Deep Dive Thread for USF
- Owen Barnes
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The Bulls are coached by Bryan Hodgson, in his first season after spending the last 2 at Arkansas State. If that name sounds familiar, it should because he was formerly an assistant for Nate Oats at Buffalo and Alabama. USF has started this season 6-4, including a win over top 40 Utah State by 13 points.
USF’s leading scorer is former Arkansas and Arkansas State transfer 6-5 Joseph Pinion. He averages just under 15 pts per game while also leading the team with 2 steals per game. He is known as a 3pt specialist, where he shoots over 38% from behind the arc. He has gotten better on defense from where he was a liability in years past.
Pinion can’t be left open from behind the arc. https://x.com/USFMBB/status/1998916688683970922?s=20
Robert Morris transfer in 6-5, Josh Omojafo is second on the team in scoring. He thrives at getting downhill and getting to the free-throw line. He is shooting a bit more from behind the arc than he did last season when Alabama faced him. Staying in front of him and keeping him off the line will be key to limiting his offense.
The leader in assists for the Bulls is 6-2 CJ Brown. Brown stayed at South Florida from last season and has been a big addition to what Hodgson wants to do. He has not been a great 3pt shooter, but he rebounds the ball decently well and does a great job passing and getting his teammates involved.
Brown is super athletic and explosive at his size. https://x.com/USFMBB/status/1996740152341721338?s=20
Their starting center is 6-10 Izaiyah Nelson, who transferred with Hodgson from Arkansas State. He leads the team in rebounding and blocks while being solid in both categories. Alabama has struggled defending the offensive glass, so keeping him off the boards will need to be a key in this game.
Nelson crashes hard to the basket off of the screen and roll game. https://x.com/USFMBB/status/1994526870545768787?s=20
Their final starter is 6-2 Wes Enis, who spent the last 2 seasons at the Division 2 level. Enis is averaging just under 12 points per game, but has struggled shooting from deep this season at under 30% on a lot of attempts.
Enis is not afraid to shoot it from deep. https://x.com/USFMBB/status/1994537700041658613?s=20
Their bench is fairly thin, but the players you can expect to see in the rotation are 6-5 Adriel Nyorha, 6-7 Isaiah Jones, and 6-9 Daimion Collins. Nyorha is a freshman from Canada. Jones transferred from Oakland last season, and Collins should be well-known to Alabama from his time at LSU and Kentucky.
Collins is explosive on both ends of the floor. https://x.com/USFMBB/status/1996755738312781843?s=20
South Florida is a solid midmajor that very few teams had the gutrs to schedule this year they are elite in a few areas. They are a solid offensive rebounding team at 31st in the country. Their defense is also a strength of their team, as they have caused a ton of turnovers and forced a lot of steals.
Alabama has a few key advantages they may be able to take advantage of. USF has fouled a ton, letting the opponent get to the foul line a lot. They have had their shots blocked on offense a ton, which I expect to be something Alabama can take advantage of with Sherrell and Bol Bowen.
My player to watch is London Jemison. Jemison has 4 games in double figures in the last 5, with his only poor showing being Arizona, where he had foul trouble. Jemison has been a solid 3pt shooter who is getting more comfortable in the system and continues to do well with the pace and freedom of the offense.
Alabama looks to bounce back after the loss to Arizona with a win over a former Oats assistant and South Florida. USF cant be overlooked because they are a solid team that can rebound the basketball and force turnovers if you are sloppy with your passes. I expect Alabama to play a solid game and successfully bounce back from the loss.
Prediction: Alabama 93 - USF 76
I broke down this game in much more detail over on YouTube. Subscribe for More Alabama Basketball Content. https://youtu.be/K5x8IkKj3CE
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