Wofford @ South Florida preview

Wofford at South Florida

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2019 ) Wofford 55, South Florida 69

The uncertainty of a college basketball season amid a global pandemic has brought South Florida and Wofford together.

With both available to play, the Bulls look for a third straight victory on Saturday when they face Wofford as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.

South Florida (3-2) was slated to face LSU at this event, however COVID-19 issues halted team activities within the Tigers' program.

Wofford (2-1) was able to step in after having its game with South Carolina canceled on Thursday for COVID-19 issues.

Now, this marks the second straight season these teams will square off. David Collins had 18 points with six rebounds as South Florida shot 55.3 percent and forced 16 turnovers en route to a 69-55 win over Wofford on Nov. 21, 2019.

Collins also had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the Bulls' 73-62 win over Stetson on Tuesday. Alexis Yetna had 13 points with eight rebounds for South Florida, which led by 14 at the break but was outscored 36-33 in the second half.

That second-half effort apparently did not sit well with coach Brian Gregory.

"Unfortunately, we just kind of played in the second half," Gregory said. "It was disappointing because it was a 20-minute opportunity for us to get better and for us to continue to build our identity."

Gregory's squad gets another chance to do so, but against a seemingly tougher opponent. Wofford, though, must rebound from a 77-72 loss at No. 19 Richmond on Monday.

Trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Terriers shot 55.2 percent and hit seven 3-pointers in the second half. They led by five with just over two minutes to play in the game, however they were unable to hold on and scored just two points the rest of the way.

Storm Murphy had 21 points and Messiah Jones added 20 with 10 rebounds for Wofford, which overcame a 48.3-percent shooting performance by the Spiders. The Terriers, however, held a 41-32 advantage on the glass.

"I was really proud of our team's effort and fight," coach Jay McAuley said.

"We've got to respond better a little bit moving forward because we're going to be in this situation again. I think our guys are up for that challenge, and that's why you play 40 minutes together."

Murphy and Jones each had six points in last season's loss to USF.

--Field Level Media