USF came into this matchup against IUPUI following a disappointing loss to Boston College on Sunday. Unfortunately, things didn’t get much better for the Bulls. IUPUI outshot the Bulls from three- and two-point range and from behind the free throw line. The Bulls shot a poor 8-18 from the line.
“We gave them some early, good looks,” Head Coach Brian Gregory said. “When you do that with shooters, all of a sudden they are making some tough ones and that’s exactly what happened. We had some open coverage on those guys that led to a couple threes and even a couple fouls. We got in some foul trouble early and were on our heels.”
Foul trouble can explain the lack of minutes David Collins had in the first half. After starting, Collins had less than five minutes on the floor. The Bulls struggled in his absence. However, in the second half, there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop the Jaguars. IUPUI outscored the Bulls 32 – 17 in the second half.
“Offensively, we’re struggling,” Coach Gregory said. “We’re struggling to get an identity, how we need to play, how well our guys need to play. That’s something we really need to address during this off week now. Need to reset, recalibrate a little bit. Some guys need to step up, there’s no question about that.”
The Bulls have the time they need before their next matchup against Wofford next Thursday. If they can get centered and improve their poor shooting percentages from the last two games, they have a great chance to right the ship before they head to the Cayman Islands for the Cayman Island Classic on the 25th.