South Florida Preview

So the men's basketball team is getting ready for its first true test of the season tomorrow at the Stroh...this is the return trip for South Florida.  BG played a 3 OT thriller (including a blackout) down there last year, a game BG lost but lost after leading by 7 with 1 minute left and a 4 point lead with :22 left and the ball in regulation and did not put the game away.

That was certainly a disappointment, it would have been a nice road win for BG.  It was a Big East team, and even though they were not a good team and went on to lose 12 of their last 14 games, it was still a Big East team.

Things have changed.  They aren't in the Big East anymore, now they are in the American Athletic Conference, where they are picked to finished 8th or 9th, depending on who you believe.

They are 2-0 so far this year, but the wins were at home over a low-level OVC team (Tennessee Tech) and a low-level MEAC team (Bethune-Cookman).  The first game they won by only 10.

Other changes include the addition of two large and very effective FR.  The first is 6'10" John Egbunu who had a 7/7 against Tennessee Tech...weird line, he had 0 FGA and yet shot 12 free throws.  He was ranked as the 64th best recruit in the country.

The other is Chris Perry, 6'8" and 245, a 4-star guy who came off the bench against TT to have 14 and 7.

One thing has not changed.  Victor Rudd remains a total stud.  He played 53 minutes against BG last time for 29 points and the three that tied it at the end of regulation.   He's averaging 18.5 PPG in only 26 average minutes this season and should benefit from the addition of the other big players.  Rudd is a 6'9" guy who is really a 3, which presents terrible matchup issues for most teams, including ours.

Their returning PG, Anthony Collins has yet to play this year due to injury.  However, JUCO Corey Allen has filled in well, getting 14 points per game and 8 assists per game.  Collins had surgery in the off-season and according to this story is recovering slower than expected.  No idea if he is expected to play tomorrow or not.

This will be interesting.  BG typically plays well at home, but I think USF is the stronger team and I had them picked before the season to win this game.  I will say this...we have no idea what BG can do based on those first two games.  This is the first real test.  A Falcon win could indicate things are better than we feared.