6/16/2020 basketball Edit

USF predicted to finish 4th in 2020-21 AAC play

Russ Wood • BullsInsider

Managing Editor

Expectations for USF basketball are much higher than the 2019-20 season finish. The Bulls, who have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2012, were picked to finish fourth in The American by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

USF Bulls Basketball South Florida — Yuengling Center court (Photo by: Russ Wood-BullsInsider.com)

The poll, which was released Tuesday, ranked Houston as the top team followed by SMU, Memphis and USF.

The Bulls were picked to finish fifth in voting by the league’s coaches prior to the 2019-20 season. USF was dealt a huge blow when Alexis Yetna suffered a season ending knee injury less than a week before the team’s season opener. In addition to Yetna, several Bulls missed at least one game due to injury during the season and the Bulls finished 14-17 overall and 7-11 in the AAC.

USF has a veteran roster, including five players who started at least 15 games in the 2019-20 season. The Bulls also add freshman Caleb Murphy, the No. 61 ranked player in the Rivals150.

Here is what Jon Rothstein had to say about USF:

The Skinny: Brian Gregory adds a Top-100 freshman in Murphy and a forgotten star in the 6-8 Yetna, who missed last season due to injury. If Yetna regains the form he showed two years ago as a freshman (12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds), South Florida will compete for a berth in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

— CollegeHoopsToday.com

Rothstein’s complete prediction on the order of finish in The American is:

1. Houston

2. SMU

3. Memphis

4. USF

5. Cincinnati

6. Wichita State

7. Tulsa

8. UCF

9. East Carolina

10. Temple

11. Tulane

To read Rothstein’s power rankings, players to watch and team analysis hit the link in the Tweet.