USF Takes on Providence in Round Two

The Friars are coming off of a tough loss on the road to Villanova and will be looking to defend home court against USF. Providence enters the night with a record of 13-12 (2-10) but they are 10-4 at home this season.  USF is coming off of a strong win against Pitt and comes into the game with a 14-10 (7-4) record on the season, looking to notch a strong win on the road.

In the last match-up, USF won 81 to 78, but struggled early in the game.  LaDontae Henton had a career night as the Bulls had to rally down the stretch to hold them off in the closing seconds. Let's see the numbers behind the Friars after a few games after the first match-up.

Junior guard Vincent Council (6-2 180-pounds) is still leading the Friars in scoring with 16.1 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 7 assists per game, and has 28 steals on the season.  He was fairly quiet in the first game, but will be the go-to scorer in this one.  Sophomore guard Bryce Cotton (6-1 165-pounds) is averaging 15.4 points per game (shooting 45% from 3-point range, please don't foul him) and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Freshman forward LaDontae Henton (6-6 220-pounds) who torched the Bulls in the first game, is averaging 13.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, and has 27 blocks on the season.  Sophomore guard Gerard Coleman (6-4 180-pounds) is averaging 14.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game, giving the Friars a balanced scoring attack.  Sophomore forward Kadeem Batts (6-9 250-pounds) is averaging 7.4 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game.  Junior forward/center Bilal Dixon (6-9 245-pounds) is averaging 4.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.  Freshman forward Brice Kofane (6-8 205-pounds) is averaging 2.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as well.

The Bulls need to win this game.  They were able to pull away in the second half of the first game, but stupid fouls late on 3-point shooters let them hang around.  Providence is not a great team, but they play hard at home.  Coach Cooley said the length and size of the USF front court made life hard for the Friars, so Heath and company have to do that again.  They have to dictate the pace, control the paint, and close out on shooters and force the Friars to take bad shots.  This is a game USF must have.