The University of South Florida men's basketball program has everyone's attention now.
The Bulls (17-10, 10-4) already have clinched their first winning record in the Big East Conference. Another victory will give them a first-round bye at the league tournament. Once a long shot, they are now a realistic contender for the program's first NCAA bid in 20 years.
And for USF's next trick?
On Wednesday night, the Bulls will merely try to register the biggest regular-season victory in school history by taking on the No. 2-ranked Syracuse Orange (27-1, 14-1) at the cavernous Carrier Dome.
"A lot of times, especially where we are right now, you want to pass the eyeball test,'' said USF coach Stan Heath, whose team has won four straight games. "This is an eyeball type of game, the moment where people could get a feel for what we are and what we can do.
"I still think we're on a mission. I still think we know we've got to win games. I don't feel like we think we've done something or we're satisfied. That's a good thing. There's no two ways about it. This is quite a challenge.''
The Orange go two deep at every position with point guard Scoop Jardine, forward Kris Joseph and swingman Dion Waiters serving as the main luminaries. Meanwhile, center Fab Melo, a 7-foot, 244-pound sophomore, looms at the back of Syracuse's fabled 2-3 zone defense.
Syracuse opened with 20 straight victories and spent six weeks as the Associated Press' top-ranked team before a 67-58 defeat at Notre Dame on Jan. 21. The Orange ? 17-0 at home ? are trying for their second unbeaten season at the Carrier Dome, going along with the national championship season of 2002-03.
"We've just got to worry about not turning it over,'' Bulls freshman point guard Anthony Collins said. "We play good defense on the road, but we have to minimize our turnovers. I'm actually looking forward to the atmosphere.''
"I love big crowds,'' said USF sophomore swingman Victor Rudd Jr. "It makes me play better. Once we get on the floor, I look at it like they put their pants on the same way we do. Now they've got a little bit of everything. They come at you in waves. We just need to play like we've been playing.''
Each of USF's 10 Big East victories has come against teams with losing records in conference games. The Bulls were beaten decisively in trips to Notre Dame, Marquette and Georgetown, so a stronger showing at Syracuse is needed to silence USF's skeptics.
"We have proven we're a good team,'' said USF senior forward Ron Anderson Jr. "We're entering one of the great environments in college basketball. But it's still basketball.''
"I think Syracuse is a notch above, I really do,'' Heath said. "They consistently have pros on that roster. They have a Hall of Fame coach (Jim Boeheim) on their sideline and he has something to do with it. But what we've learned is we've got to play between the 94 feet, between the two baskets. This is another game we need to win.''
But this time, with everyone paying attention, the stakes are higher than ever.
The Bulls (17-10, 10-4) already have clinched their first winning record in the Big East Conference. Another victory will give them a first-round bye at the league tournament. Once a long shot, they are now a realistic contender for the program's first NCAA bid in 20 years.
And for USF's next trick?
On Wednesday night, the Bulls will merely try to register the biggest regular-season victory in school history by taking on the No. 2-ranked Syracuse Orange (27-1, 14-1) at the cavernous Carrier Dome.
"A lot of times, especially where we are right now, you want to pass the eyeball test,'' said USF coach Stan Heath, whose team has won four straight games. "This is an eyeball type of game, the moment where people could get a feel for what we are and what we can do.
"I still think we're on a mission. I still think we know we've got to win games. I don't feel like we think we've done something or we're satisfied. That's a good thing. There's no two ways about it. This is quite a challenge.''
The Orange go two deep at every position with point guard Scoop Jardine, forward Kris Joseph and swingman Dion Waiters serving as the main luminaries. Meanwhile, center Fab Melo, a 7-foot, 244-pound sophomore, looms at the back of Syracuse's fabled 2-3 zone defense.
Syracuse opened with 20 straight victories and spent six weeks as the Associated Press' top-ranked team before a 67-58 defeat at Notre Dame on Jan. 21. The Orange ? 17-0 at home ? are trying for their second unbeaten season at the Carrier Dome, going along with the national championship season of 2002-03.
"We've just got to worry about not turning it over,'' Bulls freshman point guard Anthony Collins said. "We play good defense on the road, but we have to minimize our turnovers. I'm actually looking forward to the atmosphere.''
"I love big crowds,'' said USF sophomore swingman Victor Rudd Jr. "It makes me play better. Once we get on the floor, I look at it like they put their pants on the same way we do. Now they've got a little bit of everything. They come at you in waves. We just need to play like we've been playing.''
Each of USF's 10 Big East victories has come against teams with losing records in conference games. The Bulls were beaten decisively in trips to Notre Dame, Marquette and Georgetown, so a stronger showing at Syracuse is needed to silence USF's skeptics.
"We have proven we're a good team,'' said USF senior forward Ron Anderson Jr. "We're entering one of the great environments in college basketball. But it's still basketball.''
"I think Syracuse is a notch above, I really do,'' Heath said. "They consistently have pros on that roster. They have a Hall of Fame coach (Jim Boeheim) on their sideline and he has something to do with it. But what we've learned is we've got to play between the 94 feet, between the two baskets. This is another game we need to win.''
But this time, with everyone paying attention, the stakes are higher than ever.
