Matchup: USF (10-12, 3-6) vs. Memphis (17-5, 6-3)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 4 p.m. (EST)
Location: Memphis, Tenn. | FedEx Forum
TV: CBS Sports Network (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Gary Parrish)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
TAMPA, FLA., FEB. 7, 2020 – The USF men’s basketball team seeks its third consecutive win when the Bulls travel to Memphis, Tenn., for an afternoon matchup with Memphis on Saturday at 4 p.m. (EST) from the FedEx Forum. The game is scheduled to be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
USF (10-12, 3-6) turned in a 64-48 victory over in-state rival UCF last Saturday in the second and final round of the War on I-4. It was the 10th time this season in which USF has held an opponent to fewer than 60 points. In addition, the Bulls lead The American and rank 17th in the NCAA by limiting teams to just 61.1 points per game.
Redshirt senior guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) scored 14 points and added eight rebounds, four assists and six steals Saturday against UCF on his way to moving into fourth place on the league’s all-time steals list with 157 career thefts. Rideau enters the weekend with 56 steals this season and ranks eighth in the NCAA with 2.5 per game. He also stands second on the team with 12.0 points per game and third with 4.5 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Ezacuras Dawson III (Miami) scored 12 points off the bench Saturday against UCF and was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Dawson is shooting 42.0 percent from three-point range this season and ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage. Junior guard Justin Brown (Atlanta) had 14 points against the Knights and paces the USF offense with 36 three-pointers made.
Junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) leads USF with 13.7 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Collins is 12th in The American in scoring and 60th in the nation in steals per game. He enters play against Memphis 13 points shy of moving into 15th place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
THE OPPONENT
Memphis (17-5, 6-3) has won three straight after defeating Temple 79-65 on Wednesday behind 21 points and four assists from freshman guard Lester Quinones. The Tigers have boast one of the top offenses and defenses in The American, as Memphis is second in the league in scoring with 73.8 points per game and third in scoring defense by allowing 63.6 points per game.
Freshman forward Precious Achiuwa leads Memphis with 15.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and poured in 22 points and 11 rebounds last month against USF at the Yuengling Center. Quinones adds 10.8 points per game and stands second on the team with 26 three-pointers made.
QUOTABLE
USF Head Coach Brian Gregory on the matchup with Memphis:
“Memphis is playing very, very well right now coming off another win over Temple on Wednesday. Obviously, this will be a great environment to play in with the sellout crowds that they’ve had this year, so we’re going to have to play extremely well. Hopefully we’ll be able to build on our big win on Saturday and our win on the road the week before. We’re going to have to do every aspect of our game, from our transition game to our defense and our offense, a little bit better to play against the talent that Memphis is able to put on the court.”
NOTABLE
• USF is 6-27 against Memphis in the all-time series that dates back to the 1972-73 season.
• USF head coach Brian Gregory is eight wins away from 300 career victories.
• USF ranks 36th in the NCAA with 8.2 steals per game and has at least eight in 14 of 22 games this season.
• David Collins has made 377 career free throws and ranks third all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 31st in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 16.2 per game.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks eighth in the NCAA with 2.5 steals per game.
• USF is 16-4 since the start of last season when Justin Brown scores in double figures.
• USF ranks 17th in the NCAA in scoring defense by allowing just 61.1 points per game.
• USF has held 20 of its 22 opponents under their season scoring average.
• David Collins ranks 16th all-time at USF in scoring with 1,143 career points.
• Justin Brown has made the ninth-most career three-pointers in school history with 136.
• Ezacuras Dawson III ranks third in The American with a .420 three-point percentage.
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.
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For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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