TAMPA, Fla., (Feb. 21, 2023) – South Florida heads east on Interstate-4 on Wednesday to meet UCF for the final regular season edition of the War on I-4. This is the second meeting of the season between the two schools with the Bulls dominating the Knights, 85-72, on Jan. 21 at Yuengling Center.
USF fell to Tulane 84-66 on Saturday, it was the Bulls’ third loss in its last four games.
UCF has lost seven of its last nine games. Its two most recent losses are by a combined three points.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against UCF:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (11-16; 4-10 AAC) at UCF (15-11; 6-8 AAC)
Date: Feb. 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Orlando, Fla. | Addition Financial Arena
Watch: ESPNU
Radio: 102.5 The Strike HD-2 & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
History: USF is 26-21 all-time against UCF. The Bulls defeated the Knights 85-72 on Jan. 21. USF has not swept the regular season series with UCF since both teams have been members of the American.
The Opponent: Since going 9-3 during their non-conference slate, the Knights have struggled in conference play. However, UCF is 10-5 this season at home.
Taylor Hendricks leads UCF in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and blocks (1.69 bpg). He is a long athletic forward who can play as a space-4 or as a 5-man in a small lineup. He is very active and very efficient. Hendricks will trail in transition, spot up on drives and he is a good pick-and-pop guy. Very capable of taking his man off the bounce and is a very good offensive rebounder. Hendricks has been named AAC Rookie of the Week a record seven times this season and appears in the first round on every 2023 NBA Mock Draft I’ve seen.
Well-traveled wing C.J. Kelly – UCF is his fourth Division I team – has good size at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds and is always hunting shots. Almost six out of every ten shots he attempts are threes and he is making 38.9 percent of them. He doesn’t need much time or space to get his shot off. He will shot fake on closeouts to get to a pull up jumper but he is not great off the bounce. He will shoot behind ball screens and dribble hand-offs.
Another Knight ‘shooter’ is senior guard Ithiel Horton. He will spot up in transition and on drive-and-kickouts. Unlike his teammate Kelly, Horton will use ball screens to attack off the bounce. We like his mid-range pull-up game. Horton also goes to the glass, averaging 3.8 rebounds per game.
Brandon Suggs does a little of everything for UCF. He is best in transition, slashing, cutting and posting up in the half-court (especially on mismatches). He has only attempted 24 threes but has made 45.8 percent of them. Force him left and wedge him out when shots go up. Suggs has good length and is active and versatile.
Combo guard Darius Johnson sets up his drives with double crossovers. He plays off two feet at the rim. Johnson’s game is built on his strength. At 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, he is a strong body guard who wants to get downhill but he will shoot it from deep.
This will be former Bull Michael Durr’s third game after missing eight games due to a hand injury. As Bulls fans know, Durr is an experienced post with good size. He can finish over either shoulder. He scores off of ball screen rolls, dump offs and OREB/Put backs. UCF guards will throw it to him when he rolls after a ball screen. A good, but not great athlete, Durr is physical and patient in the post.
Offensively, UCF puts pressure on defenses with quick throw ahead threes in transition. In the half-court they do a good job of driving into the paint for layups and kickouts. They have multiple shooters so USF needs to be there on the catch with a high hand. They average 12 OREB per game.
Defensively, UCF is mostly man (93.3 percent) but will play a 2-3 zone and will use 3/4 a court 2-2-1.
KEYS TO A WIN
USF must be disciplined in boxing out and rebounding, especially on Hendricks. Play good transition defense, guard the three-point line, keep UCF off the foul line – they are No. 1 in the AAC in FT% (80.1) in conference games -- take care of the ball.
