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WE WANT BAMA...basketball and we got them tonight at 9 PM in the Sun Dome, and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Bama is a better opponent than George Mason or Detroit-Mercy, and should be a good test to see where the Bulls are presently.
The Bulls (5-2) are looking to feed off their crazy comeback against George Mason and get their second straight win after back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Detroit-Mercy. Anthony Collins is still recovering from his knee injury and Stan Heath described Collins as playing at about only 60% health in his press conference this week. The Bulls look to get Collins some rest with 10 days off after tonight's game.
40% of USF's scoring has come from three newcomers in Corey Allen Jr, Chris Perry, and John Egbunu. Against George Mason the freshman forward Perry recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulls are led by Victor Rudd Jr. at 14.3 points per game, with Allen Jr. averaging 14.0 points per contest.
Alabama (4-3) is also looking to grab their second straight win after beating North Florida 76-48. Before the win over the Ospreys, the Tide suffered back-to-back losses against Duke and Drexel, but both were games they could've won. This game will be their first true road test of the year after competing in the Preseason NIT in New York to start the season. They are led by senior guard Trevor Releford who averages 16.3 points a game and is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List given to the best point guard in the nation.
Ken Pomeory has Alabama ranked #48 and USF #127 so far this year. The Tide lead the SEC in three-point percentage defense holding their opponents to 27.8%, so I would expect USF's three-point struggles (averaging 27.6% on the year) to continue. The Tide average 78 points a game and hold their opponents to 68 points a game. USF is averaging 72 points a game and holds their opponents to 63 points a game.
And we're deep enough into the season now, so here's a Four Factors chart!! Make sure to roll your mouse over the columns to get all the details.
<div style="margin:0px auto;text-align:center"><a href="http://statsheet.com/mcb" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:11px">NCAA Basketball</a><br /><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://statsheet.com/charts/chartlets/2013/12/07/mcb_games_2013_12_07_2013_12_07_alabama_vs_south_florida_943434.js"></script></div>
The last and only meeting between the two on December 9, 1971 yielded a 123-97 win for Alabama, which is the record for most points ever scored in a game in program history for the Crimson Tide. Glad we could make someone happy, but let's hope for a better contest tonight. It's a 9pm tipoff, so don't show up too early and eat that not-very-good and overpriced food at the Sun Dome for no reason.