USF Athletics

Bulls Eye Third Straight Win With Post Players Producing

December 20, 2017

MATCHUP: Charlotte (4-6) at USF (6-6)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, Dec. 21/7 p.m.
LOCATION: Sun Dome
WATCH: ESPN3 (Drew Fellios, Murry Bartow)
LISTEN: 820-AM, USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Neil Solondz)
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMBB
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
LIVE STATS
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, DEC. 20, 2017 – Winners of two straight, head coach Brian Gregory's Bulls are looking to finish the nonconference season in stride.

USF (6-6) seeks its first three-game winning streak since the start of the 2014-15 season when the Bulls host Charlotte 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sun Dome. Defeating the 49ers would give USF its most nonconference victories since the 2013-14 season, when the Bulls won nine before jumping into AAC action.

"The game against Charlotte is a big game to end the nonconference season the right way with our third straight win," Gregory said. "You're seeing progress in a lot of different areas. We have some Achilles heels we need to work on, but we're getting more production from more people on a more consistent basis."

With numerous players stepping up, USF shot 50 percent or better in each of the past two victories and the Bulls are finding production in the post.

Redshirt junior forward/center Isaiah Manderson (Bronx, N.Y) is coming off his first double-double after finishing with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 70-56 win over Northern Arizona on Monday night.

Manderson has scored in double figures in three of the past four games while improving his season averages to 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds.

"It's just buying into what the coaches have been preaching since the summertime, when they first got here. I know if I buy in, I'll be successful," he said. "They've been coaching since before I was born. They know what they're talking about."

Constantly operating inside-out in practice, USF's other post players are gaining confidence on offense and it's been showing on game day.

Two outings ago against Bethune-Cookman, Manderson and redshirt sophomore forward Tulio Da Silva combined for five assists in an 83-63 win that saw the Bulls shoot nearly 56 percent. Da Silva (Formiga, Brazil) posted his sixth double-digit scoring game of the season with 15 points after going 5-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

"Getting the ball in the post, making the right reads to the guards and finding the open man," Manderson said. "Everybody is starting to buy in and starting to understand what we need to do to win games."

Forward Malik Martin definitely did his part with a career-high 24 points in a win over Arkansas State on Nov. 24. Overall, the redshirt junior from Miami has been one of USF's most consistent rebounders at 5.3 boards per game and he's one of five Bulls averaging better than 8.0 points this season. Martin also has played great defense, ranking second in the conference and 68^th nationally with 19 blocks.

USF's tallest player at 7-2, Nikola Scekic (Belgrade, Serbia) provided the Bulls with a valuable presence inside the last time out, registering four points and six rebounds in 16 minutes against Northern Arizona.

"We've put a greater emphasis on those guys being more consistent and getting them the ball more, them posting deeper," Gregory said. "… I think over the last two weeks, all four of those guys have made greater progress in that."

Bulls Bits

• USF-CHARLOTTE SERIES: USF and Charlotte will meet for the 54^th time on Thursday and for the first time since the Bulls left North Carolina with a 78-71 win on Jan. 10, 2005. USF leads the overall series, 28-25, and has a 14-10 edge in Tampa.
• FAMILIAR FOES: USF and Charlotte have been in three different conferences together and were in the same leagues from the 1976-77 season until the 2004-05 season. The two were in the Sun Belt from 1976-77 until 1990-91, the Metro Conference from 1991-92 through 1994-95, and Conference USA from 1995-96 until 2004-05.
• SHARP FROM THE LINE: USF is shooting 75.7 percent (159-for-210) from the free throw line this season, second-best in The American and 38^th-best in the country. Stephan Jiggetts is second in the conference from the line at 92.7 percent (25-for-27) and Terrence Samuel is third at 90.5 percent (38-for-42).
• DEDICATION TO DEFENSE: The Bulls rank 11^th nationally in three-point field goal defense, holding teams to 28.3 percent (70-for-247).

 
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10^th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.