HOOPS South Florida Travels for Showdown with No. 10 Memphis on ESPN
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Press release
TAMPA, Fla. (January 16, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team hits the road for a trip to Tennessee and a nationally televised matchup against Memphis on ESPN on Thursday, Jan. 18. The Bulls (9-5, 2-1) and the Tigers (15-2, 4-0) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip.
After a historic performance against Rice, Kasean Pryor was named to the AAC Honor Roll.
Bulls at a Glance
Chris Youngblood leads the squad with 14.9 points per game. He is averaging 2.5 rebounds per game to go along with 29 assists, 10 blocks, and nine steals. He is shooting 80.9 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 192nd in the country and 11th in the AAC. Selton Miguel is second on the team with 14.6 points per contest and is fourth on the squad with 4.1 boards per game. He is third on the squad with 17 steals and is second on the team with 29 assists. He has added five blocks. He is tied for 138th in the NCAA with 2.36 3-pointers per game, which is fifth in the conference. Jayden Reid leads the team with 59 assists. He is tied for 113th in the NCAA with 4.2 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.11, which is tied for 27th in the country, second in the conference, and third among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 20 steals. He averages 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 8.3 points per contest. Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per contest. His 5.38 defensive rebounds per game are tied for 129th in the country and seventh in the conference. He averages 10.5 points per game with 22 assists and 19 steals. He has a team-best 15 blocks. Corey Walker Jr. and Kobe Knox are tied for third on the team with six blocks.
Strong Bench
South Florida’s bench is 37th in the NCAA and second in the conference averaging 27.86 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 390-233. Opposing benches are averaging just 16.64 points per game.
Cashing in on Free Opportunities
The Bulls are tied for 27th in the NCAA and fifth in the conference with 17.2 made free throws per game. USF is tied for 27th in the country with 23.6 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 26th in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.9, which is tops in the conference. South Florida is 57th in the country with 14.57 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 14.29 fastbreak points per game, which is second in the conference.
Pryor on Fire
Kasean Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. He became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019. No one in NCAA Division I, the NBA, or the WNBA has put up the type of performance in a game that Pryor did over the past 25 seasons. He had 29 points, five blocks, five steals, shot 93.8% from the free-throw line going 15-of-16, and had only one turnover.
Last Time Out
South Florida rallied from a 12-point deficit to knock off Rice 81-73. Kasen Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists. Kobe Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists. Chris Youngblood closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Sam Hines Jr. led the Bulls with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid tied for a team-high five assists. The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
History with Memphis
The Bulls and the Tigers are slated to meet for the 40th time on Thursday. Memphis holds the series advantage 32-7. South Florida is 3-15 on the road against Memphis. The Tigers have won the last five meetings, including a 99-81 win in Tampa last season.
Scouting the Tigers
Memphis enters Thursday as the No. 10 team in the country in the Associate Press Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. As a team, the Tigers are tied for 20th in the NCAA with 17.4 free throws made per game, which is fourth in the AAC. With 23.5 free throw attempts per game, Memphis is 34th in the nation and fifth in the conference. The Tigers are averaging 81.6 points per game, which is 38th in the country and third in the AAC. David Jones paces the team with 20.9 points per game, which is 10th in the NCAA and best in the conference. He is 11th in the nation with 355 points. He has attempted 98 free throws, which is 14th in the country and most in the AAC. With 121 free-throw attempts, he is 19th in the NCAA and second in the conference. He leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game to go along with a team-best 31 steals, 28 assists, and nine blocks. Jahvon Quinerly is second on the team averaging 14.1 points per contest. He is tied for 54th in the NCAA with 82 assists, which is second in the conference. He averages 3.1 rebounds per game with 21 steals and two blocks. Nae’Qwan Tomlin rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.8 points a game. He averages 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with five blocked shots, five assists, and two steals. Malcolm Dandridge paces the Tigers with 23 blocked shots, while Nicholas Jourdain is second on the squad with 18 blocks.
Tale of the Tape
American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 9)
1. Memphis – 15-2, 4-0
2. North Texas – 10-5. 3-0
3. Florida Atlantic – 13-4, 3-1
4. Charlotte – 9-7, 3-1
5. SMU – 11-5, 2-1
6. South Florida – 9-5, 2-1
7. UAB – 10-6, 2-1
8. Tulane – 11-5, 2-2
9. ECU – 9-8, 2-2
10. Temple – 8-9, 1-3
11. UTSA – 7-10, 1-3
12. Wichita State – 8-8, 0-3
13. Rice – 6-10, 0-3
14. Tulsa – 9-7, 0-4
Follow Live
Watch: ESPN
Live Stats: gotigersgo.com
Listen: Bulls Unlimited
TAMPA, Fla. (January 16, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team hits the road for a trip to Tennessee and a nationally televised matchup against Memphis on ESPN on Thursday, Jan. 18. The Bulls (9-5, 2-1) and the Tigers (15-2, 4-0) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip.
After a historic performance against Rice, Kasean Pryor was named to the AAC Honor Roll.
Bulls at a Glance
Chris Youngblood leads the squad with 14.9 points per game. He is averaging 2.5 rebounds per game to go along with 29 assists, 10 blocks, and nine steals. He is shooting 80.9 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 192nd in the country and 11th in the AAC. Selton Miguel is second on the team with 14.6 points per contest and is fourth on the squad with 4.1 boards per game. He is third on the squad with 17 steals and is second on the team with 29 assists. He has added five blocks. He is tied for 138th in the NCAA with 2.36 3-pointers per game, which is fifth in the conference. Jayden Reid leads the team with 59 assists. He is tied for 113th in the NCAA with 4.2 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.11, which is tied for 27th in the country, second in the conference, and third among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 20 steals. He averages 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 8.3 points per contest. Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per contest. His 5.38 defensive rebounds per game are tied for 129th in the country and seventh in the conference. He averages 10.5 points per game with 22 assists and 19 steals. He has a team-best 15 blocks. Corey Walker Jr. and Kobe Knox are tied for third on the team with six blocks.
Strong Bench
South Florida’s bench is 37th in the NCAA and second in the conference averaging 27.86 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 390-233. Opposing benches are averaging just 16.64 points per game.
Cashing in on Free Opportunities
The Bulls are tied for 27th in the NCAA and fifth in the conference with 17.2 made free throws per game. USF is tied for 27th in the country with 23.6 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 26th in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.9, which is tops in the conference. South Florida is 57th in the country with 14.57 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 14.29 fastbreak points per game, which is second in the conference.
Pryor on Fire
Kasean Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. He became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019. No one in NCAA Division I, the NBA, or the WNBA has put up the type of performance in a game that Pryor did over the past 25 seasons. He had 29 points, five blocks, five steals, shot 93.8% from the free-throw line going 15-of-16, and had only one turnover.
Last Time Out
South Florida rallied from a 12-point deficit to knock off Rice 81-73. Kasen Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists. Kobe Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists. Chris Youngblood closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Sam Hines Jr. led the Bulls with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid tied for a team-high five assists. The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
History with Memphis
The Bulls and the Tigers are slated to meet for the 40th time on Thursday. Memphis holds the series advantage 32-7. South Florida is 3-15 on the road against Memphis. The Tigers have won the last five meetings, including a 99-81 win in Tampa last season.
Scouting the Tigers
Memphis enters Thursday as the No. 10 team in the country in the Associate Press Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. As a team, the Tigers are tied for 20th in the NCAA with 17.4 free throws made per game, which is fourth in the AAC. With 23.5 free throw attempts per game, Memphis is 34th in the nation and fifth in the conference. The Tigers are averaging 81.6 points per game, which is 38th in the country and third in the AAC. David Jones paces the team with 20.9 points per game, which is 10th in the NCAA and best in the conference. He is 11th in the nation with 355 points. He has attempted 98 free throws, which is 14th in the country and most in the AAC. With 121 free-throw attempts, he is 19th in the NCAA and second in the conference. He leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game to go along with a team-best 31 steals, 28 assists, and nine blocks. Jahvon Quinerly is second on the team averaging 14.1 points per contest. He is tied for 54th in the NCAA with 82 assists, which is second in the conference. He averages 3.1 rebounds per game with 21 steals and two blocks. Nae’Qwan Tomlin rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.8 points a game. He averages 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with five blocked shots, five assists, and two steals. Malcolm Dandridge paces the Tigers with 23 blocked shots, while Nicholas Jourdain is second on the squad with 18 blocks.
Tale of the Tape
| USF | Category | MEM |
| 76.4 | POINTS PER GAME | 81.8 |
| 70.3 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 74.4 |
| .430 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .468 |
| .429 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .414 |
| .331 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .362 |
| .332 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .326 |
| .722 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .742 |
| 36.8 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 37.0 |
| -0.7 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | 0.1 |
| 14.6 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 13.8 |
| 10.6 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 13.1 |
| 4.0 | TURNOVER MARGIN | 1.2 |
| 7.4 | STEALS PER GAME | 8.6 |
| 3.6 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 4.9 |
American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 9)
1. Memphis – 15-2, 4-0
2. North Texas – 10-5. 3-0
3. Florida Atlantic – 13-4, 3-1
4. Charlotte – 9-7, 3-1
5. SMU – 11-5, 2-1
6. South Florida – 9-5, 2-1
7. UAB – 10-6, 2-1
8. Tulane – 11-5, 2-2
9. ECU – 9-8, 2-2
10. Temple – 8-9, 1-3
11. UTSA – 7-10, 1-3
12. Wichita State – 8-8, 0-3
13. Rice – 6-10, 0-3
14. Tulsa – 9-7, 0-4
Follow Live
Watch: ESPN
Live Stats: gotigersgo.com
Listen: Bulls Unlimited
