TAMPA, Fla. (January 20, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center for an American Athletic Conference contest with Rice on Sunday. The Bulls (10-5. 3-1 AAC) and the Shockers (8-9, 0-4 AAC) are slated for a 2 p.m. tip on ESPN+. Sunday’s game is presented by Integrity Express Logistics.
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The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Salute to Service t-shirt. Fans will be able to experience the thrill of Tampa General Hospital’s Baby Race at halftime. Concessions will be featuring a deal for $4 hotdogs.
Bulls at a Glance
Chris Youngblood is second on the squad with 14.7 points per game. He is averaging 2.5 rebounds per game to go along with 32 assists, 11 steals, and 10 blocks. He is shooting 81.9 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 156th in the country and ninth in the AAC. Jayden Reid leads the team with 62 assists. He is tied for 126th in the NCAA with 4.1 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.10, which is 25th in the country, second in the conference, and third among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 21 steals. He averages 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 7.9 points per contest. Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per contest. His 5.36 defensive rebounds per game are 139th in the country and seventh in the conference. He averages 11.3 points per game with 24 assists and 20 steals. He has a team-best 15 blocks.
‘Sel’ing Point
Selton Miguel is ranked fifth in the NCAA with a 3-point percentage of 47.6 percent. He leads the conference as well. For the season, he has drained 38 of his 80 attempts. He is 97th in the country with 2.53 3-pointers per game, which is third in the conference. He leads the team with 15.1 points per contest. He is fourth on the squad with 3.9 boards per game. He is third on the squad with 18 steals and is third on the team with 30 assists. He has added five blocks.
Strong Bench
South Florida’s bench is 36th in the NCAA and second in the conference averaging 27.80 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent’s bench 417-256. Opposing benches are averaging just 17.06 points per game.
Cashing in on Free Opportunities
The Bulls are tied for 28th in the NCAA and fifth in the conference with 17.0 made free throws per game. USF is 31st in the country with 23.5 free-throw attempts per game, which is fourth in the AAC.
Fast and Furious
The Bulls have been playing stout defense and are tied for 27th in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.8, which is tops in the conference. South Florida is tied for 56th in the country with 14.47 forced turnovers per contest, which is third in the AAC. USF has used the turnovers to lead to fastbreak opportunities. The Bulls are 38th in the nation with 13.47 fastbreak points per game, which is third in the conference.
Last Time Out
South Florida recorded its second-largest comeback in program history with a 74-73 victory on the road against No. 10 Memphis. South Florida snapped Memphis’ 10-game winning streak. USF won its 700th game in program history. Selton Miguel led the Bulls and tied a career-high with 23 points. He knocked down a career-best five 3-pointers and tied the third-best performance for 3-pointers made by a USF player in a conference game. He added two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Kasean Pryor added a 21-point effort and added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He added two assists and one steal. Chris Youngblood posted a 13-point performance. He brought down two rebounds to go along with three assists, and two steals. Brandon Stroud recorded a game-high three steals and added eight points with seven rebounds.
Historic Comeback Against No. 10 Memphis
USF erased a 20-point deficit, which is the second-largest comeback in program history. The only time the Bulls came back from 20 or more was 25 against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019. South Florida knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time since a 58-51 victory against Louisville on February 29, 2012. South Florida improved to 14-133 against ranked opponents. It is the first time since February 3, 2010, that USF defeated a top-10 team, South Florida defeated Georgetown 72-64. The Bulls picked up their first win on ESPN since the start of the 2017-18 season. USF moved to 27-55 on nationally televised contests.
History with Wichita State
The Bulls and the Shockers will meet for the 11th time on Sunday. Wichita State holds a 9-1 series lead against South Florida. USF is 1-3 at home against WSU. South Florida’s lone win came on January 22, 2019.
Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State is currently tied for 18th in the NCAA with 41.00 rebounds per game, which is tops in the conference. Their 28.71 defensive rebounds per game are 25th in the country, while their 12.29 offensive boards a game are tied for 66th. As a team, the Shockers are tied for 53rd in the NCAA and are third in the AAC with 4.6 blocks per game. Colby Rogers leads Wichita State with 16.2 points per game. He is tied for 38th in the nation with 2.88 3-pointers per game. He is shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range, which is 46th in the country. He averages 3.5 rebounds per game to go along with 33 assists, a team-high 22 steals, and eight blocks. Xavier Bell is second on the squad averaging 12.4 points per game. He averages 3.1 rebounds a game with 43 assists, 18 steals, and four blocks. Kenny Pohto closes out the double-digit scorers with 10.6 points per game. He is second on the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. He has 26 assists, eight blocks, and six steals. Quincy Ballard has a team-best 37 blocked shots, which is tied for 22nd in the NCAA and tops in the AAC. His 2.18 blocks per game are 21st in the nation and best in the conference. He is averaging 7.9 points a game and 6.1 rebounds per game. Dalen Ridgnal leads the team with 7.5 blocks per game and he is averaging 7.9 points per game.
Tale of the Tape
| USF | Category | WSU |
| 76.3 | POINTS PER GAME | 74.4 |
| 70.5 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 74.9 |
| .427 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .447 |
| .428 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .419 |
| .331 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .329 |
| .322 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .325 |
| .724 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .668 |
| 36.8 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 41.0 |
| -0.9 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | 5.0 |
| 14.5 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 11.7 |
| 10.7 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 12.6 |
| 3.8 | TURNOVER MARGIN | -2.4 |
| 7.5 | STEALS PER GAME | 6.1 |
| 3.5 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 4.6 |
American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 19)
1. North Texas – 11-5. 4-0
2. Memphis – 15-3, 4-1
3. Florida Atlantic – 14-4, 4-1
4. Charlotte – 10-7, 4-1
5. SMU – 12-5, 3-1
6. South Florida – 10-5, 3-1
7. UAB – 11-6, 3-1
8. Tulane – 11-6, 2-3
9. ECU – 9-9, 2-3
10. Tulsa – 10-7, 1-4
11. Temple – 8-10, 1-4
12. UTSA – 7-11, 1-4
13. Wichita State – 8-9, 0-4
14. Rice – 6-11, 0-4
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The South Florida men’s basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim’s Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
USF has retired three numbers in its 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.