Matchup: USF (8-9, 1-3) vs. UCF (10-7, 1-4)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Orlando, Fla. | Addition Financial Arena
TV: ESPNU (Dave LaMont, Mark Adams)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 17, 2020 – The USF men’s basketball team looks to return to its winning ways Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Bulls travel to Orlando to face UCF at Addition Financial Arena in the first installment of the War on I-4.
USF (8-9, 1-3) nearly knocked off No. 21 Memphis last Sunday behind 24 points, four rebounds and four steals from junior guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio). Ezacuras Dawson III (Miami) added 15 points, made three 3-pointers and dished out a career-high five assists, while Justin Brown (Atlanta) and Michael Durr (Atlanta) each chipped in with nine points.
Collins, who turned in the 18th 20-point game of his career Sunday against Memphis, leads USF and ranks sixth in The American with 15.1 points per game. He also stands as one of the top defenders in the league and is third in the conference and 34th in the NCAA with 2.1 steals per game.
Senior guard Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) is second on the team and 19th in the league with 12.9 points per game. Rideau also ranks first in the league and sixth in the NCAA with 2.7 steals per game and needs just four more thefts to move into fifth place for the most career steals in conference history with 151. He also ranks fourth in The American with 4.4 assists per game and is attempting to become the first player to lead the league in assists in back-to-back seasons.
Brown checks in third on the team with 8.2 points per game to go along with a team-high 30 three-pointers made, while Durr tops the squad with 6.4 rebounds per game. Dawson adds 7.5 points per game and is third in the league with a .426 three-point field goal percentage.
THE OPPONENT
UCF (10-7, 1-4) snapped a five-game losing streak Tuesday with a 74-55 victory at Tulane to give the Knights their first victory since Dec. 18 against Bethune-Cookman. UCF jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first 10 minutes and would go on to lead by as many as 32 en route to its first victory in league play.
Junior forward Colin Smith paces UCF with 13.5 points per game and is second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Ceasar DeJesus adds 10.7 points per game and is shooting a team-high 52.3 percent from the field. Senior guard Dazon Ingram leads the Knights with 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 9.1 points per game.
QUOTABLE
“This is a great rivalry and this is something that we have embraced. Central Florida maybe played its best game in the last month the other night with a big win at Tulane. It’s very difficult to get a road win in this league. We’ve played pretty well in league play, but now we need to take another step. We need to keep getting better and we need to make plays down the stretch that help us finish games. It’s a big opportunity for a response for our guys. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and we have a lot of respect for them and for Coach Dawkins. ” — USF Head Coach Brian Gregory
NOTABLE
• USF is 22-17 against UCF in the all-time series that dates back to the 1971-72 season.
• USF has played seven games this season decided by 10 points or less.
• USF ranks 25th in the NCAA with 8.9 steals per game and has at least eight in 13 of 17 games this season.
• David Collins has made 359 career free throws and ranks third all-time in school history.
• USF ranks 26th in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 17.1 per game.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks sixth in the NCAA with 2.7 steals per game.
• USF is 15-4 since the start of last season when Justin Brown scores in double figures.
• USF ranks 50th in the NCAA in scoring defense by allowing just 62.7 points per game.
• USF has held 15 of its 17 opponents under their season scoring average.
• David Collins ranks 17th all-time at USF in scoring with 1,098 career points.
• Ezacuras Dawson III ranks third in The American with a .426 three-point field goal percentage.
• Justin Brown has made the 10th-most career three-pointers in school history with 130.
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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For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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