USF MBB Takes on Cleveland State

Anthony Collins and crew are looking to bounce back after a rough game last time out against Auburn (Picture: ESPN.com)

The Bulls, 6-5, are coming home after a rough loss to Auburn last Wednesday, 40 to 52 (yes, 20 points in each half).  USF went cold from the field and struggled to get any easy baskets.  They will have to figure it out quickly as they host 10-1 Cleveland State.  The Vikings are coming off of a 69 to 66 win over Akron in their last outing and looking for another strong win.

Cleveland State beat USF last season 69 to 62 on their home court.  Hugh Robertson had 10 points in that game while Augustus Gilchrist had 12.  The Bulls will need them along with everyone else to pick it up on the offensive side of the floor.  The Vikings are a solid team, shooting 43% from the floor, so the defense will have to be sound as well, closing out on shooters and dominating the paint.

The Vikings are led by senior guard D'Aundray Brown (6-4 195-pounds) who is averaging 12.7 points a game (shooting 51% from the floor) and pulling down 4.7 rebounds a game.  Cleveland State likes to run a 3-guard system, giving them more speed on the court.  The USF guards (Nash, Collins, Noriega, Robertson, and Poland) will have to slow them down.

Senior guard Trevon Harmon (6-1 185-pounds) is averaging 11.4 points a game, 2.5 rebounds a game, and 2.5 assists a game (1.4 turnovers a game).  Senior guard Jeremy Montgomery (6-2 195-pounds) averages 9.2 points a game and leads the team with 3.2 assists per game.  In the paint, junior forward Tim Kamczyc (6-7 220-pounds) averages 7.5 points a game and 3.1 rebounds a game.  Senior forward Aaron Pogue (6-9 270-pounds) averages 7.1 points a game and 3.1 rebounds a game.  The Vikings are not a strong rebounding team, so the Bulls will have to take advantage of their size inside and control the paint and rebound.

Freshman forward Anton Grady (6-8 215-pounds) is averaging 6.4 points a game and 4.5 rebounds a game, giving the Vikings a key player off the bench.  Freshman guard Ike Nwawu (6-4 205-pounds) is averaging 3.3 points a game and fellow freshman guard Sebastian Douglas (6-4 200-pounds) is averaging 2.8 points per game and 2.2 rebounds a game.

USF has the size advantage in the paint and should have the edge in rebounding during the game, but that won't help if the Bulls can't make a basket.  The offense should get a boost with junior guard Jawanza Poland returning (healthy and off of suspension).  He averaged 9.1 points a game last season and became a highlight reel, adding life into the offense.  He will have to bring some energy and some scoring to help the Bulls get a win against a tough foe.