The University of South Florida Bulls will travel to balmy Storrs, CT today to take on the UConn Huskies. There’s always been a tongue-in-cheek concern when cold weather teams like UConn travel to warm, tropical locales like Tampa, but today we get to gauge the opposite as outside temperatures are sitting in the mid-20s around campus today.
UConn (14-5, 4-3) is coming off an exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating overtime win against Providence on Thursday night – where they were out-rebounded by a 55-24 margin, a Big East record. It was the latest example of the Huskies winning a game in which they didn’t play particularly well, but persevered on heart, will and luck.
USF, meanwhile, is – well – bad. They are 10-10 on the year and 1-7 in the Big East. Their lone conference win was against a good Georgetown team, but they have lost three straight since then. The Bulls are basically a three-man team. Their three leading scorers – Victor Rudd, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick and Jawanza Polland – are also their three leading rebounders.
The Huskies are 9-1 all-time against USF with the lone loss coming in Tampa back in 2010.
Notes:
- Guard Shabazz Napier was named to the Big East Honor Roll this week for the third time this season – not including winning Player of the Week once.
- Poor Tyler Olander. UConn’s starting center has yet to grab double-digit rebounds in a game this season and has only reached double-figure scoring twice. In his last four games, Olander is averaging only 2.5 points.
- Interesting and possibly meaningless stat: UConn is shooting 66% from the free throw line in the first half this season, but 76% in the second half. Clutch, strategy, luck?
- Brooklyn point guard and UConn commit Terrance Samuel will be in the house today to watch his future teammates. If you missed it, the Courant’s Dom Amore wrote up a nice piece about him earlier this season.
Tip is scheduled for 2pm and the game will be seen on SNY. Also, there’s a football game of some sort on later.
