USF returns to the hardwood to take on Connecticut in its American Athletic Conference 2020 home opener Saturday at the Yuengling Center.
The Bulls dropped its AAC opener on the road to SMU 82-64. Laquincy Rideau led the Bulls with 14 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists in the loss.
The Huskies, who also started conference play on the road, stumbled at Cincinnati 67-51.
RunningTheBulls.com has your quick facts and what to watch for against UConn:
Quick Facts
Matchup: USF (7-7) vs. Connecticut (9-4)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Watch: ESPNU
Radio: USF Bulls Unlimited
History: This will be the 26th meeting between the Huskies and the Bulls. UConn leads the series 3-22 and won two of three against USF last season. In their last meeting UConn defeated USF in the AAC Tournament 80-73.
The Opponent: Christian Vital, Alterique Gilbert, Tyler Polly and Josh Carlton all return from last season and make up the core of the UConn roster.
UConn likes to push pace and attack defenses with their skilled guards. The Huskies are shooting 35.3 percent beyond the arc so USF must guard the drive and defend the three.
Vital, a 6-foot-2 guard leads the Huskies in scoring (13.8 ppg), steals (2.6 spg) and is second in rebounding (7.1 rpg). He is an aggressive shooter/scorer who is always in attack mode. Watch for him to leak out in transition and sprint for spot up threes. Vital is a high motor guy who is an excellent spot up shooter and very good in ball screen action. He is also a superb defender.
Gilbert’s shooting numbers are down from last season but he is second in the conference at 4.4 assists per game. The 6-foot guard is excellent at changing speeds and getting defenders off balance. He likes crossovers, hesitation freeze moves and is a streaky perimeter shooter.
Polley, a 6-foot-9, 205-pounder has seen time at both forward spots this season. His three-point accuracy, free throw accuracy and defensive rebounding have all increased while his turnover rate has gone down. He's playing with lots of confidence. He gets a lot of three-pointers from transition spot-ups. Always shot ready, Polley has deep range with a quick release. They run him off stagger screens and pin downs. Make him dribble it.
At 6-foot-10, 235-pounds Carlton is a strong physical post player. He wants to overpower defenders but needs angles. Likes the right block mid-post to drive and spin. On left block he likes middle jump hook. UConn will screen him into the post. Carlton is averaging 3.3 offensive rebound (OREB) per game and scores 1.25 points per possession when he grabs an OREB.
Speaking of rim protection, 6-foot-9, 193 pound freshman power forward, Akok Akok leads UConn with 41 blocks (3.2 bpg). He is athletic, bouncy, really long and versatile. He rim runs hard for layups and dunks in transition. Likes catch-and-shoot jumpers but will drive it from the perimeter -- prefers hard right hand drives. Will spin back right if he drives left.
Defensively UConn plays almost exclusively man (99.1 percent) and they play hard. The Huskies will pick up full court and try to turn you over – which they are doing at a 19.5 percent rate. This season they have better rim protection to go along with their backcourt and perimeter defense.
Prediction
USF 62 UConn 66
To win it is crucial that the Bulls play strong transition defense, take care of the ball (12 or fewer turnovers), do a great job of guarding the dribble one-on-one and win the battle on the glass.
