What To Watch For: South Florida vs. SMU
TAMPA, Fla., (Feb. 24, 2023) – South Florida shoots for its third win in four games when it returns to Yuengling Center to host SMU on Saturday. SMU won the first meeting this season, 82-80, in Dallas on Jan. 29.
USF earned an exciting 82-75 victory over UCF in Orlando Wednesday. It marks the first season sweep for the Bulls over the Knights since the 1992-93 season.
The Mustangs have not played since last Sunday when they snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating East Carolina 86-70.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against SMU:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (12-16; 5-10 AAC) vs. SMU (10-18; 5-10 AAC)
Date: Feb. 25
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 102.5 The Strike HD-2 & Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn)
History: USF is 6-14 all-time versus SMU and is currently riding a three-game losing streak. The Bulls haven’t defeated SMU since March 7, 2020 when Laquincy Rideau made a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to play to give USF a one-point victory.
The Opponent: Rob Lanier is in his first season as head coach at SMU. The Mustangs have played 12 games decided by five points or fewer, going 5-7 in those games.
SMU uses a balanced attack with at least four scoring in double figures 11 times this season. Zhuric Phelps is a high usage guys averaging a team-best 17.5 points (5th AAC). Phelps is also averaging 3.2 assists (5+ in 4 straight games) and 2.3 steals (1st AAC, 13th NCAA). He is an aggressive scoring guard with good size and a strong frame. He’ll attack in transition. Off the bounce he wants to get downhill. He will hunt shots behind ball screens, stagger screens and dribble handoffs (DHO). You must stay in front of him.
Senior guard Zach Nutall is experienced and knows how to play. He is always under control. Just over half of his shots are threes. Nutall is very effective coming off of stagger screens, pin downs and DHO. Nutall also likes to cut to the basket. Mainly he is looking to shoot it, doesn’t matter if it’s a contested shot he’s firing away. Defenders must close out with a high hand.
The more I watch Efe Odigie the more I like the 6-foot-8, 245-pounder. Odigie is not a great athlete but he is physical, plays hard and has a veteran’s savviness. SMU will go to him in the post where he likes left shoulder. Odigie will get isolations on the block, he can face up to about 15-feet and will shoot on high and mid posts. He must be boxed out because Odigie crashes the glass.
Two guards to keep an eye on are Emory Lanier and Jalen Smith. Lanier only played two minutes against USF in January because he suffered an injury diving for a loose ball.
Lanier only plays about 10 minutes per game but when he is in the game Lanier is not shy about shooting it from deep.
Smith, from nearby Orlando, is a big guard (6-foot-4, 175-pounds) who creates shots by running in transition or spotting up and moving in the halfcourt. Six out of every ten of his shots are threes. Smith is a good on-ball defender.
Stefan Todorovic hunts threes. He made 3-of-7 against USF last month. A 6-foot-8 combo forward, Todorovic is a combo-forward who will pick and pop. They use pin downs and flare screens to get him open. He likes to pump fake and will drive on a bad closeout.
Offensively, SMU spreads and drives. Their primary look is 4-out with lots of initial movement in their sets. They play four guards and one big – ALL DRIVERS.
Defensively SMU is almost exclusively man (96.6%). Teams are shooting a sizzling 51.8 percent against SMU in transition. USF should look to advance the ball ahead and strike early before SMU gets its defense set.
KEYS TO A WIN
No open threes in transition defense. SMU can turn defense into offense quickly. Make SMU play over you and not through you. They have multiple downhill drivers. Stop the drive before it starts. Handle SMU’s pressure.