TAMPA, Fla. (January 26, 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 UTSA. The Bulls (12-5, 5-1 AAC) and the Roadrunners (8-12, 2-5 AAC) are scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip on Saturday, January 27, on ESPN+ presented by Moffitt Cancer Center.
Saturday’s game will be our Coaches vs. Cancer game. The coaching staff will wear suits and sneakers as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer game. Saturday is also USF Men’s Basketball Alumni Day, and a lot of familiar faces will be in attendance. The alumni will be recognized during the game.
The American’s Unity Week, in conjunction with the American Athletic Conference Diversity and Inclusion Committee, for the winter season will take place from January 27 to February 4. During Unity Week, student-athletes will wear specially designed warm-up shirts for all competitions during this Unity Week, except for men’s and women’s basketball, which will have a set schedule (listed below) for when we would like both teams (home and away) to wear the shirts.
The 12-5 start is the best since the Bulls opened the season with a 12-5 mark for the 2001-02 campaign. It is just the seventh time in program history that USF has started 12-5. South Florida has scored 70 or more points in 11 consecutive games, which is the longest streak since the 1992-93 season.
Pryor on Fire
Kasean Pryor was named the AAC Player of the Week just the third time a USF player was named an AAC Player of the Week. For the week, he led the Bulls with 23.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. The junior forward helped lead South Florida to a 2-0 record for the week, including a win on the road at No. 10 Memphis. Against the Tigers, he recorded 21 points and brought down 10 rebounds. He went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line and his final free throw of the game put the Bulls on top 74-73. He added two assists and one steal. In Sunday’s game against Wichita State, Pryor recorded a game-high 25 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the week. He has scored 20 or more points in three straight games. He was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line and tied a program record with a perfect free-throw percentage. For the week, he was the only player in the American Athletic Conference to record two double-doubles while averaging over 20 points per game.
For the season, Pryor leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per contest. His 5.36 defensive rebounds per game are tied for 85th in the country and fifth in the conference. He averages 12.7 points per game with 25 assists and 22 steals. He has a team-best 15 blocks. He is shooting 83.5 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 126th in the NCAA and fifth in the AAC. He is the only player since the start of the 2010-11 season to record a game with 25 or more points, have five steals, five blocks, shoot above 90 percent from the free-throw line, and have one or fewer turnovers. He achieved this feat against Rice on January 12. He is the first D-I player to record at least 95 points, 30 rebounds, 8 steals & 90.0 free-throw percentage (min. 40 attempts) in a four-game span since Texas’ Kevin Durant in March 2007. He has recorded four straight 20-plus games and has notched three consecutive double-doubles.
Bulls at a Glance
Chris Youngblood is second on the team lead with 14.2 points per game. He is averaging 2.6 rebounds per game to go along with 36 assists, 12 steals, and 11 blocks. He is shooting 82.9 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 140th in the country and sixth in the AAC. Jayden Reid leads the team with 65 assists. He is tied for 162nd in the NCAA with 3.8 assists per game and is tied for seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.71, which is 50th in the country, third in the conference, and sixth among NCAA freshmen. He is tied for the team lead with 22 steals. He averages 2.6 rebounds per game to go along with 7.5 points per contest.
‘Sel’ing Point
Selton Miguel is tied for 178th in the country with 2.24 3-pointers per game, which is eighth in the conference. He is tied for the team lead with 14.5 points per contest. He is fourth on the squad with 3.8 boards per game. He is third on the squad with 21 steals and is second on the team with 37 assists. He has added six blocks.
Strong Bench
South Florida’s bench is 36th in the NCAA and second in the conference averaging 27.65 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 470-291. Opposing benches are averaging just 17.12 points per game.
Cashing in on Free Opportunities
The Bulls are tied for 23rd in the NCAA and fourth in the conference with 17.2 made free throws per game. USF is tied for 30th in the country with 23.2 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 31st in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.5, which is second in the conference. South Florida is 61st in the country with 14.18 forced turnovers per contest, which is third in the AAC. USF has used the turnovers to lead to fastbreak opportunities. The Bulls are 68th in the nation with 12.88 fastbreak points per game, which is seventh in the conference.
Last Time Out
South Florida recorded its third consecutive come-from-behind win with a 72-68 victory against Wichita State. Kasean Pryor recorded a game-high 25 points, which was his third-straight game with 20 or more points. He brought down a game-high 10 rebounds for his second-consecutive game with a double. He added one assist and a steal, he tied a program record with a perfect free-throw percentage. He shot 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. Jose Placer posted a 17-point game, while he shot 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. It is his third game in double figures. He dished out one assist. Kobe Knox closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. It was his fifth game on the season in double figures. He collected a game-high four assists.
History with UTSA
The Bulls and the Roadrunners will meet for the first time on Saturday.
Scouting the Roadrunners
UTSA is eighth in the NCAA with 29.5 3-point field goal attempts per game, which is tops in the AAC. The Roadrunners are tied for 15th in the nation with 10.1 made 3-pointers per game, the most in the conference. UTSA’s bench is 17th in the country with 30.50 bench points per game, which leads the AAC. The Roadrunners are strong on the glass averaging 40.50 rebounds per game, which is tied for 25th and second in the conference. With 13.05 offensive rebounds per game, the Roadrunners are tied for 34th in the country and third in the league. They are tied for 60th in the nation with 27.45 defensive rebounds per contest, which is second in the AAC. Jordan Ivy-Curry leads the team with 18.4 points per game. He is second on the squad averaging 6.0 boards per game. He has 40 assists, 11 steals, and one block. Christian Tucker is second on the team with 12.8 points a game. He paces the squad with 112 assists, which is tied for 24th in the NCAA and tops in the conference. He is tied for 28th in the country with 5.6 assists per contest, which leads the league. He is shooting 89.1 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 26th in the NCAA and leads the AAC. He averages 3.3 rebounds per game with a team-high 20 steals and five blocks. Carlton Linguard Jr. rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.9 points per contest. He leads the team and is tied for 55th in the NCAA with 33 blocks, which is third in the conference. His 1.65 blocks per game are tied for 69th in the country and fourth in the league. He averages 5.7 rebounds per game with 16 assists and five steals.
Tale of the Tape
| USF | Category | UTSA |
| 75.9 | POINTS PER GAME | 80.8 |
| 70.2 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 83.5 |
| .429 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .419 |
| .428 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .452 |
| .333 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .343 |
| .319 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .374 |
| .741 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .720 |
| 36.4 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 40.5 |
| -1.0 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | 2.0 |
| 14.4 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 14.7 |
| 10.7 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 11.8 |
| 3.5 | TURNOVER MARGIN | 1.9 |
| 7.3 | STEALS PER GAME | 5.0 |
| 3.2 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 4.3 |
American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 25)
1. Florida Atlantic – 16-4, 6-1
2. Charlotte – 12-7,65-1
3. South Florida – 12-5, 5-1
4. North Texas – 12-6. 5-1
5. Memphis – 15-4, 4-2
6. SMU – 13-6, 4-2
7. UAB – 12-7, 4-2
8. Tulane – 12-7, 3-4
9. ECU – 10-10, 3-4
10. UTSA – 8-12, 2-5
11. Tulsa – 10-8, 1-5
12. Rice – 7-12, 1-5
13. Temple – 8-12, 1-6
14. Wichita State – 8-11, 0-6
