What I Observed at the USF MBB Game Last Night

My view of the game last night.

The Bulls dropped the first game of the Big East schedule last night, falling to 7-7 on the year, 0-1 to start conference play. USF came out strong in the first half, leading by 8 points with under 12 minutes to go, but UCONN battled back to take the lead into the half (if Anderson had not dunked the ball at the buzzer, we could have been tied!) The Huskies came out strong in the second half, but USF battled and made it a game, coming up just short in the end of it as the Huskies escaped.

I was privileged to sit courtside for the game (thanks to Bill McGillis for the incredible seats) and was able to make a few observations about the team and a few players. While it was just one game into the conference schedule, sitting that close, listening to the players and seeing their movements in person really gave me an understanding of what kind of players they are (I understand it was one game, but these are my honest observations about the players and how they played out there)

The offense for USF was effective at times when they could run set plays. Collins is doing a solid job directing traffic, being very vocal with the team. At other times however, there was not a lot of movement and a lot of standing around, something Heath probably hates to see. The defense played hard in the game, although on several occasions, the team failed to box out on rebounds and did not rotate on defensive assignments. At one point, Andre Drummond switched over and Anthony Collins was in front of him, not sure that was the plan, but they got it corrected. The Huskies just had too much size and skill inside to deal with on the glasses in the game and it cost USF.

Getting a chance to watch Collins that close was interesting. Collins, for being just a freshman, is a very vocal leaders, directing traffic with authority. He has strong ball control and has another gear when it comes to driving to the hoop. His offensive game is still a work in progress, although he is able to drive to the hoop and finish. If he can develop a strong mid-range game, he can be a big time threat (more than Crater could ever be). He will be fun to watch as he gets better with each game.

Fitzpatrick continues to impress and watching him kick out and knock down 3's just adds a new dimension to his game. He may be one of the best all around players on this team. Gilchrist continues to baffle me. He continues to settle for mid-range shots when he has the size needed to battle inside in the paint. He is a solid all around player, but I'd personally like him to attack the paint more and get to the free throw line. He has all the potential, but has yet to put it all together on a consistent basis.

Victor Rudd did not impress me. He has the size and gets up and down the court, but doesn't work to get open on plays and does not appear too aggressive on offense when he does get a touch. He is playing his first season as a Bull (sat out last year) but for a player that came into the season with as much talk around him, I didn't see the hype at least last night. Hugh Robertson is one of the most underrated players on the team. He was matched up with Jeremy Lamb last night and did a solid job for most of the game. Lamb got his shots, but a lot of them were contested, something that has to be done if the Bulls want to survive the Big East.

Blake Nash saw just 2 minutes of action last night, which was a little surprising, but considering the size and physical style of UCONN, he probably was not a strong option on the court. In the moment he ran the point, he was not as vocal as Collins. He didn't seems as assertive on the offense and really didn't seem comfortable on the court (pure observation on my behalf).

So there are just a few things I observed while sitting up close to the action. The team battled hard, but came up just a little short. Hopefully they can build off this experience and take the same intensity on the road and win a few Big East games this season.