USF men’s basketball has faced many trials throughout its young season under interim head coach Ben Fletcher. 

Following last year’s historic season, the Bulls (2-2) looked ready to repeat some of their previous magic.

However, 12 days before USF would play its first regular season game, head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim tragically passed away. 

The Bulls made a collective decision to continue with their planned schedule despite the loss. 

“That was their way of honoring him.” Fletcher said 

Related: USF back on court after Abdur-Rahim’s death “They wanted to play” 

The Bulls suffered a double digit loss to a ranked UF team in their first regular season game, followed by a 15 point loss to Charleston four days later. 

USF found its game in the Yuengling center, picking up two home wins against Arkansas Pine-Bluff and West Georgia. 

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly of the season so far: 

The good 

One of the Bulls’ biggest assets so far has been the team’s unique depth at every position. Of the 16 players on the Bulls roster, 12 of them have seen playing time through four games.

Further, 10 of those players average more than 13 minutes per game. 

“That’s how this team is built,” Fletcher said after a win against West Georgia, “We feel like we have versatility.” 

USF’s bench has stepped up when given the extra minutes.

In the Bulls’ 86-71 loss to Charleston (3-1), their bench accounted for more than half of the team’s 39 points.

The match against West Georgia (0-4) told a similar story, as the Bulls bench scored 32 of USF’s 74 points. 

The Bulls have shown a willingness to capitalize on their versatility. Sophomore guard Jayden Reid has risen to the occasion this season as a product of that versatility.

Reid averages 9.3 points and 4.3 assists, tacking on three rebounds. He has taken a step up in production this season compared to last year, when he averaged 6.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.3 rebounds. 

Reid put forth a 16-point effort against Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-4) that garnered the notice of Fletcher. 

“Reid is going to be a big time player for us,” Fletcher said. “[He’s] one of the leaders on this team.” 

Related: USF’s Men’s Basketball wins home opener amid first half brawl 

The Bulls, led by Reid, have averaged 15 assists a game.

The bad

In both losses this season, the Bulls were out-rebounded. 

The Gators (4-0) dominated the boards against USF hauling in 37 total rebounds in UF’s victory. 

However, the lack of Bulls rebounding is a symptom of a larger cause that led to both USF losses in the season – the team has lacked size on the interior. 

Related: USF men’s basketball falls in season opener against Florida

More than half of the Gators 98 points came from points in the paint. 

Fletcher stressed the importance of playing on the inside after the loss.

“We have to do a much better job with our positioning,” Fletcher said.

A similar story played out against Charleston, when USF was outrebounded and outscored in the paint. 

Thirty-six of the Cougars’ 86 points came in close. 

The ugly

USF has also struggled to shoot the ball throughout the season. 

The Bulls have shot 42% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc. They shot 34 three pointers against Arkansas Pine-Bluff and made eight. 

Fletcher said despite the performance, the Bulls were getting the right looks.

“I wasn’t upset about how many threes we took as long as we are taking the right ones,” Fletcher said after the game. “

The Bulls have also struggled to maintain possession. In both USF losses, the team turned the ball over more than their opponent.

USF had 16 turnovers against Florida. Senior guard Kasen Jennings felt that giving up the ball hurt the Bulls down the stretch against the Gators.

The Gators capitalized off of USF’s errors, scoring 24 points when they took the ball. 

“It came down to our turnovers,” Jennings said, “that’s what hurt us in the second half.” 

USF begins the Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 against the Portland Pilots.