In Game The TBP Official In Game Thread: AAC Tournament - Round 1 -Bulls vs UCF - ESPNU

[MikeG]

Game 32

Round One of the AAC  Tournament

#11* South Florida Bulls (8-22, 3-15) vs. #6* UCF Knights (17-11, 9-9)

 

       vs. 

Thursday, March 10   7:00 PM EST

Fort Worth, Texas    Dickies Arena
TV: ESPNU

Radio: USF Bulls Unlimited

32nd game- (1 cancelled COVID19, 2 rescheduled)
 

Link to Prediction Contest

Link to Wikipedia page for quick AAC Tourney information

 

* these numbers refer to the AACT seeds, #1-11

AAC Tournament Central

 

Edited March 9, 2022 by MikeG
ready to go

[CousinRicky]

Do you think they'll let us just stay in the building after the WBB final?  

[84Bull]

The Dickies Arena site shows it as a 2 game  session (Men’s 2/Women’s 5). Also, with the tipoffs being 2 hours apart, that doesn’t allow time to clear the arena.

[MikeG]

Preview from the UCF website....

 

Story Links

• Tournament Central

ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team closed out the 2021-22 regular season on Sunday with an overall record of 17-11, including a 9-9 record in American Athletic Conference play, earning the Knights the sixth seed in the upcoming 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship.
  
As the six seed, UCF will face 11^th seed South Florida at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 10 inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Television coverage will be on ESPNU with John Schriffen and Perry Clark on the call, while FM 96.9 The Game will have radio coverage with Voice of the Knights Marc Daniels calling the action.

UCF split the season series with the Bulls in the regular season, falling on the road by a score of 75-51 on Jan. 15, but winning at home 68-49 on Feb. 3. South Florida holds the all-time series lead at 25-20, but the Knights have won 11 of the last 14 games played against South Florida. The Knights are 12-8 against South Florida in Orlando and have won the last eight contests at home dating back to Feb. 5, 2014.
 
UCF and South Florida have never previously met in the American Athletic Conference tournament.

If the Knights beat South Florida, Memphis (19-9, 13-5 AAC) awaits them in the quarterfinals. As the third seed, the Tigers earned a bye in the first round.
 
UCF's 9-9 league mark is the best for the Knights since their famous 2018-19 season where they made a run in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in the second round.
 
UCF will aim to win in its first American Athletic Conference Championship and their fifth conference tournament overall. The Knights won the Atlantic Sun Tournament four times in 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2005.
 

[MikeG]

USF preview....

 

Tchewa blossoming for Bulls ahead of War On I-4 postseason edition

March 09, 2022

 

 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship

No. 11 University of South Florida (8-22, 3-15 AAC) vs. No. 6 UCF (17-11, 9-9 AAC)

Thursday, March 10 | 7 p.m. ET

VENUE: Dickies Arena | Fort Worth, Texas

SERIES: USF leads, 25-20

TV: ESPNU

RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited

TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMBB

GAME NOTES: Available soon

 

By Joey Johnston

The numbers on USF men's basketball sophomore center Russel Tchewa — 7-feet tall, 280 pounds, 7-foot-7 wingspan, 8-percent body fat, size-17 shoe.

"I never asked to be 7-feet tall,'' Tchewa said. "It's the way God made me.

It has given me opportunities. I love the way I am.''

More numbers: 10 double-digit scoring games, two double-doubles, 9.4 scoring average in conference games.

That might seem like modest offensive production, but it's light years away from last season, when he was a rough-around-the-edges bit player. It's uncertain what's ahead for Tchewa (pronounced: Chee-wah), the Cameroon native who is completing just his sixth season of organized basketball.

But Bulls coach Brian Gregory has an educated guess.

"He has a chance to make a lot of money,'' Gregory said.

For now, Tchewa would be pleased to show more improvement while the No. 11-seeded Bulls (8-22, 3-15) cash in against the No. 6 UCF Knights (17-11, 9-9) during Thursday night's American Athletic Conference Tournament opening-round game at Fort Worth, Texas.

USF has labored through a season filled with shooting woes, but Tchewa's performance was a shining light, working into a meaningful starting role at 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He also had the year's best moment, a buzzer-beating hook shot in the lane that lifted the Bulls to a 56-54 victory at Cincinnati on Feb. 26.

"I knew it was going in when it left his hands,'' Bulls senior guard Javon Greene said. "I loved seeing his reaction. It was priceless. I was so happy that he got to have such a moment.''

Once, such a moment would have been unimaginable. He grew up as a soccer player, choosing the sport best known in his homeland. But as he grew larger and larger as a teenager, he was no longer selected for any teams.

"I was so much bigger than everyone else, I think they were scared of me,'' said Tchewa, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday. "Basketball is different in Cameroon. It's not like America, where there are courts and gyms everywhere. We don't have that.

"But with my size, I didn't have a choice. That's the truth. I was kind of forced into basketball. As it turned out, it changed my life. It gave me a future.''

Tchewa played three seasons of prep basketball in Italy, then landed at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, known for its ability to produce Division I players. Tchewa landed at Texas Tech, which was recently coming off a national championship, but he played only five minutes per game for the Red Raiders. When the season was cancelled by COVID-19 before the Big 12 Conference Tournament, Tchewa was on the move again, entering the transfer portal and deciding on USF.

"I liked the way they worked with their bigs (front-court players) and threw it inside to the bigs,'' Tchewa said. "Plus, beautiful school with good academics. I made a good decision.''

Gregory said he saw Tchewa's potential.

"He had to grow and get better,'' Gregory said. "The missing pieces were experience and playing time and he got those opportunities this year. If you put him through a workout, he does a lot of good stuff. He just hasn't played basketball very long. But he never let his performance impede his progress. It's coming and it might start coming even faster.

"Great kid. Very intelligent kid. Deep thinker. He absorbs a lot of stuff and he doesn't forget a thing. He needs to be the best Russel Tchewa he can be. He doesn't need to be anybody else. Every minute he plays not only helps us now, but it helps him for the future.''

Tchewa speaks four languages — French, Italian, Cameroonian (one of 250 dialects in his homeland) and English. He speaks excellent English and doesn't have trouble with comprehension, but still considers it his weakest language.

His full name: Russel Donald Tchewa Tchamadeu. In Cameroonian tradition, it's two first names, followed by two last names, first his godfather, then his father.

"He's really smart,'' Greene said. "I mean, four languages? And wait until he gets more experienced. When I started playing basketball, I was a baby. He was like 16. He definitely loves the game and now he's starting to live the game. I see him working in the gym all the time.''

Tchewa's work has paid off. At Cincinnati, he got the greatest reward.

"That meant a lot to me,'' Tchewa said. "It was immeasurable. The coaches trusted me and I came through for them. My teammate Corey Walker gave me a great pass, a special pass. My first game-winner. Hopefully, it's the first of many.''

Just give him time.

 

Up Next

A win on Thursday night over UCF would send the Bulls to the quarterfinals of the AAC Championship for the second straight season. That game would be against No. 3 Memphis on Friday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET.

[MikeG]

starters

[Shockley3333]

How was that UCF 3 not a double dribble??

Edited March 11, 2022 by Shockley3333

[BullyPulpit]

Bulls are looking good so far. Have to keep playing consistently. Dominating the paint. 

[Sellular1]

We are winning!!!

[NewEnglandBull]

Bulls are looking great!