By Alec Arroyo
USF’s men’s basketball is good. Yeah, you read that right.
The Bulls are 15-6 this season, their highest win total since the 2011-12 season.
Historically at USF, much of the success on the hardwood has come from the women’s basketball team. The women’s team has made either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT each of the last seven seasons, whereas the men’s team lacked a winning record in six seasons.
Led by a tandem of guards — redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau and sophomore David Collins — the Bulls have been working to create a winning environment within a previously unsuccessful program.
The Bulls have had an impressive season so far, despite lacking the big-name talent that generally rules the NCAA, like Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett. They rely on Rideau and Collins to be effective scorers while developing some of their young, breakout talent like Alexis Yetna.
Yetna is a redshirt freshman from Paris, France. He was required to sit out his first year with the team due to eligibility restrictions but has logged big minutes lately. He is third on the team in points per game (13.2), first in rebounds (10.1) and is tied for points in a single game (28).
While Yetna’s impact is seen on a nightly basis, the most important part of the Bulls’ recent turnaround has been the coaching, spearheaded by head coach Randy Gregory. In his second season with the Bulls, Gregory and his staff have helped build a strong program.
Gregory is a product of basketball coach Tom Izzo’s coaching tree, and it shows when examining his philosophy: Dominate the boards with toughness, and use strong guard play to drive the offense.
The Bulls currently lead the American Athletic Conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.8) and lead their conference in defensive rebound percentage (.747).
The only issue thus far has been the Bulls’ record during conference play. USF is sitting at 5-4 within the American Athletic Conference, and without a strong conference schedule, the men’s team will likely be on the outside looking in during the NCAA tournament.
Be that as it may, the Bulls profile as a good candidate for the NIT, a tournament they have not been featured in since the 2009-10 season.
If the Bulls and coach Gregory continue down this path, there are bright days ahead for fans of USF basketball.
The next home game is at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10 against the East Carolina Pirates in the USF Sundome. Student tickets are free and can be found at USFStudentTix.com.
