USF Men’s Basketball Announces 2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule

USF Men’s basketball announced their slate of non-conference games for the 2018-19 season on Friday.

Following a home exhibition versus the University of Tampa on October 30, the Bulls will officially kick the season off a week later on Tuesday, Nov. 6 when they welcome Alabama A&M to the Yuengling Center.

That will be the first of 10 home games in the non-conference for USF, with trips to Charlotte on December 9 and FIU on December 18 being their only true road games.

“Having 10 home games during the non-conference portion of our schedule is a huge advantage for our players and a nice amenity for our fans,” head coach Brian Gregory said in the school’s release. “I feel good about our nucleus of players we have returning, and we’ve added some new pieces that we think will mesh well and contribute as we continue to grow as a program.”

Notably, the Green and Gold will travel down to Montego Bay, Jamaica from November 16-18 to take part in the second annual Jamaica Classic. They will play Ohio on Friday the 16th and one of either Georgetown, Austin Peay, Campbell, or Loyola Marymount on Sunday the 18th.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to compete at the Jamaica Classic in just its second year of existence,” Gregory said. “This tournament provides us with a chance to play two games against quality opponents in a region that loves and supports college basketball.”

At first glance, this schedule looks very manageable for the Bulls in year-two of the Brian Gregory era.

Excluding whoever they play in the second game of the Jamaica Classic, USF’s opponents finished with a combined record of 146-238 last season, with Austin Peay (CIT) and Colgate (CBI) being the lone two teams to reach postseason play.

The Bulls could very well find themselves floating around or even above .500 before American Athletic Conference play begins around New Year’s.