Matchup: USF (22-13) vs. DePaul (18-15)
Date: Monday, April 1
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPNU (Roy Philpott, Tim McCormick)
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
Follow: Listen | Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, MARCH 31, 2019 – One of only 14 schools remaining in the postseason, the USF men’s basketball team continues its quest for a College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship Monday at 7 p.m. when the Bulls host DePaul in game one of the championship series at the Yuengling Center.
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a single-elimination tournament consisting of 16 teams that compete on home courts. The championship is determined through a best two-out-of-three series format featuring the final two teams that will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Games two and three (if necessary) of the finals will be played at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago on the DePaul campus.
Single-game tickets are on sale and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. All sideline seating can be purchased for $20 and all baseline seats will be sold for $15. USF students will receive free admission thanks to the generosity of the USF Bulls Club members.
USF (22-13) earned a spot in the championship series following a 56-47 victory over Loyola Marymount on Thursday behind 11 points and 11 rebounds from redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna (Paris). Yetna leads The American with 14 double-doubles and 9.7 rebounds per game and was selected as the AAC Freshman of the Year earlier this month. Earlier in the tournament against Utah Valley, Yetna became only the fifth Bull in school history with 300 rebounds in a season.
Sophomore guard David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) added 11 points and three steals against Loyola Marymount and is averaging 19.7 points, 3.3 assists and 5.0 steals per game during the tournament. Overall, Collins paces the USF offense with 15.7 points per game and opened the CBI with a career-high 31 points and seven steals March 20 in a victory over Stony Brook.
Redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished with nine points, four assists and three steals against Loyola Marymount and ranks second on the team with 12.8 points per game. Rideau leads The American with 2.9 steals per game and his 93 steals are the most in a single season in conference history. He also leads the league with 5.4 assists per game and is attempting to become the first player in AAC history to lead the conference in assists and steals.
THE OPPONENT
DePaul (18-15, 7-11) finished in eighth place in the Big East Conference and was beaten by St. John’s in the first round of its league tournament. The Blue Demons proved to be one of the top scoring and rebounding teams in the Big East this season, ranking second in the Big East in scoring with 78.6 points per game and third in rebounding with 37.6 boards per game.
Senior guard Max Strus leads the Blue Demons with 20.0 points per game and ranks third in the Big East in scoring. Strus has also made 105 three-pointers this season and is shooting 37.4 percent from outside the arc. Sophomore forward Paul Reed leads DePaul and the Big East with 8.2 rebounds per game to go along with 12.1 points per game.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Brian Gregory on the matchup with DePaul:
“Our guys are excited about playing for a championship, but we also know we’re playing a really good team in DePaul. They are a team that has grown men. You can’t go through the Big East without being really physical. One thing this tournament has shown is that there are a lot of good players in a lot of different conferences. Both teams are heading into this series having won three straight games, so both teams are going to be feeling pretty good heading into Monday night. Guys are excited about the series format, and it’s going to be interesting to see how both teams make adjustments throughout the series. What worked in one game may not work in another, and you’ve only got a day in between games to adjust and prepare.”
NOTABLE
• USF is one victory away from setting the record for the most single-season wins in school history with 23.
• USF is 12-15 against DePaul in the all-time series that dates back to the 1982-83 season.
• USF has won 12 more games than it did last year and is tied for the second-best win improvement in the NCAA.
• USF is attempting to win four postseason tournament games in the same season for the first time in school history.
• USF redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna has more double-doubles (14) than eight teams in The American.
• USF is the only school in the NCAA to have its conference leader in rebounds, assists and steals.
• Laquincy Rideau ranks fifth in the NCAA and first in The American with 2.9 steals per game.
• Alexis Yetna leads The American and ranks 24th in the NCAA with 9.7 rebounds per game.
• USF is ranks 14th in the NCAA and second in The American with a +6.7 rebounding margin.
• USF has attempted the second-most free throws in the NCAA (964) and has made the fourth-most in the NCAA (623).
• Laquincy Rideau looks to become the first player in AAC history to lead in assists and steals in the same season.
• Laquincy Rideau holds the American Athletic Conference single-season steals record with 93.
• USF ranks sixth in the NCAA with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game.
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 brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14.
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 and appeared in the NIT eight times.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s’ basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
– #GoBulls –
Jay D’Abramo
Assistant Director, Communications || MBB, FB, T&F
