What To Watch For: South Florida vs. Wichita State
The South Florida men’s basketball team looks to win its fifth straight game as it hosts Wichita State Tuesday night. The Bulls are a 3-0 at home this season, winning by an average margin of 13.3 points.
USF defeated Cincinnati 74-71 on the road Wednesday night in its American Athletic Conference opener. The Bulls now have an opportunity to start 2-0 in league play for the first time since joining the AAC.
The Shockers defeated Tulsa in their AAC opener Tuesday then overpowered Division II Emporia State 73-57 Friday.
BullsInsider.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against Wichita State.
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (5-2, 1-0 AAC) vs. Wichita State (3-2, 1-0 AAC)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 22
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Tampa, FL | Yuengling Center
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
History: The Bulls are 1-4 all-time vs. the Shockers. Last season Wichita State defeated USF twice.
The Opponent: Wichita State lost six scholarship players to transfer following the 2019-20 season and head coach Gregg Marshall resigned in November under a cloud of controversy.
With so many new players it is not surprising that the Shockers are struggling a bit offensively. Right now they are not a very good jump shooting team (27.5 percent) and are only making 40 percent of their shots in transition. What Wichita State has been very good at is scoring on post-ups. Particularly when they throw the ball in to Morris Udeze or Isiah Poor Bear-Chandler.
More on those two later because I’m starting off with the Shockers top-two scorers – Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert.
Etienne is a shooter with deep range, 62 percent of his shots this season are threes. He hunts threes off other's paint touches and likes the corner. Etienne has a very quick first step and likes to use a shot fake/hesitation move to set up his drive. He prefers to drive right. USF needs to use long closeouts on Etienne. The Bulls cannot allow him open threes and must locate him in transition.
Gilbert, the former Connecticut guard, is very quick/fast especially in open court. He is excellent at changing speeds and getting defenders off balance but is a streaky shooter. Watch his crossover, hesitation and freeze moves. USF must keep him in front and do a great job controlling him in ball screens. Gilbert is an active defenders who will play for steals.
At 6-foot-8, 240-pounds Udeze is a strong post player who looks to own the left block. He will bully his way to the basket. USF must drive him off the block – no deep touches. Udeze is also very foul prone.
Dexter Dennis is a high level defender with length. He has a nice mid-range pull up but will hunt threes in transition and pull up from very deep. Watch for him to drive left and spin back to his right hand. USF must stay down on his shot fakes and cut him out when shots go up.
I love freshman Ricky Council IV. He is a long, versatile athletic, high motor wing who excels in the open court and looks to dunk.
Poor Bear-Chandler is rebounding better, especially on offense. USF must wall to wedge him. Keep an eye on Trey Wade. He scores on drop-offs and OREB but he will also pick and pop and drive from the high post.
Clarence Jackson brings tremendous energy, especially on defense and rebounding. He can make threes.
Prediction
USF 64 Wichita State 61
To win USF must bring the fight to the Shockers. Attack the paint on offense and defend it on defense. Take care of the ball and handle the WSU pressure. Make shots and own the glass at both ends of the court – WSU averages 15.6 OREB/game.