South Florida Bulls Basketball

It’s been a pretty quiet week on the Big East home front this week. The West Virginia vs. Seton Hall showdown proved to be a classic, but the Pirates once again fell short for their second loss on the season. None of the other games this week proved to be much of a contest for the Big East teams as they finished up the non-conference schedule this week.

Up ahead is the first week of conference play where the cream will once again rise to the top, and we’ll get a better look at just how good some of these teams really are.

1.) Syracuse (12-0)

Syracuse will take on a Seton Hall team already in the midst of a two-game losing streak. The Pirates gave WVU all it could handle at home this week as SHU will also get the 'Cuse at home Tuesday. Even with the Pirates tough play, I expect their losing streak to continue as the Orange do their part to extend it to three games.

2.) West Virginia (10-0)

The Mountaineers escaped again this week with their overtime win over Seton Hall to start conference play. They also managed to beat the No. 15 Mississippi Rebels 76-66 earlier in the week. Their next game matches them up against a tough Marquette team that will show the same intensity that Seton Hall did this weekend.

3.) Villanova (11-1)

Villanova drilled Delaware this week as to be expected on its way to finishing its non-conference schedule. The Wildcats have a few days off before taking on a Marquette team that will have already gone through West Virginia in a tough early conference gauntlet.

4.) Connecticut (9-2)

The Huskies finished non-conference play with a win over Iona and will travel to Cincinnati for their conference opener. Stanly Robinson and Jerome Dyson are a nice one-two punch for Connecticut and will prove difficult to overcome as the season progresses.

5.) Georgetown (9-1)

The Hoyas have one of the easiest opening conference schedules with games against St. Johns, DePaul, and a Marquette team that will have been knocked around for the first two weeks of the season. This favorable schedule should have them undefeated in conference play when they take on the Huskies on January 9.

6.) St. Johns (10-2)

The Red storm will have a tough opener against Georgetown but then face an easier opponent in Providence. I’m very interested to see how St. Johns does in the first five games of conference play as it’s a grab bag of good team, bad teams, and mediocre teams. These first five games can help define how good this team really is.

7.) Pittsburgh (10-2)

The Panthers get DePaul for the conference opener but then get tested with Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Connecticut for the next three games. This team has shown it’s got talent with players like Aston Gibbs, but will that be enough to overcome the conference elite?

8.) Seton Hall (9-2)

The Pirates played an exciting overtime game with the Mountaineers but once again came up short. They’ve now dropped two in a row and will face the top team in the conference, Syracuse, for the conference opener. If Seton hall wants to be respected in the Big East it’s got to take the step from keeping it close and losing, to pulling out  wins against the big boys in conference play.

9.) Notre Dame (11-2)

The Irish get to open with Providence, one of the Big East basement dwellers. After that it’s no picnic as Connecticut hosts Notre Dame this Saturday. This is the first test for the Irish this year, and it will be a good time to see just how good this team is with its 11-2 record against inferior competition.

10.) South Florida (10-2)

The Bulls need to beat Louisville in their conference opener this week as the schedule gets progressively worse for them. Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia form an early season buzz saw that may chop USF’s postseason dreams quickly.

11.) Cincinnati (8-3)

The Bearcats won’t get an easy first win once conference play opens. The Huskies travel to Cincinnati where the Bearcats already have three losses on the season and don’t need to start conference play with one. After the opener the schedule lessens and should allow for the Bearcats to build some momentum through January.

12.) Louisville (8-3)

The Cardinals host a scrappy USF team for their conference opener and potential trap game. Coach Pitino had better be focused on beating the Bulls rather than the upcoming match up with No. 3 Kentucky.

13.) Marquette (8-3)

The Golden Eagles got the brunt of the conference schedule right in the beginning of conference play. They play four ranked teams in a row starting with West Virginia, Villanova, Georgetown, and Villanova again for the first four conference games. Even a split would be looked at as a success for a Marquette team that already has three losses on the season.

14.) Rutgers (9-2)

The Scarlet Knights finish non-conference play with a road trip to No. 10 North Carolina this week. They open conference play with Cincinnati and then at West Virginia. Rutgers has an uphill climb for the rest of the season and will need to steal a few win against teams like these in order to gain a NCAA Tournament or NIT invitation.

15.) Providence (8-4)

The Friars open conference play at Notre Dame and then onto St. Johns, neither will be easy wins and mostly likely conference losses. They have a decent opening schedule and don’t have to play a ranked opponent until January 27 when they play the Huskies. Jamine Peterson has been the lone bright spot for Providence averaging a double-double so far this season.

16.) DePaul (7-5)

The Blue Demons don’t have easy conference games; they are the easy conference game. I fully expect them to start conference play 0-3 as they take on Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and Villanova. They may steal a game from Providence or maybe Rutgers, but this team will underwater quickly come mid–January.

This week we see some shakeups in the Big East Power Rankings, mostly due to poor performances by teams. Georgetown, Cincinnati, and Seton Hall all had losses this week, which affected their rankings. Syracuse is distancing itself from the rest and Providence remains in the basement as we go into another week of Big East Basketball.

1.) Syracuse (11-0)

The Orange look like the clear front runners at this point, with a perfect 11-0 record including wins over some tough competition. Their closest game so far was a 12-point victory over the Gators in Tampa. Meanwhile the No. 2 Mountaineers have had some much closer games including a scare at Cleveland State this week. Syracuse's talent, experience and commitment to defense will make them extremely difficult to beat.

2.) West Virginia (8-0)

The Mountaineers escaped this week with a two-point win over Cleveland State. They have a big challenge this week as they host Mississippi before going to Seton Hall for their conference opener.

3.) Villanova (10-1)

The Wildcats shook off their loss to Temple by beating Fordham 96-58. They get one last warm-up game against a 3-7 Delaware team before conference play starts on January 2.

4.) Connecticut (7-2)

They've lost twice, both times on the road and at two of the most difficult venues to play, at Duke and at Kentucky. In my mind, those losses aren't bad enough to make me drop them below Georgetown, who lost to Old Dominion this week or Seton Hall who lost at home to Temple. St. John's only loss was on the road at Duke, but at the end of the day, I'm much more skeptical about St. John's chances to compete in the Big East than I am with UConn.

5.) Georgetown (8-1)

The Hoyas lost to Old Dominion at home this weekend in a game where they just played flat. That had better change soon considering they play a Harvard team on Wednesday that gave UConn all it could handle a week ago.

6.) St. Johns (9-1)

Not much to report this week as the Red Storm beat Hofstra 72-60 and plays a 0-11 Bryant Bulldog team this week.

7.) Seton Hall (8-1)

The Pirates got a wake up call by playing a team with some talent; Temple dropped them 71-65 at home. They’ll try and get some momentum by beating a 4-7 Navy team before opening conference play up against West Virginia.

8.) Pittsburgh (9-2)

The Panthers are enjoying a soft spot in their schedule for the next two games against Ohio and DePaul. It turns into a nightmare after that with three games against Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Connecticut.

9.) Notre Dame (10-2)

The Irish had a solid win 84-73 over UCLA and host Bucknell (4-7) this week. They open up conference play by hosting Providence.

10.) South Florida (10-2)

The Bulls have already matched their win total last year. Conference play will not be kind to start as the Bulls play Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia in their first four games.

11.) Cincinnati (7-3)

UAB beat the Bearcats like a drum 64-47 this week. Cincinnati’s last two non-conference games are against Lipscomb, who they beat 80-52, and Winthrop who’s 5-5. They host Connecticut for their first conference game.

12.) Louisville (7-3)

The Cards are off to a horrible start to the season, considering the expectations that weigh on the defending Big East champs. However, slow starts seem to be a trend for Louisville, including last year when they started 8-3 with losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota and UNLV. They deserve to be ranked low right now, but it would be a mistake to write them off for the season so soon.

13.) Marquette (8-3)

They rebounded from the Wisconsin loss by beating North Florida 78-51 and host a bad Presbyterian team (2-10) this week. West Virginia will be a difficult test for their conference opener.

14.) Rutgers (8-2)

The Scarlet Knights actually have some talented players, including the former McDonald's All-American Mike Rosario. They're off to a decent start at 8-2, but haven't played a challenging schedule, with the exception of their loss to Florida. They lost to Vermont, and required overtime to put away Rider. The Knights are still at least a year away from even sniffing the top half of the conference.

15.) DePaul (7-4)

The Blue Demons slipped up against American this week, but rebounded 86-69 against Texas State. They have one more game against Florida Gulf coast before Pittsburgh comes calling for the conference opener.

16.) Providence (7-4)

Yale (4-6) is the last game before conference schedule. The sad thing is it’s the easiest game on the Friars remaining schedule; they open conference play up against Notre Dame.

Contributions to this article made by Dan Kelley

USF has now matched its win total of last year just 12 games into the season. The Bulls also went 2-0 in the Holiday Hoops Classic, something they haven’t done since 2003 when they beat southern Alabama and New Orleans.

The Bulls beat San Francisco on Saturday 69-49, and then turned around and beat San Diego 69-60 today. The Bulls got a well-rounded scoring effort from the starters in both games as they acclimated without Augustus Gilchrist.

Jarrid Famous, Dominique Jones, Chris Howard, and Mike Mercer look poised to fill the shoes of the injured Gilchrist during the start of conference play. Gilchrist, who’s expected to return late January or early February, will be a welcome addition for the last half of the season.

Dominique Jones is averaging 18.6 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Jarrid Famous has stepped up with the increased minutes and is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. Chris Howard averages 10.0 points and 4.2 assists a game. Mike Mercer’s 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds a game have come at key times for the Bulls so far this season.

Even without Gilchrist, this Bulls team will challenge their upcoming Big East foes with their run and gun style of play. USF has steadily improved its three-point percentage, which is currently at 41 percent. The Bulls are shooting 45 percent from the field and 68 percent from the charity stripe.

An area that needs immediate improvement is the Bulls' 14 turnovers a game. Dominique Jones is responsible for three of these turnovers every game, and also leads the team with 32 on the year. Augustus Gilchrist is second, averaging 2.4 turnovers a game, and has 25 on the year. Many of these turnovers have come in the second half. The Bulls have turned the ball over more in the second half compared to the first half in all but one game this season.

The Bulls, now 10-2, will begin the tough uphill climb that is Big East conference play. Louisville will host the Bulls on Dec. 30th at 7pm for their first conference game. It won’t get any easier, as the next three games include Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

Dominique Jones put on a clinic on his way to 27 points, both a game high and season high for Jones. USF needed this type of performance to counter balance the loss of Augustus Gilchrist and his 18 points and nine rebounds a game.

Gilchrist’s replacement Jarrid Famous had 11 points and eight rebounds, but Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, one of the Bulls’ backup big men, struggled in his second game with increased minutes having only two points.

Chris Howard had 14 points and four assists and Mike Mercer added 12 points as the other Bulls starters in double figures. USF shot 38 percent from the field, and only 31 percent from behind the arc. These shooting woes helped UCF claw it’s way back into the game in the second half.

The Golden Knights were down 34-27 at halftime but outscored USF 38-35 in the second half. UCF shot 45 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, most of which came in the late second half.

The Golden Knights were led by Isaac Sosa’s 14 points and Marcus Jordan chipped in 11 as the only other player in double figures for UCF. UCF never led in this game, but did overcome a 13-point lead held by USF in the first half.

USF (7-2) will now head west for a double header with the University of San Francisco (3-7) and the University of San Diego (5-6) over the course of the upcoming weekend. On Saturday the two USF’s will square off at 5:00 PM. The following day The Bulls will have another 5:00 PM game against the Toreros of USD.

Winning these last two non-conference game for the Bulls is extremely important, considering they open Big East play with Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia. After this weekend, USF wont be favored in a game until they play Rutgers on Jan. 16.

Well this week we had a few teams look really impressive such as Syracuse and Georgetown, as well as a few that didn’t such as USF and Notre Dame.

Villanova really struggled in their loss to Temple, as did Louisville who this week loss both of its games. Seton Hall will get a test finally this week when they face Temple, as will Cincinnati when UAB comes calling. It’ll be another exciting week for the Big East and conference play gets even closer.

1.) Syracuse (10-0):

They got a very impressive 85-73 win over the Florida Gators this week.

2.) West Virginia (7-0):

This team just keeps racking up wins.

3.) Georgetown (8-0):

Beating both Butler and Washington in the same week is very impressive.

4.) Villanova (9-1):

Temple made the Wildcats look pretty tame in the second half.

5.) St. Johns (8-1):

That win over Temple looks even better now.

6.) Seton Hall (8-0):

Temple comes calling this week, and we’ll finally see how good the Pirates are.

7.) Connecticut (6-2):

The Huskies fell four points shy a win over Kentucky this week.

8.) Pittsburgh (8-2):

Indiana is not a good team, but it was good enough to beat the Panthers.

9.) Cincinnati (6-2):

UAB will be a tough test for the Bearcats on Wednesday.

10.) Notre Dame (9-2):

Loyola Marymount snuck up on the Irish this week, not a good loss for ND.

11.) Marquette (7-3):

They got beat by a very good Wisconsin team this week.

12.) South Florida (7-2):

The loss to Central Michigan is just the beginning for the Bulls.

13.) Louisville (5-3):

The Cardinals are really in a tailspin right now.

14.) Rutgers (6-2):

Two easy games equals two easy wins for the Scarlet Knights.

15.) DePaul (6-3):

They’ve been beaten badly two weeks in a row by an SEC team.

16.) Providence (7-4):

The Friars have one more cupcake, Yale, before conference play starts.

USF has already shown it desperately misses the services of its star center Augustus Gilchrist during its 59-56 loss to Central Michigan in the Sun Dome.

Gilchrist, who is sidelined with an ankle injury, will be out for the next six to seven weeks. He is going to be reevaluated over the next month to determine when his exact return will be known.

Until then, the Bulls will eagerly await his return.

Dominique Jones can only do so much without his partner in crime, and even a 24-point game wasn’t enough to get a win at home against a struggling Chippewa team. Jones was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe and shot 7-18 from the field including a 2-5 performance from behind the arc.

Chris Howard was the only other Bull in double figures with 13 points. The rest of the team struggled through both halves shooting 38 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range.

The Bulls were out rebounded 30-25, most of which happened in the final minutes of the second half as Central Michigan sealed the game giving the Chippewas’ a rare road victory.

Robbie Harman led the way for Central Michigan with 14 points and Jordan Bitzer added 12 points as the only other Chippewa in double figures.

Central shot 37 percent from the field, but went 40 percent from three-point range. They dominated the Bulls in the paint on both ends, leading in rebounds, blocks, and steals.

USF (7-2) will have to pick up the pieces before their next game against in state rival UCF (7-2). 

The Bulls need to get more bench production along with some scoring from their big men, Jarrid Famous and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. Both players had five points apiece and were in foul trouble early in the second half.

Stan Heath and crew have a long way to go before they will be ready for Big East play with efforts like the one today.

USF’s Basketball has had several issues arise this week without having to even play a game. Their best player this season Augustus Gilchrist is nursing an ankle injury, Jordan Dumars has transferred, and the status of Anthony Crater.

Augustus Gilchrist has arguably been the best player for the Bulls this season and his services will be greatly depended upon during conference play. Unfortunately, he won’t be available until late January or early February. This is a huge loss for a program already in turmoil.

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick will replace Gilchrist, but his 18 points and eight rebounds a game will be hard to replace so easily. Jarrid Famous and Dominique Jones will be asked to step up on the scoring and rebounding fronts while Fitzpatrick acclimates himself to his new starting role. “Toarlyn will have to step up” quoted head coach Stan Heath.

If depth problems weren’t already a problem the announcement of Jordan Dumars transfer didn’t help matters. Dumars who played in six of the Bulls eight games cited homesickness as the main reason for transferring. USF has several guards that can step up and take Dumars minutes, but with Jones’s added minutes considering the Gilchrist injury the timing isn’t good for the Bulls or Coach Heath. Heath said of the transfer, “He just wants to be closer to home.”

Anthony Crater’s status with the team is still undetermined at this time. Stan Heath was quoted as saying, “His status will be more defined next week in terms of when he can join our team.”  Crater has failed his second drug test during his short tenure as a Bull, which has led to this indefinite suspension.

During his Wednesday press conference Stan Heath was finally asked about the upcoming opponent for the Bulls in Central Michigan. "They are a very physical basketball team” he said of the Chippewa’s. He was also very optimistic with the status of the team in light to the recent developments. “We have been off to a good start. This is another phase of our season. There are four more games until we start conference play. We need to be progressing towards playing some of our best basketball to get ready for that" Heath stated.

USF will have to continue this uphill battle dealing with transfers, injuries, and possible season ending suspensions. It’s going to be a trying season in what started out very positive for the Bulls who are now 7-1 on the season. They will tip off with Central Michigan (3-5) on Sunday at 2:00pm.

Over the next few weeks the Big East will begin to separate as the cream rises to the top and the duds sink like the bricks they put up every game. There’s still some very interesting non-conference games left before conference play beings so stay tuned Big East fans it’s going to be another wild ride.

1.) Syracuse (8-0):

They get a shot at the No. 17 Florida Gators this week.

2.) Villanova (7-0):

The Wildcats are dealing with some depth issues right now.

3.) West Virginia (5-0):

The Mountaineers enjoyed a few days off this week.

4.) Cincinnati (5-1):

The Bearcats have their eyes on the upcoming Xavier game this week.

5.) Connecticut (6-1):

The Huskies just managed to squeak by Harvard this week.

6.) Georgetown (6-0):

Butler will be a good test this week for the Hoyas.

7.) Pittsburgh (7-1):

The Panthers needed an overtime to get past an average Duquesne team.

8.) Notre Dame (8-1):

The Irish get two more cupcakes before taking on UCLA.

9.) South Florida (7-1):

The Bulls seems to have more off court issues than on court issues this season.

10.) Louisville (5-2):

Loosing to Charlotte really put them behind the eight ball.

11.) Marquette (6-2):

The Golden Eagles are currently in a two game loosing streak, both against ACC teams.

12.) St. Johns (6-1):

They played Duke tough, but still came up short.

13.) Seton Hall (6-0):

We really wont know how good this Pirate team is until conference play.

14.) Rutgers (5-2):

For Rutgers’s Standards it got two solid wins this week

15.) DePaul (5-2):

They got beat soundly by Vanderbilt this week

16.) Providence (5-3):

This is going to be a long season for the Friars

Anthony Crater, the former Ohio State Buckeye who transferred last December, has been suspended for failing his second drug test as a USF Bull, according to a report on Fan House.

Crater who failed a drug test at Ohio State before transferring was also named as a potential robbery suspect earlier in the year when former Bulls players Gaby Belardo and Jesus Verdejo’s apartment was broken into.

Crater would be able to make his debut during the Central Michigan game next week, but is now facing a four to six game suspension for the failed drug test.

Neither Stan Heath of USF Associate Athletic Director Barry Clements would comment on the situation.

The NCAA has also sent a probe to investigate the allegations brought up two weeks ago about Augustus Gilchrist's possible tampering during his transfer and the alleged robbery that may have involved Crater.

I wrote about it in this article here .

Once again, USF gets into the news in a less than commendable reason.

Crater has been the focus of the most recent trouble for the program but was also arrested a month into his tenure at USF when he and current Bull, Mike Mercer, were picked up for marijuana possession on January 23, 2009.

That was Mercer’s second arrest as a Bull. The charges were later dropped in June for Crater but not Mercer. Both remained on the team with no repercussions.

The Bulls next game will be against Central Michigan on December 13 at the Sun Dome.

USF (7-1) once again dominated a lesser opponent on their way to a 74-55 win over Hampton. The guards took over this time as both Dominique Jones and Chris Howard had 13 points apiece.

Jarrid Famous had 16 points and 10 rebounds, for his second double double on the season, while Toarlyn Fitzpatrick had 11 points as the only other Bulls player in double figures.

Augustus Gilchrist—who was named Big East Player of the week—struggled, going 4-10 with nine points and seven rebounds. This was one of his worst performances on the season. To make matters worse, he went 1-3 from the charity strip and even attempted an ill advised three-pointer that clanked off the back iron.

Stan Heath has been getting the bench involved lately, this time letting 10 of the 15 Bulls players in the game. The Bulls shot 49 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. The most important stat for USF was that they had 20 team assists to Hampton’s 11. Most of these were due to penetration by the guards and dishing to either Gilchrist, Famous, or Fitzpatrick.

The Pirates were outmatched plain and simple in this one with only two players in double figures and 14 turnovers. Charles Funches had 11 for the Pirates and Kwame Morgan added 10 points in another loosing effort for Hampton (2-6).

The Bulls go at it once again on December 13th against the Central Michigan Chippewa’s (3-4). CMU has yet to win on the road this season, and the Bulls look to extent that loosing streak.

The Bulls will look to capitalize on the post play against the Chippewa’s, considering they have had suspect defense in the paint this season. Look for Famous and Gilchrist to have big games in route to another victory for USF.