The USF Bulls return home Thursday night after playing their last five games away from the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center.
The Bulls went 2-3 away from home, beating Kennesaw State 108-89 in the annual “Love Wins Classic,” a game played in memory of the late Amir Abdur-Rahim. After that victory, the Bulls headed to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a date with the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Bulls led by as many as 13, but could not close out the Cowboys, falling to OSU 103-95.
Then it was off to the Bahamas for the Battle of Atlantis, where the Bulls would go 1-2 over the next three days. USF lost its opener to Virginia Commonwealth 78-66. They would then rebound to get their lone win in the tournament and beat Western Kentucky 97-91 in OT. The Hilltoppers led by 10 at halftime, 50-40, but the Bulls would rally and tie the game at 84 to force OT. USF would outscore Western Kentucky 13-7 in the OT to secure the win. CJ Brown led the Bulls with 18 points, while Joe Pinion added 16. USF would then fall to Colorado State to wrap up their visit to the Bahamas by a score of 83-66.
Coach Brian Hodgson was appreciative of all the Bulls fans who made the trip to the Bahamas: “To all of our fans and supporters and the people that made this trip, you know, we really appreciate you. Our efforts have got to be better when you are spending your hard-earned money to come down here and watch this team. But I can promise you, we’re going to get this fixed.” Hodgson made those comments to the Bulls Unlimited Radio Network following the loss to Colorado State.
USF will play only five games in December, four of which will be at home. That starts Thursday night with the 4-4 Bulls hosting the undefeated Utah State Aggies, who are off to a 7-0 start. The Bulls enter the game with a BPI rating of 85, while Utah State enters the game with a BPI of 30 and is No. 22 in the NET rankings. This will be the highest-ranked team the Bulls have played so far this season.
It should be a high-scoring, entertaining affair as the Bulls average 91.4 points per game, while the Aggies average 88.9 points per game. From watching their first eight games, the Bulls are going to live and die by the three-point shot. If the shots are falling, the Bulls will win a lot of games. On nights when the shots are not falling, it will take extra effort on the defensive end to keep the games close.
Josh Omojofo leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game. CJ Brown averages 14.1 PPG, while Joe Pinion averages 13.5 PPG. Izaiyah Nelson leads the team in rebounding with 9.3 per game, and Brown is the assist leader with 5.3 per game.