South Florida needs win more than Cincinnati Bearcats
For the last three games, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats have been playing as if their NCAA tournament chances hinge on every possession.
Sunday, when UC (20-8 overall, 10-5 in the Big East) takes on South Florida at noon in the Tampa Bay Times Forum (CinCW), it will be the Bulls who are desperate for a quality win to impress the selection committee.
It?s not that the Bearcats have reached the point of relaxation but with a three-game winning streak that includes Thursday?s signature win over No. 17 Louisville and five wins in their last six games, they have solidified their NCAA tournament chances to the point that if they simply avoid a total collapse during the next two weeks, they will probably get in.
That?s not the case with USF (17-11, 10-5). The Bulls, who were picked to finish 14th in the 16-team Big East, have been the surprise of the league, but none of their conference wins have come against a team that currently has a winning record in the league.
UC and USF are tied for fifth place in the Big East. The top four teams in the league receive a double-bye that puts pushes them into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, which begins March 6 in New York.
USF has made only two NCAA appearances in the school?s history- none since 1992 ? and has never won an NCAA tournament game, so reaching the tournament would be a huge accomplishment.
?To do something that hasn?t been done in 20 years would have a tremendous amount of meaning for our program, our fans and our university,? said USF coach Stan Heath, who?s in his fifth year with the Bulls. ?It would create a tradition. We don?t have much of a basketball tradition. It would be the start of something special and this group would be the group that got it done.?
USF has won only 23 conference games since joining the Big East in 2005 and had never had a winning record in the league until this year. The Bulls have made only one postseason appearance as a Big East member ? a one-and-done stop in the National Invitation Tournament in 2010. They were 3-15 in the league last year, 10-23 overall.
But Heath sees better days on the horizon.
?When I took the job, the athletic director, Doug Woolard, and the president made a commitment that we were going to build a program at the highest level,? said Heath, who was previously the head coach at Arkansas and Kent State. ?We?re in a brand-new practice facility, as good as any in the country. We?re renovating the (on-campus) Sun Dome with brand-new seating, luxury boxes, club areas and a new scoreboard.?
While the Sun Dome is being renovated, the Bulls are playing this season in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, home to the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning. They are 13-1 there this season.
USF has a veteran team that returned six of its top seven scorers. It leads the Big East in scoring defense ? allowing 58.1 points per game and holding opponents to 39.6 percent shooting ? but ranks last in scoring offense with an average of 60.6 points. The Bulls? leading scorer is 6-10 senior forward Augustus Gilchrist, at 10.3 points per game. No other USF player averages in double figures.
?Obviously, they?ve won with defense,? said UC coach Mick Cronin. ?They?re a team that can cause you a lot of problems with their size. We know that their front line is probably the best front line in the Big East. It?s right there with Syracuse and they found the right point guard that runs their team for them. That was their weakness.?
The point guard is 6-foot-1 freshman Anthony Collins, who averages 7.6 points, 5.5 assists and shoots 84.2 percent from the free throw line. He scored 12 points with 10 assists in the Bulls? 56-48 loss at loss at Syracuse, but committed eight turnovers. USF jumped out to a 20-7 lead in that game before going 12:33 without scoring in the Carrier Dome. In the game before that, against Pittsburgh, Collins scored 22 points with six assists.
?He?s been a difference maker for us,? Heath said. ?He?s the straw that stirs the drink. He has played like a senior. His poise and confidence are well beyond his years. His ball skills are probably the best in our league. He can dribble the ball two inches off the ground and you can?t take it away from him. ?
--Cincinnati.com
