Bulls vs. Stetson Men's Basketball Preview

Tonight USF takes on Stetson at 7pm in the Sun Dome. Theoretically this should be a warmup before getting Marcus Smart and #8 Oklahoma State at home on Monday, so consider this the last game of the preseason before the real thing starts next week.

The USF game notes have the starters listed as Corey Allen Jr., Martino Brock, Victor Rudd, Chris Perry, and John Egbunu. If that's the case, then Anthony Collins will come off the bench again despite playing 26 minutes against Bowling Green on the road last Friday. Collins played better and better as he got more comfortable last Friday against the Falcons, and even if he's not in the first five expect him to get some minutes tonight. Stan Heath said Collins played more than he expected last week, and hopefully another week of rest has helped AC get even further back to full health.

The Bulls (3-0) look to continue their hot start led by Allen Jr, who's averaging 15.7 points per game with an eFG (FG% with made 3's counting more) of .660, as well as chipping in 6.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds. The freshmen Perry and Egbunu have combined to give the Bulls a young and athletic presence on the block, with Egbunu having his best college game yet against BGSU with 12 points, eight rebounds, and six blocks.

The Hatters gave the Bulls a bit of a scare last year while both teams had some of their best players on the bench, but comparing last year's Bulls to this edition is night and day. In a 63-54 win last November, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick's 20 points and Jawanza Poland's 19 were the difference as Anthony Collins also sat it out with injury.

This is the last game of Stetson's five game road trip to open the season, in which they have lost to Clemson, Notre Dame, FAMU, and FIU so far. Despite their lack of success they aren't afraid to go to the bench, as 10 players have averaged double digit minutes so far. Aaron Graham is their leading scorer at 11.5 points per game, but he's only shooting only 37% from the floor. On the season, the Hatters have an eFG of .428, while opponents have shot a .557.

This seems to be a game the Bulls should win comfortably, but let's again look for the Bulls to shoot better from the perimeter. So far this season USF is 11-38 from three, and without Corey Allen Jr. that falls to 6-31. That's going to need to improve for the Bulls to continue to get better this season. The three ball is never going to be the strength of this team, but it's going to be a component that will need to be better for the Bulls to beat expectations.

Who: USF vs. Stetson

What: A basketball game where you hope the Bulls win going away and nobody gets hurt before OKSU gets here.

Where: The Indian Burial Ground Sun Dome

When: Tonight at 7pm

Why: Because this is the last revenue sport USF can make postseason in this season, so start paying attention now!