The South Florida men’s basketball team begins a stretch of seven games in 18 days when it takes on Austin Peay State University Monday night in the Yuengling Center.
This will be the last opportunity to see the Bulls play in Yuengling Center until November 21 because the team will travel to play in the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic in Montego Bay. Austin Peay is one of the eight teams participating in the Jamaica Classic.
RunningTheBulls.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against Austin Peay State:
Quick Facts
Matchup: Austin Peay State (1-1) at USF (1-0)
Date: Monday, Nov. 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Watch: BullsVision
Radio: AM 820 | Bulls Unlimited
History: This will be just the third time USF and Austin Peay have met, and the first time since 1998. The Bulls are 2-0 against the Governors.
The Opponent: Last season Austin Peay finished third In the Ohio Valley Conference with a 19-15 record overall and 12-6 in the OVC. Head Coach Matt Figger was named the OVC Coach of the Year. This season the Governors are picked fourth in the OVC preseason polls by both the media and in the Coach’s Poll.
So far this season the Governors have defeated Division II Oakland City 114-53 and lost by 28 to a Mississippi State team that many feel is one of the four best teams in the SEC.
Austin Peay has five seniors on its roster. They return three starters and seven contributors from last season and will get early contributions from grad transfers Jabari McGhee and Jarrett Givens, true freshman Antwuan Butler. They are led by 6-foot-7, 225-pound Terry Taylor who, last season, became just the second freshman in program history to register 500-plus points in his first season (he finished with 530). Taylor, who is averaging 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this season, was the 2018 OVC Freshman of the Year and is a preseason All-OVC selection. He can score from the perimeter as well as around the basket and has excellent hands. Simply put, Taylor is a high level player. Austin Peay plays very hard, they are a tough physical opponent. The Governors really get into you with tough ball pressure and their off-ball defenders overplay/deny passes to perimeter players making it difficult for opponents to go through their progressions on offense and force teams to use up shot clock. Austin Peay does a good job of keeping guys in front of them in man defense, but will show some 1-2-2 zone looks at times. They have some front court size with two seven footers (one freshman, one sophomore) so APSU will be a tough challenge for the Bulls. Austin Peay is a team built on defense, toughness and deflections.
Offensively Austin Peay is a good transition team that will shoot three-pointers in transition. One of their most used half-court sets is a diamond, or compact 1-3-1. They run different actions out of this depending on how the defense responds to the screens. It can turn into an iso, dribble-drive for a wing, a catch and shoot jumper or, if the defense switches off the screen, the big will dive for a pass to score at the basket. Austin Peay likes to feed the post, play inside-out and tries to get to the free throw line.
Keep an eye on Austin Peay senior guard Zach Glotta. He is a glue guy for the Governors who comes of the bench and makes jump shots with deep range. Although he only started about 10 percent of their games last season, the Governors were better offensively when he was on the floor than when he wasn’t.
Prediction
USF 69 Austin Peay 66
If USF takes care of the ball and defends the ball, they will win this game. Limiting turnovers, good transition defense and applying ball pressure without fouling will be keys to winning this game. Bulls three-pointers may not be falling late in the game due to Austin Peay’s ball pressure and grind-you-out defense. Back-cuts to get open near the basket and floppy action to free up shooters may be on the menu for the Bulls Monday night. This could be the best man defense the Bulls face until they play Cincinnati in January.
