Bulls Basketball Newsletter Week 2: USF rides high-flying offense to 3-1 start
The South Florida Bulls sit at 3-1 after winning both of their games last week. Bryan Hodgson picked up his first road win as head coach Sunday against Kennesaw State. USF scored 100 points in back-to-back games and has surpassed the century mark in three of its first four games — the first Bulls team in program history to do so. For perspective: USF basketball scored 100 or more just four times in the 10 seasons prior to Hodgson’s arrival.
USF is averaging 101.2 points per game this season, seventh best in the country. The Bulls continue to play at a breakneck speed, with the eighth-quickest average possession length at 14 seconds. Their offensive rebounding has been elite, grabbing 44.4% of their misses — 10th best nationally. USF has forced turnovers on 23.6% of opponents’ possessions so far this year.
Let’s take a closer look at the Bulls’ matchups this week.
South Florida doubles up Coppin State 100-50 at the Yuengling Center
The Bulls headed back home after a close loss to George Washington and used the opportunity to take out their frustration on the Eagles.
USF never trailed. The Bulls used a 26-5 run in the middle of the first half to pull away from Coppin State.
When asked what allowed the Bulls to bounce back, Hodgson’s response was simple: “We made shots.”
USF shot 52.2% from the field — its most efficient game of the season.
The offensive outburst was led by senior guard Joseph Pinion, who scored 24 points and made six of his 14 three-point attempts. Pinion had just 16 points and two made threes combined in the first two games.
USF’s three-point struggles were still present, shooting just 31.6% from deep. The misses didn’t slow the offense, though. The Bulls had 25 second-chance points and scored 42 in the paint.
Five Bulls scored in double figures. Freshman forward Caleb Sanders had the best game of his young career with 12 points in 16 minutes.
USF’s bigs were imposing as well. Senior forward Izaiyah Nelson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. Senior forward Daimion Collins imposed his will above the rim with five blocks.
The loss dropped Coppin State to 0-4 at the time; the Eagles now sit at 0-6, with all losses coming by double digits.
The Bulls’ 50-point victory was the second-largest in program history — it’s not often you see a scoreboard where one team doubles up another.
The Bulls run away from Kennesaw State in the Love Wins Classic
USF and Kennesaw State scheduled this game last November to honor Amir Abdur-Rahim’s legacy and celebrate the two programs that felt his impact.
“Talk about a man who impacted everything he touched,” Hodgson said entering the game.
As for the action, the Bulls outlasted Kennesaw State 108-89. Hodgson and Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway shared time on Alabama’s staff under Nate Oats, and their shared philosophies were evident in Sunday’s track meet.
Both teams attempted more than 60 field goals, and there were 35 combined fastbreak points.
However, the Bulls finally did it — they shot the three-pointer well. USF made 40% of its threes, its best mark this season. They did it by being more selective; 20 attempts from deep were the fewest the Bulls have taken this year.
Pinion helped the Bulls build a 56-41 halftime lead. He scored 20 in the first half and finished with 24. His back-to-back 24-point games earned him American Conference Player of the Week honors.
USF ran into trouble early in the second half when Kennesaw State cut the deficit to five. Freshman forward Trey Simpson sparked the Owls with a posterizing dunk over Nelson.
But the Bulls weathered the storm and outscored Kennesaw State by 13 over the final 12 minutes. USF never trailed.
While the Bulls scored a season-high 108 points, the defense was also impressive. They held the Owls well below their season scoring average of 102.7 entering the game.
Kennesaw State shot just 24% from three and 39% overall. The Bulls forced 14 turnovers and scored 17 points off them.
The Owls gave USF a taste of its own medicine on the glass with 23 offensive rebounds — the most the Bulls have allowed this season.
Both teams got to the line frequently. USF shot 46 free throws; Kennesaw State shot 39. The difference: the Bulls made 83% of theirs compared with the Owls’ 64%.
Nelson had another double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds and added four blocks. He earned the postgame hardhat after both wins last week.
Freshman guard Gavin Hightower was another bright spot, scoring nine points and adding three assists. He was named American Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday.
The Bulls handed Kennesaw State its first loss of the season — a strong wire-to-wire win in a game that honored a great man.
Up next: USF travels to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State
Surely this game is the only reason people are associating Oklahoma State and USF this week, right?
Back to basketball: the Bulls play another true road game, facing their first power-conference opponent of the season.
Oklahoma State is off to a 4-0 start under second-year head coach Steve Lutz, including a win over Texas A&M. The Cowboys are 17-4 at home since Lutz took over and are on a 13-game home winning streak in nonconference play.
Both teams will push the pace. Oklahoma State ranks fifth nationally in adjusted tempo; the Bulls rank 17th.
The Cowboys’ defense has been rock solid, holding opponents to 35.5% shooting — 23rd best in the country — and allowing just 30.8% shooting in second halves.
Oklahoma State is outrebounding opponents by 13.75 per game. The Bulls’ rebounding margin is plus-7.5.
Sophomore guard Vyctorius Miller leads the Cowboys with 19.8 points per game. Senior guard Roy Anthony averages 15.
Oklahoma State enters with a NET ranking of 55. It’s a prime opportunity for USF to pick up a Quad 1 road win. The Bulls won’t play at the Yuengling Center again until Dec. 4.
“I’m a firm believer that if we hold ourselves to our standard and play the way we talk about playing on both ends of the floor, I don’t care if you’re home or away.”
The Bulls will need some road success, as a key nonconference stretch beginning Wednesday could make or break their at-large NCAA Tournament hopes.