The opening act for new South Florida basketball coaches Chris Mack and Kristy Curry could not have gone better.
Well, we'll issue the customary disclaimer -- coaches will ALWAYS say there were areas where their teams need to improve. But if results are what you're after, the Bulls served up a double dose of dominance as the men's and women's seasons tipped off at the Yuengling Center.
The women's team took control from the opening tip and cruised to an 80-54 win over Furman, which was the preseason pick to win the Southern Conference.
The men followed that with a 98-71 smothering of Charleston Southern, getting the Mack era off to a flying start.
There was a lot to like in both games beyond just the score.
For the men's team, consider this: USF had 13 steals compared to three for the visitors. And in spite of this being their first game together as a basically new roster, the Bulls had only eight turnovers while forcing Charleston Southern into 16.
"For us to only have eight turnovers, to be able to play with the pace that we did against a very unique style that we prepared for," Mack said in his post-game remarks. "It was a really unique challenge."
The Bulls got big production from 6-foot-10 Zayden High, a transfer from North Carolina. He had 20 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. He did all that in just 22 minutes of court time.
High was one of five Bulls who scored in double figures, a sign that USF's depth could be a big factor in the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, the women threw a suffocating defense at Furman from the get-go and never let up.
USF opened with a 9-0 run, fueled by forcing three turnovers in the first two minutes, and stretched that lead to 17-3.
The game was essentially over at that point.
"It was a lot of fun for us to have fans in the stands and see a different color jersey, from beating up our practice players every day and each other. We're just excited to kick off the season," Curry said.
"You know, I think that Furman is a really good team. They're picked to win their league. That's a really great win for us. Put us in a position to continue to get better."
The stat sheet affirmed Curry's statement about USF's dominance.
The Bulls shot 51.6 percent and held Furman to 33.3 percent. They beat the Paladins on the boards 48-25. USF put six players in double figures.
"I think anytime that you can share the ball, you can create offense with your defense, and rebound the ball, you give yourself a chance to win," Curry said.
Guard Stefanie Ingram said the defensive pressure was by design.
"I think we just have a group that's committed to giving full effort on defense," she said. "That's translated from our practices into the game now, and that pressure helps us win."
Neither team gets much time to savor their opening night successes.
The men travel to DePaul on Thursday while the women have a pair of upcoming games in Nashville. They'll face Belmont on Friday and Rhode Island on Sunday
This article was originally published on www.greengoldandbold.com as USF men's and women's hoops double up with a pair of opening night blowout wins .
