1,000 point club.
• USF and Boston College are playing for the first time in history.
• Junior Justin Brown is 14 three-pointers away from moving into the top 10 all-time at USF.
• Laquincy Rideau was one of only three players in the NCAA last season with 100 steals and 100 assists. • David Collins has made 297 career free throws and ranks seventh all-time in school history.
• USF sophomore forward Michael Durr has made 15 consecutive free throws dating back to last season.
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 –
