South Florida @ NC State

NC State has already defeated South Florida on the gridiron this year…so it is kind of fun to have the opportunity to take the Bulls on at PNC Arena on the hardwood. It would be great if the Pack could dominate today just like Dave Doeren’s squad did in Tampa back in September. Today’s game will be televised on ESPNU at 4pm EST.

The stage for today’s game was set by Joe Giglio in the News & Observer this morning with a great feature on Lennard Freeman. The topic of Giglio’s column is how Freeman has a tendency to be overlooked, which is exactly what we tried NOT to do last week when we couldn’t help but highlight the play of BeeJay Anya

Freeman, a sophomore, had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the 79-43 rout of the Dolphins. It was the second career double-double for Freeman, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Northwestern last season in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried pointed out Freeman had 13 rebounds in the Wolfpack’s 76-64 win against Hofstra on Monday. Gottfried hopes the production continues against South Florida on Sunday.

Freeman, 6-foot-8 and 255 pounds, has an agreement with Gottfried. If he rebounds, he gets minutes.

“He understands for him to play, he has to find his niche, and that’s his niche,” Gottfried said.

Freeman, a late addition in the recruiting cycle last year, was a revelation last season. He’s young for his class –he won’t turn 19 until Dec. 10 – and is still the youngest player on the team.

A three-star recruit out of Oak Hill, he worked his way into the rotation and and started 11 games and averaged 23.2 minutes per game. He was second on the team in rebounding with 5.7 per game.

South Florida enters the game with a 3-0 record led by a balance scoring attack that has 4 of 5 starters averaging double figures. The Bulls finished last season 12-20 overall and 3-15 AAC before changing coaches to Orlando Antigua. The Wolfpacker has more preview here:

The return of junior point guard Anthony Collins has been crucial for USF. Collins missed 24 games due to swelling in his left knee and subsequent offseason surgery to remove an inflamed bursa sac. Collins helped lead USF his freshman year to the NCAA Tournament in 2011-2012, averaging 9.0 points and 5.2 assists per game. He ranked 14th in the country in assists (6.5 apg) his sophomore year.

Collins isn’t known for being a big scorer, but he had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, in the 73-71 overtime win at Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 20. He has tried just one three-point attempt in three games.

Allen, a former junior college transfer, averaged 9.0 points per game and shot 31.0 percent from three-point land last year. He had 17 points in the 73-64 win over Jackson State on Nov. 16.

A trio of wings provide depth, with junior college transfer Nehemias Morillo the starter. Freshmen Troy Holston and Bo Zeigler come off the bench, and if the Bulls want to play some small ball, Zeigler could slide to power forward at 6-6, 202.

Morillo transferred in from Monroe College in Bronx, N.Y., where he averaged 12.2 points and 4.0 assists per game. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the season opener against Flagler.

Holston had a reputation in high school as an outside shooter, and the 6-4, 200-pounder has lived up to it through three games. He has gone 6 of 14 on three-pointers, and is averaging 8.0 points per game. He had 11 points and went 3 of 5 on three-pointers in the win over UAB.

Zeigler was a former Rivals150 member at one point in his prep career at Detroit Community High. He redshirt last year, and is averaging 4.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Frontcourt: The Bulls bring good size, though freshman post Ruben Guerrero has yet to make his debut due to a groin injury. Sophomore Chris Perry and junior college transfer Jaleel Cousins, who is DeMarcus Cousins’ younger brother, anchor the group. Redshirt freshman Dre Clayton backs up at power forward.

Perry has been a model of consistency, scoring 18 points against both Flagler Nov. 14 and in the overtime win at Alabama-Birmingham, and he had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds against Jackson State on Nov. 16. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game his freshman year, including two double-doubles, and has lost 24 pounds since then. Perry has also improved at the free-throw line, shooting 56.9 percent his freshman year, and 76.5 so far this season.

Cousins averaged a modest 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game at Navarro College in Carsicana, Texas. Antigua coached DeMarcus Cousins at Kentucky. He had nine points and three rebounds against Jackson State.

The 6-6, 245-pound Clayton ruptured his Achilles’ during his senior year at Orlando (Fla.) Maynard Evans High, and redshirted last year. He had eight points and four rebounds against Flagler.

You can use this as our ‘open entry’ for game conversation.