South Florida Bulls Basketball

1. West Virginia (27-6)

The Mountaineers get the top spot, not just for winning the Big East tournament, but by taking a six-game win streak into the NCAA tournament. That streak includes two wins over the Hoyas, one of Villanova, two over Cincinnati, and another over Notre Dame. All of those teams were on the bubble or considered in the NCAA tournament. Da’Sean Butler’s leadership will be hard to overcome for opposing teams, it was no different this past week.

2. Syracuse (28-4)  

The Orange lost their first game in the Big East tournament to the Hoyas. I’m still trying to figure out if they really cared about that game or not. They didn’t have much to prove or play for, considering they’ve beaten the Hoyas twice this season and won the regular season Big East crown. Potentially losing Arinze Onuaku could really hurt this team's NCAA title chances.

3. Georgetown (23-10)

Third times the charm for the Hoyas, as they finally bested the Syracuse Orange, 91-84, in the Big East tournament.  I think hurdling that mental roadblock will provide dividends for this team from here on out. Georgetown is build to go far in NCAA tournament this season, and I wouldn’t expect anything less.

4. Notre Dame (23-11)

The Irish needed some wins in the Big East tournament to punch their ticket to the dance. They did just that, before falling to eventual Big East tournament Champion West Virginia, 53-51. If they keep this high level of play going into the tournament, this team could make it to the Sweet 16, perhaps even further.

5. Villanova (24-7)

The Wildcats are in trouble right now. Going into NCAA Tournament they are 2-5 in their last seven games. In the tournament, Villanova is going to see Big East quality teams from the second round on, and the Cats are showing they can't compete right now. If they don’t improve quickly, look for a quick exit from this team.

6. Pittsburgh (24-8)

The Panthers disappointed me during the Big East tournament. I know Notre Dame caught fire, but I expect Pittsburgh to contend for the tournament crown. I really wanted to see a rematch of the Backyard Brawl after that 98-95 overtime game the Panthers won earlier this season.

7. Marquette (22-11)

The Golden Eagles knocked off Villanova before losing to Georgetown in the Big East tournament. I think the Villanova win moves them up a seed, now considering they have 22 wins on the season. They could have made a little better showing against the Hoyas though, losing 80-57 didn’t look too good.

8. Louisville (20-12)

The Cardinals got upset in their first game of the Big East tournament by the Bearcats. But coach Pitino says his team is in, and I have to agree with him. They have some good wins and come out of a brutal conference. Those two wins of Syracuse are huge right now.

9. South Florida (20-12)

The Bulls have their best record since the 1989-1990 season. The wont be dancing this year, but the NIT is more than was expected for the team back in November. Dominique Jones and Augustus need a full season together for the Bulls to reach their full potential.  Hopefully, Bulls fans get a chance to see that, but I bet Jones opts for the NBA draft this summer.

10. Seton Hall (19-12)

The Pirates took part in a virtual “play in” game against Notre Dame; unfortunately they lost to the Irish 68-56. The bubble has officially burst for Seton Hall, but look for this team to make some noise in the NIT with Hazell and Pope leading the charge.

11. Cincinnati (18-15)

The Bearcats had me believing they might run the table in the Big East tournament. The dream ended with a heart-breaker to West Virginia, 54-51, and at 18-15, they look NIT bound. This team is going to get better next season. The incoming recruiting class looks very good, but they need to replace Deonta Vaughn before we get ahead of ourselves.

12. St. Johns (17-15)

The Red Storm had a decent Big East tournament. They destroyed the Huskies, 73-51, and lost a nail-biter to a good Marquette team, 57-55. This team gets buried with all the great teams in the Big East, but finishing above .500 is admirable.

13. Connecticut (17-15)

The Huskies will have Jim Calhoun back next season, but will have to rebuild after losing six seniors and possibly Kemba Walker. Calhoun needs a relaxing offseason after this up and down year he had. The recruiting class doesn’t look bad; expect to see the Huskies rebound after this dismal year.

14. Rutgers (15-17)

The Scarlet Knights had a respectable season when considering the injuries and transfers they had this season. They finished just below .500, but in the Big East, that’s not bad for a team that wasn’t expected to do much. Next year's team should be able to get over .500, but I wouldn’t expect much more than that.

15. Providence (12-19)

In their final game, the Friars gave a tremendous effort in the second half to come from 18 down against Seton Hall. In the end, it wasn’t enough as they fell 109-105 in overtime. Providence is better than its record, but unfortunately its defense is not.

 

16.  DePaul (8-23)

The Blue Demons extended their losing streak to 13 games, as they finished the season with a 58-49 loss to USF in round one of the Big East tournament. DePaul has some talent coming back, and should have a better season next year. Well, just about anything would be better than this season.

Georgetown got the last laugh on the USF Bulls, as the Hoyas cruised to a 69-49 victory in Madison Square Garden this afternoon.  The Bulls shooting woes carried over from the DePaul game, hindering the already over-matched USF team.

The Bulls never got on track, shooting against a stingy Hoya defense.  “We really struggled shooting today,” quoted Stan Heath in the post game press conference. He was right.  The Bulls shot 29 percent from the field and 10 percent from three-point range.

The 1-for-10 three-point performance today made USF 1-for-18 in the Big East tournament.  The Bulls shot 36 percent from the field in their two games in the tournament.  “It’s hard to beat teams like Georgetown when you’re missing shots from outside,” Dominique Jones said.

Dominique Jones finished once again with the game-high in a Big East game.  He scored 21 points, but unfortunately was the only Bull to score in double figures.  Jones finished the season as the second-leading scorer in the Big East.

Augustus Gilchrist finished with nine points and eight rebounds, but has been very inconsistent since returning from an ankle injury that forced him to miss most of the season.

Jarrid Famous, who’s been asked to step up to match Gilchrist’s former production, had seven points and seven rebounds.  Neither player could do much against Greg Monroe on the defensive end.

Monroe finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, imposing his will on the Bulls' big men for most of the game.  Monroe, unlike Jones, had plenty of help from his supporting cast.  Both Chris Wright and Jason Clark finished with 15 points and 16 points respectively.

The Big East tournament was hardly impressive for USF, when the Bulls needed to shine for the NCAA selection committee.  If they hadn’t opened with DePaul, this team would have been bounced in round 1.  With their slim NCAA hopes dashed, the Bulls turn their attention to the NIT.

USF (20-12, 9-9 in the Big East) has some quality wins and a decent postseason resume.  It won't be enough for the NCAA this season, but they will get a favorable seed in the NIT.  This is the team's most wins since the 1989-90 season when the Bulls finished 20-11.

Defense was the name of the game during the rematch between the DePaul Blue Demons (8-23) and the South Florida Bulls (20-11).

Both teams struggled in the first half, with USF holding a 30-15 advantage going into the half.

DePaul shot a measly 30 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range. USF wasn’t much better, going 43 percent from the field and going 0-of-8 from behind the arc.

This is the Bulls' second win over DePaul this season, previously winning 63-59. It’s the Bulls' first win in the Big East tournament since joining the conference.

This win wasn’t pretty for USF. It’s the first time since March 3, 2004 that the Bulls haven’t made a three-point shot in a game. It wasn’t just perimeter shooting that was off today either; USF went 6-of-14 from the line for a whopping 42 percent.

Jarrid Famous and Dominique Jones each had three turnovers as the Bulls totaled 10 for the game. Augustus Gilchrist wasn’t much better, going 1-of-8 from the field and finishing with two points and two missed dunks.

Mike Mercer’s 14 points and five rebounds helped ease the pressure on Jones to perform today. Jones finished with a game-high 20 points and added nine rebounds. Mercer and Jones were the only Bulls players in double figures.

Mac Koshwal gave USF all it could handle in their last meeting, but today was a different story. Koshwal was held in check with eight points and 10 rebounds while going 3-of-8 from the field. He had 24 points and 11 rebounds in the previous meeting.

Will Walker was the only bright spot for DePaul today. He finished with 20 points and tied Jones for the game high. Walker was the only Blue Demon in double figures.

USF continues to chase the slim hope of a NCAA Tournament berth. Since 1983, 123 Big East teams have won at least 20 games, with 120 going to the NCAA Tournament. USF is now 20-11 on the season going into its next game with Georgetown (20-9). The Bulls pulled the upset in the last meeting 72-64 in Washington, D.C. back in February.

For many teams, the Big East tournament isn't just a way to solidify a high seed. In fact, for most of them, it is to gain a spot in the Big Dance—a spot they wouldn't otherwise have gotten. 

Teams not in the eight will all have to fight just to get into consideration. To win the tournament, they will have to win five games in five days—a near insane request. 

However, this year, the field is wide open—and anybody still has a shot.

Teams to watch

Seton Hall

Seton Hall, probably the best sleeper team in the field, has an uncanny ability to make shots. The Pirates have the most clutch player in the Big East with Jeremy Hazell.

In fact, just a few close games separate them from a first-round bye. They have kept games close, losing only four games by double digits—only one of those by more than 20.

They have beaten great teams like Pittsburgh and Cornell—on the road.

The Pirates will have a local advantage, playing just a short 20 minutes away from their home court. They have a first-round match-up against Providence—a team they beat three days ago. A second-round game would be against Notre Dame—a team they beat, as well. A third-round game would be against Pittsburgh—a team they beat, too.

A win in all three of those games would be 100 percent a tournament bid. It is unlikely, but you can throw out odds come March Madness. 

South Florida

Everyone has seemed to become a South Florida fan during the course of this season. The Bulls have seemingly beat all odds and now find themselves just a step away from an NCAA tournament bid.

They have beaten the likes of Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and UConn. They started off conference play 0-4, but they fought back in to the standings, thanks to team leader Dominique Jones.

They have DePaul as their first-round match-up—a team not to be taken lightly. They will then have a date with Georgetown—a team they bested once before. A win Wednesday vs. Georgetown would probably be what decides if the Bulls are dancing or not.

If they somehow get to that quarterfinal game, they will have to fight Syracuse—the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Look for South Florida to be a factor—the Bulls have come on of late after dropping a few tough games. 

St. John's

It has been a tough year for St. John's. Tough probably wouldn't even describe it. After starting off the year red hot, the Red Storm have cooled down significantly, going just 6-12 in conference play.

However, never rule out home court advantage. St. John's plays on the Garden floor for half of its regular-season conference games—and usually does well.

St. John's has a pretty decent resumé, with wins over Temple, Siena, Louisville, and Notre Dame. They have good shooters with Malik Boothe, D.J. Kennedy, Dwight Hardy, and Paris Horne. They have extreme size and athleticism with Sean Evans and Anthony Mason Jr.

They mostly struggle with free throw shooting and playing well down the late parts of the second half.

If they can top UConn—and get the best of a very tough Marquette team—the Red Storm will at least be looking at a good NIT seed. They would need an additional win over Villanova—a team they nearly topped earlier in the year—to be able to get an NCAA bid.   

1. Syracuse (28-3)  

The Orange got caught up in the last game at Freedom Hall.  While watching the pageantry, they forgot they still had to play against a fired up Louisville team, and took a 78-68 loss.  I’m not worried about this loss at all.  This team has Final Four written all over it, and won't see too many teams in the NCAA tournament that stack up talent-wise to what they go against in the Big East every day.

2. West Virginia (24-6)

The Mountaineers finished the regular season with three impressive wins over Villanova, Georgetown, and Cincinnati.  Right now they’re my pick for to match up with Syracuse in the Big East tournament championship game.  They have gone toe to toe with every team in this conference, and either have a close loss or a win.

3. Pittsburgh (24-7)

The Panthers have a first-round bye in the Big East tournament, and finished the regular season with three Big East cupcakes.  This team hasn’t been challenged much since the 70-65 win over Villanova and the 68-53 loss to Notre Dame.  This may lead to some rusty performances when the Panthers finally get back into action.

4. Villanova (24-6)

The Wildcats haven’t looked too impressive this last month.  They’re 4-5 since the Georgetown loss in February, losing to all the Big East’s top teams.  If this is any indication how they’ll play in the NCAA tournament, they’ll be bounced quickly.

5. Notre Dame (21-10)

The Irish are peaking right now at the prefect time.  They wrapped up the regular season with a four-game winning streak against Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Connecticut, and Marquette.  If they have any kind of success comparable to how they finished the season, expect to see this team in the NCAA tournament.

6. Marquette (20-10)

The Golden Eagles had their four-game win streak snapped in the 63-60-overtime loss to Notre Dame.  They had one three straight overtime games going into that contest. The only exception was the drubbing they gave Louisville, 69-48, in what can be argued as their best performance this season.

7. Louisville (20-11)

The Cardinals have been a tough team to figure out in their last four games.  They’ve either lost by double figures against good teams or beaten them in close games.  Their win over Syracuse is impressive, no matter which way you look at it, but the losses to Georgetown and Marquette could have been more competitive.

8. Georgetown (20-9)

The Hoyas ripped the Bearcats, 74-47, to finish the regular season.  This performance, along with the announcement that Austin Freeman has diabetes, has this team playing tough right now.  They’ve come together in the last week, and have a real shot of winning the Big East tournament this season.

9. South Florida (19-11)

The Bulls have had a very impressive season for their standards.  They’ve beaten Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and Connecticut this year.  Dominique Jones and Augustus Gilchrist are a formidable combination on both sides on the court, making USF a tough team to beat right now.

10. Connecticut (17-14)

The Huskies have their backs against the wall right now.  Their bubble has burst and the only chance to go dancing this season is by winning the Big East tournament, something much easier said than done.  They finished the regular season on a three-game slide that included two road losses and a home loss to Louisville, 78-76.

11. Seton Hall (18-11)

The Pirates are taking a two-game winning streak into the Big East tournament this week.  This momentum, along with Hazell’s 21 points per game should get them past Providence, but it’s always hard playing a team in back to back games.

12. Cincinnati (16-14)

The Bearcats look like they gave up in the Georgetown loss after two close games to Villanova and West Virginia.  They need to end this three-game slide when they play Rutgers in the opening round of the tournament.  If they have any shot at going to the NIT, they’ll need a few more wins against some quality teams.

13. St. Johns (16-14)

The Red Storm got the short straw in the Big East matchups.  They will face a desperate and hungry Connecticut Huskies team in the opening round.  Connecticut has already blown them out once this season, back in January, 75-59.  I wouldn’t expect anything different when these two teams tip off on Tuesday.

14. Rutgers (15-16)

The Scarlet Knights haven’t enjoyed March so far.  They’ve been steamrolled in both games this month.  They’ll meet up with Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big East tournament, and are looking to avenge the 65-58 loss they had early on in conference play.  They have the talent to beat the Bearcats, but with they way they’ve been playing don’t count on it.

15. Providence (12-18)

The Friars extended their losing streak to 10 games, finishing the regular season with 92-80 loss to Seton Hall.  This can be looked at two ways going into the Big East tournament. Providence meets up in the first round with the Pirates once again. They’ve should know what’s coming and how to prepare, as they try to avenge their last loss of the regular season to Seton Hall.

 

16.  DePaul (8-22)

The Blue Demons end the regular season on a 12-game slide, finishing last in the Big East standings.  They will once again match up with USF, this time Big East tournament.  Mac Koshwal gave the Bulls all they wanted in the last meeting, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

The USF Bulls (19-11) knocked off another perennial Big East Power, this time in the form of the Connecticut Huskies (17-14). The Bulls have tallied wins over Georgetown, Pittsburgh, and now Connecticut by the score of 75-68.

Even though they missed getting a first round bye in the Big East tournament, they don’t seem too disappointed. They have their best record since 2002-2003 season, which is the last time they made the NIT.

USF has officially burst the Huskies' bubble. Connecticut will have to win the Big East tournament to go dancing this March. The Huskies finished the season on a three game slide that started last week.

The Bulls seem to be an automatic NIT bid, but there is still a slim chance at the NCAA Tournament. It’s going to take an effort just short of winning the Big East tournament to get any serious consideration, but the Bulls have shown they’ll go toe to toe with anyone in the conference.

Tonight was no difference, as the Bulls were led once again by Dominique Jones. Jones, who had a game high 20 points, had plenty of help from the supporting cast on senior day.

Mike Mercer finished with 12 points and eight rebounds in another solid effort from the senior. His counterpart, another senior, Chris Howard, chipped in 11 points and five assists in his final regular season home game.

Augustus “ Big Gus” Gilchrist has finally shown he’s ready to be part of the Bulls' one two punch. His 17 points came from another great performance in the paint. He’s still conditioning a lot during the week to get back into game shape since missing most of the season with an ankle injury.

He’s not quite back to form, but offensively he’s there. His two blocks and three rebounds got the job done tonight, but it’s still well off his average of 8.9 a game before the injury.

The Bulls shot 66 percent from behind the arc, going 4-for-6. This is a season high and was part of a 50 percent shooting performance from the field. They had plenty of crowd support with the 8,317 fans in attendance to help the seniors off with a win.

The opening round of the Big East tournament will give them conference bottom feeder DePaul (8-22, 1-17). The Bulls squeaked out a win in Chicago earlier this week 63-59. Tip off is at noon on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The USF Bulls escaped Chicago with a win 63-59 over a bad DePaul team. This wasn’t one of the best performances out of South Florida, but it was history-making.

The Bulls are close receiving their first ever bye in the Big East tournament, as they got themselves to 8-9 in conference play this season and won a 18th game on the season.

Neither team looked all that impressive throughout the game, with both shooting around 36 percent from the field. They were even worse from behind the arc with the Bulls shooting 22 percent and the Blue Demons shooting 14 percent.

DePaul controlled the first half and took a 27-22 lead into the half. USF’s 11 turnovers in the game were a large reason for the lead, along with the Bulls settling for jump shots rather than driving the lane.

The second half was a different story as DePaul was outscored 41-32. The scoreboard wasn’t the only place the Bulls made their presence known, however; USF held a 41-26 rebound lead, including 14 offensive rebounds over DePaul’s seven.

Jarrid Famous and Mike Mercer controlled the boards for the Bulls. Famous finished with nine on the night and Mercer added eight.

Augustus Gilchrist continues to find his way after missing most of the season. His 11 points and six rebounds came mostly in the second half, but he’s still nowhere close to where he was back in December.

Dominique Jones had another horrible night shooting, but still finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. It shows you how special a player he is; in going 4-17 from the field, he still has a team high in points.

The Bulls didn’t have an answer for Mac Koshwall who had a game high 24 points and 11 rebounds. This was his 10th on the season, and was another dominating performance by the Blue Demon star.

Koshwall didn’t get much help from his supporting cast; Will Walker, who had 16 points was the only other DePaul player in double figures. The missed free throws down the stretch doomed any chance for an upset. DePaul has only one conference win on the season—a 51-50 win over Marquette.

USF (18-11) turns its attention towards Connecticut (17-12) and the showdown on Saturday. The Bulls get to play bubble poppers for the Huskies, who find themselves desperately needing a win after the loss to Louisville last weekend.

If the Big East tournament started today, USF would get another rematch with DePaul, something they probably don’t want after watching the game tonight. USF needs to continually prove themselves to their Big East brethren, and struggling with the conference bottom-feeder doesn’t help get them any respect.

Knocking off a surging Connecticut team not only gets them some of that conference respect, but also gives them plenty of confidence and momentum going into the conference tournament.

1. Syracuse (27-2)  

The Orange made sure everyone knows who the best team in the Big East is when they drilled Villanova 95-77 this past weekend. They have a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament locked up and look to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament very soon.

2. Villanova (23-5)

The Wildcats have done little to separate themselves from West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The fact they have a few more wins over their counterparts gets them the No. 2 spot on the list, but the blowout loss to Syracuse doesn’t look too good.

3. West Virginia (22-6)

The Mountaineers disappointed me this week against the Huskies. I figured this would have been a signature win for the club, but instead they were dominated for the majority of the game. They beat Cincinnati in their second game of the week, which might be their last regular season win. The last two games are against Georgetown and at Villanova.

4. Pittsburgh (22-7)

The Panthers lost to a Notre Dame team without their best player, breaking their five game win streak. Pittsburgh's final two games are against cupcakes, Providence and Rutgers. That being the case, Big East tournament preparations have already begun.

5. Marquette (19-9)

The Golden Eagles have karma working for them now after losing several close games earlier in the season. They’ve survived three straight overtime games, coming out with victories over Cincinnati, St. John’s, and Seton Hall during that stretch.

6. Louisville (19-10)

The Cardinals beat a surging Connecticut team in a battle of bubble teams this past weekend. Edgar Sosa’s layup with two second left sealed the win on the road. The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week though, Louisville will travel to Marquette and then play host to Syracuse. Picking up a couple of wins this week will go a long way in the Cardinals NCAA tournament seeding.

7. Notre Dame (19-10)

The Irish are playing better without Luke Harangody right now. They picked up two impressive wins over Georgetown and Pittsburgh this week, with the absence of their best player. They still are a bubble team, but with games against Marquette, and Connecticut this week there’s plenty of opportunities to impress the selection committee. Has anyone noticed how much Harangody, and his back up Jack Cooley look alike?

8. Georgetown (19-8)

The Hoyas are 1-3 in their last four games. The last week of the regular season won't be any easier as Georgetown travels to Morgantown, and then finishes up at home against Cincinnati. The Hoyas don’t need a signature win to get into the tournament, but a win against the Mountaineers would help their injured pride.

9. Connecticut (17-12)

The Huskies are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. Louisville beat them on a last second layup, but this was after Connecticut recorded three straight wins over West Virginia, Rutgers, and Villanova. They now begin a road trip to Notre Dame and South Florida for their final games of the regular season. Both should be wins, but will be anything but easy.

10. South Florida (17-11)

The Bulls wish they could play Providence every game. In the first meeting of the year, the Bulls scored 100 points for their first and only time this season. The second meeting gave them another win and a 99-point performance. Augustus Gilchrist finally got back into pre-injury form, scoring 21 points and six rebounds in limited action. The Bulls travel to DePaul before finishing up with Connecticut in Tampa.

11. Cincinnati (16-12)

The Bearcats are trying to keep their heads above water going into the home stretch of their Big East schedule. They have back-to-back games against Villanova, and at Georgetown to close out the regular season. Both games presumably will be losses for a team trying to get into the NIT.

12. Seton Hall (16-11)

The Pirates were barley a bubble team; Marquette ended any notion of NCAA play when they beat Seton Hall 84-83 in overtime. The final two games against Providence and Rutgers should be easy wins, and with any success in the Big East Tournament this team should get a decent NIT seeding.

13. Rutgers (15-14)

The Scarlet Knights got their last win of the season last weekend with a 71-62 win over DePaul. Seton Hall and Pittsburgh will have too much to play for to be upset by an inconsistent Rutgers club. I wouldn’t expect this team to do much in the Big East tournament as well, considering their seeding.

14. St. Johns (15-13)

The Red Storm have to travel to Syracuse this week, in what will be another blow out loss on the season. The road trip doesn’t end there however; the final game of the regular season is against DePaul. I’d expect both teams to be playing hard in this game considering neither will have a chance of winning a game in the Big East Tournament.

15. Providence (12-16)

The Friars extended their losing streak to eight games this week with losses to Syracuse and South Florida. I wouldn’t be surprised if that streak extends to 11 considering both Pittsburgh and Seton Hall will most likely be losses and their Big East Tournament game should also be a loss. This team can put up the points, but it couldn’t stop a senior citizen’s pick up squad on defense.

 

16.  DePaul (8-20)

The Blue Demons continue to trump Providence’s losing streak with their 10 game and counting losing streak. This team has packed it in for the season, and hasn’t been competitive in any game for almost two weeks.

South Florida (17-11) has probably gotten itself off the Bubble and into the NIT with a 99-93 win over Providence. It’s been questioned whether the Bulls would even make the NIT after self-destructing in the month of February.

The Bulls have been back at full strength for two weeks roster wise, but haven’t gotten close to the team performances before Gilchrist got hurt. That was until tonight. For the first time since his injury, Augustus Gilchrist looked like his old self. He finished with 21 points and six rebounds in a dominating performance.

The biggest fan of Gilchrist’s offensive performance was Dominique Jones. The defensive attention “Big Gus” draws give Jones plenty of room to work, and work he did to the tune of 26 points and nine rebounds.

It wasn’t only Gilchrist helping take the offensive pressure off of Jones tonight. Chris Howard and Mike Mercer both had double figures as well. Chris Howard chipped in 20 points tonight in another solid performance from the senior guard. Mercer had another impressive performance with 18 points and seven rebounds, in what may have been his best game of the season.

USF shot 57 percent from the field, but only 27 percent from beyond the arc. It didn’t matter though, as the starters piled on the points. They fell just one point shy of their second 100 point performance on the season, ironically enough against Providence in overtime back in January.

The Bulls have one more cupcake in DePaul (8-20) before their final test of the regular season, Connecticut (17-11), comes to Tampa. The Bulls look to be on pace for a possible 19 win season assuming a probable loss to the Huskies and a win in the first round of the Big East tournament.

The Bulls will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to take on the Blue Demons in their first and only match-up of the season. The tandem of Jones and Gilchrist should have one more chance to fine tune their skills in another easy win before things get dicey in early March.

South Florida (16-11) has gotten itself back on the bubble, but this time it’s for the NIT, not the NCAA. The Bulls looked absolutely pathetic during the 74-49 trouncing at the hands of the Villanova Wildcats.

This was the worst loss of the season for USF, who for most of the season has overachieved. The Bulls seem to have peaked in early February; since then they’ve gone 1-4.

The last two losses have been exceptionally bad, but for different reasons. St. Johns beat USF on in the Sun Dome, officially ending any NCAA hopes. The Villanova loss showed a complete lack of effort in the second half. The Bulls didn’t have an answer for Scottie Reynolds who left with 21 points and a standing ovation from the home crowd of 6,500.

The Bulls have to win the next two games to secure an NIT bid. Both DePaul (8-19) and Providence (12-15) are conference bottom feeders this season. If USF wants to prove it doesn’t belong with them, it needs to win handily. The loss to St. Johns has many wondering if USF is ready to take the next step toward competing for a Big East crown.

South Florida, assuming it wins the next two games would head into the Connecticut game with 18 wins. Judging on the fact the Bulls and Huskies are heading in totally different directions at the moment, I’d be surprised to see the Bulls pull the upset even on their home court.

Dominique Jones will have to get more support from Augustus Gilchrist if the Bulls will have any hopes of successfully navigating the last stretch of the schedule, including the opening of the Big East tournament. Jones struggled against Villanova in a turnover-laden performance that led to 12 points on the night. This was a team high, and the only other Bull in double figures, Mike Mercer, finished with 11 points.

USF should get a favorable matchup in its first game of the Big East tournament, and it’ll probably need an easy win to help its NIT chances. The Bulls get back into action on Saturday when they host Providence at 7:00 PM.