Bulls Hoping Break Helps

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- With the University of South Florida beginning the second half of its Big East schedule tonight against No. 8-ranked Marquette, Coach Stan Heath decided his team needed a break.

So Monday and Tuesday, the Bulls didn't practice. They shot some free throws and lifted weights, but no practice.

"I wanted them to grab a couple of days - normally I don't do this - grab a couple of days to get away," Heath said. "So we can have some fresher legs, be stronger mentally and maybe put some things behind us and come back a more determined basketball team that can find a way to win."

The Bulls (7-14, 2-7 Big East) have lost three consecutive games and would be winless in Big East play if not for two wins against DePaul. Meanwhile, Marquette (20-2, 9-0) is the Big East's lone unbeaten team in conference play.

The Golden Eagles feature guards Jerel McNeal (19.7 points), Wesley Matthews (19.2 points) and Dominic James (11.5 points, 7.3 assists).

"That trio is the best in the country," Heath said. "They have the ability to dominate games on the offensive and defensive ends."

Despite virtually clinching USF's sixth consecutive losing season, Heath said the Bulls are still working hard.

"I think our guys are hanging in there tough," he said. "They're together. They want to win. I don't think anyone has thrown in the towel.

"I just think there's still a hunger inside the kids. They want to fight through adversity and turn the corner."

After playing games against five ranked opponents in the first half of their Big East schedule, the Bulls only have two games remaining against teams currently ranked - against No. 8 Marquette and No. 1 UConn on Feb. 21.

Heath is hoping the Bulls can gain some wins before making their first appearance in the Big East Tournament, scheduled for March 10-14.

"I think the back nine of our schedule may have a little bit more sympathy to it than maybe the first nine games we played," Heath said.

 

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Game 23: South Florida


Journal Sentinel
Feb. 5, 2009

Tampa, Fla. -- Ask Jerel McNeal about the Sun Dome, and he just smiles.

How could he not? It was his steal and basket at the buzzer that helped the Marquette Golden Eagles beat the South Florida Bulls, 70-68, two seasons ago to help keep alive what ultimately wound up being an eight-game winning streak.

"Escaping," he said when asked what he remembered most about the game. "It was a hard-fought game. It?s a real tough place to play, and they had a lot of good players then. I think they?ve got some really good players now. I remember just getting out of there with a win ? being in a real close game and we had to grind it out and come up with some big plays down the stretch just to pull it out."

McNeal's big play came with South Florida inbounding the ball near mid-court in the closing seconds and looking for the upset of 15th-ranked MU. But a deft switch on a pick allowed McNeal to swipe the ball, head the other way and knock down a short bank shot at the buzzer.

Some felt McNeal should have been called for a charge, as Bulls guard Chris Howard was able to get back and get into position to try and take it. But not surprisingly, the officials let the basket stand, and the Golden Eagles escaped with a hard-fought victory over a Bulls team that was primed for an upset.

"It?s right up there with some of the best," said McNeal when asked where that victory ranked for him during his time at MU. "We?ve been in a ton of close games. Pittsburgh, freshman year when Dominic hits a running three-pointer to send it into overtime. Stanford. But it definitely ranks up there among the most unique of all of them, just because of the way the game ended.

"We?ve been through so many of those types of games that it?s hard to rank them, but that?s definitely got to be one of the biggest ones just considering what was at stake. It was a situation where we were on like an (eight-game) winning streak, we were playing really well and we had a little bit of a letdown there. It was unbelievable the way the game ended, and the way we just kept playing and pulled the win out in the end."

In the midst of a 12-game winning streak, third-longest in the nation, eighth-ranked MU (20-2, 9-0) could face a similar situation on Friday night at the Sun Dome: a downtrodden South Florida team with just two victories in the Big East looking to spring the upset on a high-profile opponent.

The Bulls (7-14, 2-7) have done it on their home court before. They knocked off Syracuse last year, and who could forget their upset of Georgetown on the final day of the regular season back in 2005-'06, a victory that led to MU earning a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament the following week.

South Florida has talent.

Sophomore guard Dominique Jones ranks sixth in the Big East in scoring at 18.3 points per game, and like McNeal brings more to the table than just offense with 38 three-pointers, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

The Bulls also have another big body down low in freshman Gus Gilchrist, who's averaging 10.5 and a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game.

"I think they?re similar (to last year)," said McNeal. "Gilchrist is a good player along with Dominique Jones. He?s gotten a lot better just over the course of a year. And their point guard, Howard, is pretty good and he?s becoming a lot more mature. They?ve got somewhat the same makeup and I think they have really good players down there, and I?m sure it?s going to be another tough game for us to get.

"We?ve got to come out with our mind set and our focus and everything right and we?ll try to steal another one down there."

South Florida is shooting the ball horribly as a team: 40.9% from the floor and 58.7% from the free-throw line. The Bulls are also being out-rebounded by opponents, and have committed 35 more turnovers than they have assists.

Even still, MU will bring the same mind set its had all season, which has helped it go 5-0 in true road games. The Golden Eagles are one of only six teams in the nation to have gone undefeated on opponents' home courts, joining Utah State (9-0), Connecticut (7-0), Michigan State (6-0), Xavier (6-0) and Louisville (4-0).

"Dominique Jones scored 1,000 points last week, and he?s played three semesters of college basketball. He?s on pace to break Pistol Pete?s record," said coach Buzz Williams. "We?ll have mismatch problems again with Gus Gilchrist. I think Dominique Jones is a really good player. (Jesus) Verdejo has continued to improve.

"It?s different, because we just played a mirror opponent, and there wasn?t anything that we were going to tell our guys that they weren?t prepared for with DePaul. I think that?s part of the reason why we?re leaving tonight ? because over the next 40 hours we?ve got as much mental work to do as physical work.

Oh, and about that great Tampa weather? Try 50s on Thursday and mid-60s on Friday.

"Is it supposed to be nice?" Williams asked on Wednesday night, prior to the team leaving Milwaukee. "We?ll be inside working in the gym. So when we go from the bus to the gym, we?ll appreciate it."

McNeal, by the way, needs just five points to move past Butch Lee into second place on the all-time scoring list at MU.

Dominic James, meanwhile, needs four points to move past Tony Smith, Brian Wardle and Travis Diener into third place.

-- James is also one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation's top point guard.

Among the other notables on the list are Davidson's Stephen Curry, UCLA's Darren Collison and North Carolina's Ty Lawson, and three other Big East point guards, Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, Pittsburgh's Levance Fields and Connecticut's A.J. Price.

-- Here is what South Florida coach Stan Heath had to say about MU on the Big East coaches' teleconference on Thursday.

"Marquette is playing as well as anyone in our league, and obviously the country. Just to watch those three guards on film, McNeal and Matthews and James, and you just see three guys that seem like they?ve been together for about 10 years. They function so well together, play so well off of each other and they make that team go. The three of those guys together, I think the thing that makes them so special is not only the intensity level that they bring on the offensive end, but the defensive end as well."

"Matthews, in my opinion, he?s a guy that?s a little under the radar. You kind of focus in on the other two guys, and he?s the silent assassin who just quietly makes his shots, makes plays, gets out in transition, gets things done."