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HOOPS Notes ahead of UAB

Kelly Quinlan

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USF Travels to Birmingham for AAC Road Test with UAB



TAMPA, Fla. (January 6, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team takes to the road for the first time in American Athletic Conference play with a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, for a matchup with UAB on Sunday, Jan. 7. The Bulls and Blazers are scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET tip on ESPN+.



Earlier this week, Jayden Reid was named the AAC Freshman of the Week and Chris Youngblood earned a spot on the AAC Honor Roll. Reid posted a 13-point performance. He chipped in with four assists and one rebound. He knocked down a 3-pointer and shot 50.0 percent from the field. He capitalized on opportunities at the free-throw line and went 6-for-6. Youngblood recorded a career-high 26 points and tied a career-high six 3-pointers made as the Bulls defeated the Hornets 73-70. He tied a career-high three blocked shots. He added two rebounds and one assist. He was a pivotal part of USF tying a program record with 14 made 3-pointers as a team.



Bulls at a Glance

Chris Youngblood leads the squad with 14.9 points per game. He is averaging 2.2 rebounds per game to go along with 25 assists, seven blocks, and six steals. He is shooting 83.6 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 140th in the country and sixth in the AAC. Selton Miguel is second on the team with 14.3 points per contest and is third on the squad with 4.4 boards per game. He is second on the squad with 15 steals and is second on the team with 28 assists. He has added two blocks. Jayden Reid leads the team with 52 assists. He is tied for 108th in the NCAA with 4.3 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.25, which is tied for 21st in the country, best in the conference, and is second among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 17 steals. He averages 2.9 rebounds per game to go along with 8.8 points per contest. Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per contest. He averages 9.0 points per game with 19 assists and 14 steals. He has a team-best nine blocks. Corey Walker Jr. is third on the team with six blocks.



Strong Bench

South Florida’s bench is 35th in the NCAA and best in the conference averaging 29.17 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 350-194. Opposing benches are averaging just 16.17 points per game.



Cashing in on Free Opportunities

The Bulls are tied for 31st in the NCAA and fifth in the conference with 17.1 made free throws per game. USF is tied for 33rd in the country with 23.6 free-throw attempts per game, which is tied for fourth in the AAC.



Fast and Furious


The Bulls have been playing stout defense and are tied for 33rd in the NCAA with a turnover margin of 3.6, which is second in the conference. South Florida is 56th in the country with 14.75 forced turnovers per contest, which is third in the AAC. USF has used the turnovers to lead to fastbreak opportunities. The Bulls are 41st in the nation with 15.00 fastbreak points per game, which is fourth in the conference.



Making History


With the win against Temple, Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim became the first head coach in program history to win a season debut and a conference debut in their first season.



Last Time Out


South Florida extended its winning streak to six games with a 76-68 victory against Temple. For the fifth time this season, the Bulls finished with four guys in double figures. Chris Youngblood posted a team-high 17 points. He added two assists and one rebound. Kobe Knox notched a 15-point performance to go along with three rebounds and one assist. Selton Miguel finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Jayden Reid rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points. He ended the night a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range. He dished out a game-high five assists. He chipped in with five rebounds and one steal. Pryor finished tied for a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his six points, career-high six assists, two steals, and one block.



History with UAB

The Bulls and Blazers will battle for the 61st time on Sunday. UAB holds the series advantage 39-21. The Blazers have won the last two meetings, including an 80-65 victory in Daytona last season. The Bulls are 7-22 in games played in Birmingham.



Scouting the Blazers

UAB is led by Eric Gaines who is averaging 13.0 points per game. He is tied for 40th in the NCAA with 72 assists and tied for 42nd in the country with 5.1 assists per game. He is tied for eighth in the nation with 39 steals and his 2.79 steals per game are sixth in the NCAA. Yaxel Lendeborg paces the team with 8.9 rebounds per game and has a team-best 34 blocked shots. His 34 blocked shots are tied for 10th in the NCAA. His 2.43 blocks per contest are tied for 11th in the country. He is tied for 52nd in the nation with 8.9 rebounds per game, which is third in the AAC. He has 125 rebounds, which is tied for 41st in the country and tops in the conference. He is second on the team averaging 11.5 points per game and has added 24 assists and eight steals. Javian Davis closes out the double-digit scorers with 11.1 points per game. He is averaging 6.9 rebounds per game with 15 steals, 15 assists, and five blocks. As a unit, the Blazers are tied for 14th in the country with 18.5 free throws made per game and are tied for 23rd in the nation with 24.7 free throw attempts per contest. UAB is 15th in the NCAA averaging 14.21 offensive rebounds per game. With 15.00 fastbreak points per contest, the Blazers are tied for 35th in the country.



Tale of the Tape

USF
Category
UAB
76.5
POINTS PER GAME​
77.5​
69.7
OPP. POINTS PER GAME​
75.9​
.431
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE​
.438​
.428
OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE​
.451​
.329
3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE​
.313​
.322
OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE​
.348​
.724
FREE THROW PERCENTAGE​
.749​
37.4
REBOUNDS PER GAME​
38.9​
0.5
REBOUNDING MARGIN​
4.8​
14.9
ASSISTS PER GAME​
13.1​
11.2
TURNOVERS PER GAME​
11.9​
3.6
TURNOVER MARGIN​
0.0​
7.3
STEALS PER GAME​
7.3​
2.9
BLOCKS PER GAME​
4.9​


American Athletic Conference Standings (as of January 5)

1. Memphis – 12-2, 1-0

2. Florida Atlantic – 11-3, 1-0

3. Tulane – 10-3, 1-0

4. SMU – 10-4, 1-0

5. South Florida – 8-4, 1-0

6. UAB – 9-5, 1-0


7. North Texas – 8-5. 1-0

8. Tulsa – 9-4, 0-1

9. Wichita State – 8-6, 0-1

10. ECU – 7-7, 0-1

11. Temple – 7-7, 0-1

12. Charlotte – 6-7, 0-1

13. Rice – 6-8, 0-1

14. UTSA – 6-8, 0-1



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