What To Watch For: South Florida vs. Maine
TAMPA, Fla., (Nov. 21, 2023) – South Florida plays the final game of a four-game homestand Wednesday night when it hosts the Maine Black Bears. The Bulls won’t return to the friendly confines of Yuengling Center until Dec. 12.
USF is coming off a 74-65 Sunday evening victory over Northern Iowa. Jose Placer led the way with a game high 21-points.
Maine won two-of-three games in the UNF Multi Team Event (Nov. 16-18) in Jacksonville falling to UNF in the championship game.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against Maine:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (2-1) vs. Maine (3-3)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 22
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
History: USF is 2-0 all-time versus Maine both games were played in Tampa in the 1970s.
The Opponent: Maine returns 10 players from the 2022-23 roster, which finished 13-17, its most wins since 2010. Chris Markwood is in his second season as head coach of the Black Bears.
Point guard Kellen Tynes is a driver who is looking to attack the rim. Tynes is very good at getting to the free throw line and is a very good facilitator off of his drives to the basket. At the other end of the court, Tynes is a very good rebounding guard and he led Maine in steals last season earning America East Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Peter Filipovity is a skilled 6-foot-7 forward who is comfortable playing with his back to the basket or facing up. He will catch, rip and go from the high post or perimeter. Filipovity can finish with either hand at the rim and he has nice touch. He score off the bounce against guys his size. Not athletic or strong enough to score over bigger guys. He is a good offensive rebounder. He must be cut out when shots go up.
Manhattan transfer Adam Cisse is a 6-foot-10, 220-pound reserve big man with good hands. Cisse rim runs in transition. He scores off drop-offs and put-backs. Not a physical rebounder but you have to wedge him out. Cisse has good hands and is a good screen-and-roll man. They will throw it to him if he is open when he rolls to the basket. He is not a high flying above the rim finisher despite his physical gifts.
Sophomore guard Jaden Clayton was an America East All-Rookie team selection last season. He can play either guard position but looks more comfortable as the lead guard. Loves to drive and get to a spin turnaround jumper or to get all the way to the basket. He leads the team in assists and is second in steals. Clayton scores mainly inside the arc. He has made just three perimeter shots in six games.
On offense Maine plays at one of the slowest paces (No. 328 adjusted tempo per Kenpom.com) in the country but they aren’t boring. They are deliberate and use quite a few interesting weak side actions. USF needs to stay disciplined.
The Black Bears mix things up defensively. They have played zone 17.6 percent of the time this season which is up slightly from last season. They switch between a 2-3 match-up zone, a traditional 2-3 and we saw some 3-2. When in man they switch on perimeter screens…sometime.
Keys To A Win
USF has to play its game, do not let Maine dictate the tempo. Take care of the ball, Maine is scoring 16.4 points per game off its opponent’s turnovers. Identify the Maine defense and react accordingly.