Bulls Basketball newsletter: USF uses big homestand to move into 1st place

Hightower powers USF to monster second half, win over UTSA

USF was sleepwalking and desperately needed a spark Wednesday night. That’s exactly what freshman guard Gavin Hightower provided.

Hightower scored all 21 of his points in the second half to lead the South Florida Bulls to a 109-88 win over the UTSA Roadrunners.

“We don’t win this game if Gavin isn’t here today,” head coach Bryan Hodgson said after the game.

Hightower played a combined ten minutes over the Bulls’ last five games heading into Wednesday night. It marked the first time in his collegiate career that Hightower scored in double figures.

The Bulls outscored UTSA by 23 points in the second half after trailing 50-48 at halftime.

USF’s halftime deficit was a stunner. UTSA entered the game 0-9 in conference play, with only one loss during that span decided by fewer than ten points.

The Roadrunners shot 62.1% from the floor and made eight of their 11 3-point attempts in the first half. Junior guard Brent Moss scored 23 points in the first half and finished with 32 for the game.

“We had a conversation at halftime and we basically said we’re going to sub and do things based on attitude and effort and will in the second half,” Hodgson said. “If you don’t do that, you’re not going to play.”

In the second half, it was the Bulls who got hot, shooting 68.6% from the floor en route to 61 points. It marked the most points USF has scored in a half against a Division I opponent this season and the sixth time the Bulls have topped the 100-point mark.

Senior forward Izaiyah Nelson led USF with 25 points. It was the 20th time this season Nelson scored in double figures and the sixth time he surpassed 20 points.

Five Bulls scored in double figures. USF finished with 60 points in the paint, a season high.

The dominant second half sent the Bulls riding high into a clash for first place against Tulsa on Super Bowl Sunday.

USF outlasts Tulsa, takes first place in the American

On Sunday, the game America had been waiting for was finally played — and it didn’t disappoint.

The South Florida Bulls held off the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for an 80-74 win to move into first place in the American Conference standings.

What, you thought I was talking about that other game? That one was a snoozefest.

The Bulls’ clash with Tulsa was anything but. The teams traded big scoring runs all afternoon, but USF remained in control, leading for more than 38 minutes after jumping out to a 14-1 start.

USF’s defense made the difference. Tulsa entered the game ranked second in the American in scoring offense and first in field-goal percentage. On Sunday, the Golden Hurricane scored 74 points and shot 39% from the floor — 13 points and ten percentage points below their season averages.

The Bulls forced 14 turnovers and scored 17 points off them.

Nelson again led USF with 25 points and ten rebounds. It marked his 16th double-double of the season, the second most in the country.

USF’s offense was defined by ball movement. The Bulls recorded 19 assists on 25 made field goals. Guards C.J. Brown and Wes Enis combined for 14 assists and zero turnovers. Enis also scored 20 points and now has 52 points in two games against Tulsa this season.

Another key to USF’s offense was its ability to get to the free-throw line. The Bulls made 23-of-30 attempts, compared to just 11 made free throws for Tulsa. USF ranks first in the nation in both free throws made and attempted this season.

“We’ve been very efficient. We make great decisions. We take layups, free throws and 3s,” Hodgson said. “This is probably the fastest group I’ve ever had adjust to the pace we want to play, and also the efficiency and shot geography we want.”

With 3:36 remaining, Tulsa cut the lead to 68-66. USF outscored the Golden Hurricane down the stretch to secure the win, exercising some demons from three one-possession conference losses earlier this season.

USF’s 8-3 conference record puts the Bulls alone atop the American. USF shares the same league record as Tulsa, but holds a half-game lead over Temple and one-game leads over Wichita State, Memphis and Charlotte.

The schedule doesn’t get easier. The Bulls travel to Wichita State for a rematch of their 86-85 loss earlier this season, then head to Boca Raton next Sunday to face FAU, which USF defeated earlier at the Yuengling Center.

But for now, the Bulls sit on top of the American for the first time since Amir Abdur-Rahim was on the sidelines.

Checking in around the American

The league remains jumbled at the top of the standings.

Memphis, the American preseason favorite, is starting to heat up. The Tigers have won three of their past four games and secured double-digit wins over UAB and Charlotte last week. Senior guard Sincere Parker scored 40 points off the bench in Memphis’ win over UAB on Thursday.

Wichita State is also red-hot, winning five of its past six games. Senior guard Kenyon Giles is averaging 18.3 points per game, the third most in the American. Giles is the only player in the conference averaging three or more made 3-pointers per game while shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.

Tulane, meanwhile, is trending in the opposite direction. The Green Wave opened conference play 3-0 but have since lost six of their past seven games.

Only Tulsa, USF and Wichita State currently rank inside the top 100 of both the KenPom and NET ratings.

The American is almost certainly headed for a one-bid NCAA Tournament. As a result, the race for seeding in the American Conference Tournament figures to be tightly contested.