By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
UTSA Roadrunners men’s basketball will play in Tampa tonight against the high-scoring South Florida Bulls, hoping to put an end to a program-record 14-game losing streak.
The Roadrunners haven’t won a game since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla, when they defeated Georgia Southern, 77-64. They haven’t won a road game since Nov. 15 when they downed the Denver Pioneers, 84-79.
UTSA has played more competitive basketball recently, losing by six to Temple and by 10 to the UAB Blazers in San Antonio last week.
Over the two games, Jamir Simpson has started to shoot the ball at a higher percentage, making 15 of 29 from the field while averaging 16 points.
Transfer Brent Moss also is getting more playing time, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds against Temple and UAB.
Guard Austin Nunez from San Antonio is averaging 13.4 points and 2.4 assists in conference. The former all-state player at Wagner High School scored in double figures in UTSA’s first eight conference games.
South Florida ranks 10th in the nation and leads the American Conference in scoring offense, averaging 89.5 points. The Bulls are No. 1 in scoring in conference games only at 87.3 points.
Izaiyah Nelson, Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion are the Bulls’ top offensive threats. Nelson averages 15 points and a conference-leading 10 rebounds.
Enis (15 points) and Pinion (14.8) rank as the Bulls top two perimeter scorers. Enis and Pinion have knocked down 146 three pointers between them.
Nelson and Pinion transferred into South Florida from Arkansas State.
Records
UTSA 4-17, 0-9
South Florida 14-8, 6-3
Coming up
UTSA at South Florida, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Notable
The Bulls are playing under their fourth head coach in four years in Bryan Hodgson, who worked previously at Arkansas State.
After four straight losing seasons under Brian Gregory, South Florida hired Amir Abdur-Rahim, whose first team went 25-8. Abdur-Rahim died in October of 2024 after suffering complications following a medical procedure.
Last season, the Bulls forged ahead with a staff led by interim coach Ben Fletcher, a member of Abdur-Rahim’s staff. Rocked by their coach’s death, the Bulls finished 13-19, including 6-12 in the American.
Hodgson, hired at South Florida last spring, arrived in Tampa having posted records of 20-17 and 25-11 in the last two seasons at Arkansas State.