South Florida Bulls
Overall Rank: #42
Conference Rank: #1 American
Despite boasting a young team, South Florida was quite consistent last year. They finished 10-6 in American Athletic Conference play and only lost once to a conference opponent that finished below them in the standings. For a young team, that is impressive. But heading into 2020-2021, this is no longer a young team. Coach Jose Fernandez returns his top seven scorers and with Connecticut off to the Big East, this could be the Bulls year to win the AAC title.
2019-20 Record: 19-13, 10-6
Coach: Jose Fernandez
Coach Record: 373-272 at South Florida, 373-272 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Tamara Henshaw, Forward, 5.3 ppg
Enna Pehadzic, Guard, 4.2 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Elena Tsineke. Sophomore, Guard, 12.4 ppg
Sydni Harvey, Junior, Guard, 11.8 ppg
Bethy Mununga, Senior, Forward, 9.2 ppg
Elisa Pinzan, Junior, Guard, 9.0 ppg
Maria Alvarez, Sophomore, Guard, 8.8 ppg
Kristyna Brabencova, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg
Shae Leverett, Senior, Center, 5.6 ppg
Beatriz Jordao, Junior, Center, 2.9 ppg
Cristina Bermejo, Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg
Key New Players
Jade Blagrove, Freshman, Forward
Sara Guerreiro, Freshman, Guard
Mihaela Lazic, RS Freshman, Guard
Angelee Rodriguez, Freshman, Forward/Center
Tereza Vitulova, Junior, Center, Transfer from Wyoming, not eligible
Projection:
Elisa Pinzan had a breakout sophomore season, averaging 9.0 points and 4.5 assists. She is a steady playmaker and will get the rest of the team involved. Most of Pinzan’s scoring will come from beyond the arc where she connected on a team high 48 three-pointers at a 36.4 percent clip. Pinzan is not the only shooter on the team. Elena Tsineke led the team with 12.4 points per game and Sydni Harvey was right behind her at 11.8. Tsineke will take more shots, but Harvey was very consistent from long range last season, knocking down 40.2 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Maria Alvarez and Kristyna Brabencova are also capable outside shooters and earned a handful of starts last season. Bethy Mununga will hold down the frontcourt. She is a solid interior scorer and ranked second in the ACC with 10.1 rebounds per game. Shae Leverett and Beatriz Jorado will be asked to play a larger role in the frontcourt to help replace the departed Tamara Henshaw. Leverett started a dozen games as a junior and ranked third on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 63.9 (203rd in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 57.7 (38, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.0 (214, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.6 (19, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (84, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.0 (126, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.3 (154, 4)
Rebound Margin: 10.0 (7, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (148, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.2 (251, 7)
