USF ROAD WOES CONTINUE, FALL TO 2-6 IN BIG EAST

January 29, 2009


After a tight first half, Louisville blew past South Florida in the second half for a resounding 80-54 win at Freedom Hall.

After trailing just 33-32 at the half, the Bulls are Worn Down by No. 7 Louisville (Tampa Tribune) and a 27-5 run to start the half facilitated the process.

With the state of Kentucky battling some brutal winter weather, the Cards Add Thrills to 'Ville's Chills (Louisville Courier-Journal) outside, especially in the second half. Edgar Sosa hit four three-pointers and led the 13 Cards who scored with 16 points. Terrence Williams scored just 5 points, but had a game-high 10 rebounds and a game-high 6 assists. Samardo Samuels added 14 and Earl Clark 12 in the win.

Dominique Jones had a game-high 19 to lead USF, who has now lost 24 straight road games against ranked opponents.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ LOUISVILLE

January 28, 2009


Red-hot Louisville will host South Florida in Freedom Hall this evening in a Big East conference match-up. The Cards are 6-0 in the Big East and have already won in South Florida earlier this month.

USF is 2-5 in Big East play with both wins coming against lowly DePaul. The Bulls have been dealing with injuries and distractions (arrests of Mike Mercer and Anthony Crater) and are likely in line for a long second half of the conference schedule.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found this morning on the internet:

Pitino: Bulls are Improved (Courier-Journal)
T-Will Figures it out in Fourth Year (Kentucky.com)
Jones Has a Shot at Bradley’s USF Records (Tampa Tribune)
Cards Set for South Florida (Courier-Journal)

The way things are setting up, Louisville might have the inside track at the regular season Big East championship. The home and home match-ups for the Cards include the Bulls, whom they have already beaten, Notre Dame, who is struggling mightily and West Virginia. No game is a gimme, and they can not afford to give one up in a spot like this.

With a frontline of Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, the Cards have the firepower to overwhelm the Bulls. The Cards will unleash their full court pressure against a thin USF club that, even though their strength is in their backcourt, has trouble taking care of the ball.

Look for Louisville to rush out of the gate and then keep Dominique Jones and company at bay with their defense. Sometimes the UL offense might stall, so the NCAA basketball odds showing UL as a 17 ½-point favorite seems high, but these Cards are rolling along…

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 75
South Florida 57

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MORE TROUBLE FOR USF HOOPS

January 25, 2009


USF lose on the court to Villanova an off the court with arrest of two guards



It wasn't the finest moments for the South Florida basketball program, but the Bulls did fight hard until coming up short in the last 90 seconds against Villanova. in a Big East conference match-up on Saturday afternoon in the Sun Dome.

The day just started off bad for Stan Heath's program as Two USF Guards Were Arrested on Marijuana Charges (Tampa Tribune) just before midnight Friday. Although neither Anthony Crater (recent transfer) nor Mike Mercer (knee injury) were available to play, it was another distraction to USF, who just learned senior center BJ Ajayi was lost for the season.

Still, with all that, and star guard Dominique Jones fouling out with five minutes left, USF trailed just 60-58 in the final minutes before a 10-3 run by the Wildcats iced the game and the Short-handed USF Loses to No. 20 Villanova, 70-61.

Dante Cunningham had 14 points to lead the Wildcats. Reggie Redding added 11 and Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes each scored 10.

Augustus Gilchrist had 18 for USF with Chris Howard scoring 15, Jesus Verdejo adding 13 and Jones scored 11 before fouling out.

The arrest was the second for Mercer this season, putting his future with the Bulls in serious jeopardy, according to coach Heath. Crater and Mercer are both suspended indefinitely.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: USF HOSTS 'NOVA IN SUN DOME

January 24, 2009


Villanova looks to climb back to .500 in conference play when they travel to South Florida for a noon tip-off on Saturday afternoon for a Big East match-up. The Wildcats are coming off a tough loss at Connecticut from earlier this week.

South Florida is 2-4 in conference play after completing a home and home sweep over DePaul. USF has never won more then three Big East games in a season since joining the conference, but will have 12 games left to see if they can find two more victories to surpass that previous mark. Unfortunately, the schedule makers did not give them more cracks at the Blue Demons.

Chris Howard Lights up the Sun Dome for the USF Bulls (St. Pete Times)
Bulls & Villanova Set for Noon on Saturday (gousfbulls.com)
Bulls Basketball Keeps Building Despite Losing (Tampa Tribune)
USF Loses Senior Center Ajayi to Knee Injury (St. Pete Times)

The Bulls have been showing some improvement of late. Although they won just once on a recent three-game conference road trip, an 80-58 demolishing of DePaul, USF hung pretty tough with Pittsburgh before losing 75-62 and made a valiant comeback at West Virginia before coming up short, 62-59. They returned home and finished off a sweep of DePaul with a 70-61 victory. Making the win more impressive was they did it without Jesus Verdejo, their second leading scorer.

USF has been getting consistently big scoring efforts from Dominique Jones. The sophomore shooting guard leads the team on the year in scoring (18.8/game), rebounds (4.9), assists (4.1) and steals (1.6). What is more impressive is in the last four games, Jones has averaged over 26 points a game as well as 5 assists and 7 rebounds. He has also been able to get to the line 39 times in his last three games.

Villanova junior guard Reggie Redding will have the assignment to stop Jones. Redding is a very good defensive player that will play the role of defensive stopper quite well. He will not worry about his own offense and will not let not scoring cause his concentration to lapse on the defensive side of the ball.

Also helping the Bulls show improvement has been the progression of freshman Augustus Gilchrist. The 6-foot-10 F/C is a tough match-up because he is very comfortable shooting from the perimeter. He recorded his first double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in their last win over DePaul and also had a 22-point outing at Pittsburgh.

Villanova is a very balanced team with seven players averaging at least six points a game, led by senior Dante Cunningham who is averaging a team-high 16.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. Like Jones for USF, Cunningham leads ‘Nova in a variety of categories as he also leads the Wildcats in blocked shots (1.3/game) and steals (1.7). Junior guard Scottie Reynolds adds support offensively to Cunningham, averaging 15.2 points a game and leads the team with 4.1 assists a game. Reynolds is still the player likely to make the clutch shots for Jay Wright’s squad and has shown he is still capable of carrying the scoring load when needed, like his 40-point performance in an OT win at Seton Hall earlier.

The latest college basketball odds show Villanova to be a 6 1/2-point road favorite. It is a game to watch carefully, as it sits right in between UConn and Pitt for the Wildcats.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 68
South Florida 64

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SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS SWEEP DEPAUL

January 21, 2009


South Florida Beats DePaul for Second Time This Season (St. Petersburg Times), in the span of 10 days, to sweep the home and home series between the Big East foes. Since the Bulls own just two conference road wins in their Big East history, this is a rare feat, one that was matched last season when they won both contests against Rutgers, including their first Big East road win.

Adding salt to the DePaul wounds, the Bulls were short-handed as USF's Jesus Verdejo Out Agianst DePaul (Tampa Tribune) after suffering a concussion in the loss to WVU last weekend. Verdejo had started every game this season and is the second leading scorer on the team.

Sophomore Dominique Jones and freshman Gus Gilchrist each recorded a double double as Jones Scores 26 to Lead USF by DePaul (Daily Herald), 70-61. Jones added 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Gilchrist added 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win. USF out-rebounded DePaul 48-28 in the game, securing 21 boards on the offensive end.

Twenty-one offensive rebounds, that's the story of the game," said DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright after the game. "They beat us up on the glass."

USF saw a seven-point halftime lead evaporate, but a three-pointer bu Gilchrist with the shot clock winding down with 6:52 left put the Bulls back in front, 57-56. USF would never relinquish the lead as USF Surges Past DePaul for 2nd Big East Win (Tampa Tribune), finishing the game on a 16-5 run over the last seven minutes.

Dar Tucker was high scorer for DePaul, with 19 points, but was just 5-19 from the floor. Mac Koshwal added 17 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ SOUTH FLORIDA

January 20, 2009


For the second time in 10 days, DePaul and South Florida will hoop up in a Big East conference match-up. The Blue Demons were humiliated on their home floor in the first meeting, a 80-58 loss to USF. They will try and find some revenge tonight as they try to get their first conference win of the season at the Sun Dome. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web today:

Blue Demons and Bulls Face off Tuesday Night (bluedemons.com)
USF Freshman Gus Gilchrist Showing Steady Improvement (St. Pete Times)
USF-DePaul Preview (St. Pete Times)

Just ten short days again, DePaul was thoroughly dominated in every aspect in a humbling 80-58 loss to South Florida. The Bulls came to chilly Chicago and heated up, shooting 52% from the floor and dominating DePaul on the backboards with a 42-24 rebounding edge.

Dominique Jones, who is coming off a 35-point outing in a loss at West Virginia, led USF with 22 points. Jesus Verdejo and Gus Gilchrist had good games on the offensive end and Chris Howard had a flawless floor game, scoring 12 points, handing out 10 assists without a turnover and added 5 rebounds for good measure.

A flawless floor game is something DePaul knows little off as their point guard struggled have continued into the fourth season under Jerry Wainwright. The Bulls rely on the talents of sophomores Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal, but too often Koshwal is shut out by his own team with their lack of post-game concentration. Will Walker is a capable third scorer, but the Blue Demons are more prone to jack up ill-advised shots without an effort to run an offense.

A team with shooting woes, weak rebounding numbers and the tendency to get beat defensively is not a good formula to win on the road, and Depaul has shown they cant win at home with those shortcomings in the Big East. Still, with the Bulls being competitive in recent games against better clubs and their recent mauling of DePaul on the road, seeing just a 6 1/2 point spread on the game stands out. Still, DePaul needs to prove they can play with someone, especially on the road, where they are apt to lose by double digits more often than not.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

South Florida 66
DePaul 55

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WVU HOSTS USF

January 17, 2009


West Virginia will look to get their offense in order in conference play on Saturday afternoon when the South Florida Bulls come to Morgantown. WVU is 1-2 in Big East play, suffering a pair of losses last week to UConn and Marquette where they struggled mightily in putting the ball in the basket. On Wednesday, WVU had their annual Capital Classic showdown with in-state rival Marshall and scored an 87-76 victory.

The Bulls have stayed up north following Wednesday’s contest at Pittsburgh and finish a three-game Big East road swing Saturday with their meeting against the Mountaineers. USF started the three-game run off with a surprisingly easy win at DePaul, 80-58. The Bulls also looked pretty good in stretches at Pitt on Wednesday, despite travel problems within the city of Pittsburgh which delayed the start of the game 25 minutes.

Mountaineers Turn their Attention to South Florida (Daily Mail)
Striving for Consistency (Charleston Gazette)
WVU Resumes Big East Slate (Register-Herald)

Bob Huggins’ squad is long on athleticism but short on size and shooting ability. The Mountaineers have a plethora of 6’7 combo forwards that can get up and down the court and crash the boards. They have overwhelmed many lesser teams on their schedule but are still trying to find the right formula for the top teams of the Big East. The Mountaineers have had a tough time scoring against the size and comparable athleticism of Big East teams.

South Florida is a match-up the Mountaineers should find a little more to their liking. The Bulls are not overly athletic in the backcourt and will not likely be able to take advantage of a freshman point guard (Darryl Bryant) used by WVU like a Marquette squad did. The Bulls have some height in the paint, but they are not a very strong team on the boards.

All in all, this is a game that WVU should win and win handily. The Bulls are bound to be weary with their third road game in a week and having spent the last several days away from home. The line for this game has been set at 16 1/2 points by the oddsmakers, and it is one in which WVU should roll.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 74
South Florida 57

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CAN SOUTH FLORIDA BE A BULL MARKET IN HOOPS?

January 16, 2009

by Ray Mernagh



South Florida impressed me.

There I said it (okay, I wrote it) and lightning didn't strike me through my keyboard. Almost everything about the South Florida Bulls, save their punctuality, impressed me Wednesday night against Pitt. I was shocked too because before the game -- while waiting for the Bulls to fight their way through a city that might as well be Tampa for the way it's drivers respond to a few inches of snow, and as Pitt players amused themselves by putting on a dunking exhibition for the Oakland Zoo -- I went up and down their schedule trying to find their best win and... I guess it's Northeastern... by default. The best results of their season are losses. No DePaul fans your game doesn't count -- any team worth their D-1 status should be beating the Blue Demons (and are come to think of it).

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The Bulls seemed to get good shots every time they ran the sets that Stan Heath continually called out from the bench. Gus Gilchrist, the 6-10 freshman who's college choices have included Virginia Tech (shootings on campus changed his mind, plus the alleged lack of an available job for his trainer/advisor/official spokesperson Terelle Woody), Maryland (lack of an understanding -- guess good advisors are hard to come by these days -- that intraconference transfers are frowned upon in the ACC and result would be he'd only have 2 1/2 years of eligibility and would have to sit out longer than anticipated), and finally South Florida, where he filed a hardship waiver and was almost granted his full four years after being cleared by the NCAA on November 5th and ruled eligible to play at the end of the fall semester (December 14th) of this, his freshman year.

Gilchrist is incredibly fluid for 6-10, and has a beautiful stroke from the perimeter. He scored 22 points on 10-15 shooting (2-5 from the arc) even though it was apparent that he's still in the figuring things out stage. Woody, seated on the USF bench in warm-ups, is presumably helping him do just that for about 30K minus benefits. Gilchrist is going to have to gain some interest in rebounding, but his offensive repertoire is one that seems destined for the NBA at some point. So Gilchrist is a big building block for Heath.

Dominique Jones is the other building block that's in place, a sophomore shooting guard who also scored 22 points. Jones was highly efficient, getting his 22 points on ten shots. Jones seems a lot more comfortable now that he's not sharing the floor -- and presumably shots -- with Mike Mercer. Mercer, a junior transfer from Georgia, tore his ACL earlier this season and is done for the year. Jones had a productive freshman season and has played up to that standard in the last few games. He's a talent. Chris Howard is a junior point guard who scored 13 points, most on acrobatic drives to the cup, but probably isn't considered building block #3. That would be freshman point guard Anthony Crater.

Crater is a transfer, originally out of the hoops hotbed of Flint, Michigan. He left Ohio State just a few weeks ago because of playing time (he was averaging about ten minutes of burn per game). His AAU coach claims Crater left because Thad Matta broke a promise to the young man that he would start. Crater, who for a very brief time about three-to-four years ago was considered the best point guard in his class before falling to the 20th, was more or less backing up Juco transfer Jeremie Simmons. Now I know Jeremie Simmons' game, have watched him since the summer before his senior year at Von Steuben in Chicago. Simmons is a quiet kid and it says here that he's tried to fit in as a Buckeye by deferring to his new teammates a bit too much. But one thing Simmons always does, once he steps on the hardwood -- like any other kid with both Chicago and Steve Schmidt's Mott Community College on his resume -- is compete HARD. I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that Crater thought he couldn't beat Simmons out for the next two years.

Crater will play all he wants next December because he is a better point guard than anyone Heath has right now. Unless of course Heath finds a guard that's better. That's the way it works in big-time college basketball. One funny side note to the whole Crater situation: the reason that Heath has a spot open is because the point guard he recruited extremely hard decided against USF. That kid? Jeremie Simmons.


So Stan Heath has himself a roster to build on with one elite talent in Gilchrist, a good talent in Jones, and a possible talent in Crater. And let me be clear that I have no problem with how Stan Heath has assembled his roster. He's the coach at South Florida, a school that plays in a league it really has no business being in basketball-wise. If he doesn't get it to a competitive level, he'll be fired.

His task now is to try and convince other players that coming to Tampa to play in the Big East is worth it, that he's building a program that can compete on college basketball's biggest stage. More efforts like Wednesday night's in Pittsburgh will surely result in some wins.

Those wins, if they're big enough, could accomplish that task.

The sad part is, it still probably won't matter.

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Ray Mernagh is the Basketball Editor for the Pittsburgh Sports Report and writes for Basketball Times as well as his own blog, Hoop Wise. Ray's first book, 1 Chance 2 Dance: A Season Inside Mid-Major Hoops in Mid-America, focuses on 18 months of MAC basketball.
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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: USF AT PITT

January 14, 2009


The Pittsburgh Panthers begin their second week ranked as the nation's #1 team in America and will welcome in the South Florida Bulls. USF has a little momentum heading into this game coming off a stunningly easy 80-58 road win over DePaul on Saturday. It was just the Bulls' second conference road win in their 3+ years in the Big East.

Here are some of the pregame stories and previews found on the web today:

South Florida Guards to Test Panthers (Tribune-Review)
Pitt's Perfect Starts Set Pace for Season (Post-Gazette)
Bulls Excited About Playing #1 Panthers (Tampa Tribune)
Pitt's Dixon Moving up on Victory List, Notes (Tribune-Review)
USF Bulls' Guard Faces Friend Tonight in Pittsburgh (St. Pete Times)

Pitt is coming off a 90-67 home win over St. John's from Sunday afternoon. It was the first game for the Panthers in eight days and their first with their #1 ranking. Pitt started a bit slow as it looked as they had some rust from the layoff and felt some pressure with their new top-dog status. Once they got their feet under them, they rolled to an impressive win.

DeJuan Blair led the way with an impressive 23-points, 15-rebound, 6-steal performance in the paint. Tonight, USF is going to have a very hard time keeping Blair off the glass and out of the lane as the young and thin Bulls frontcourt will be tested from start to finish.

Blair and Pitt's leading scorer Sam Young are very tough match-ups for most teams in the country and the Bulls are no exception as their size and strength advantage will be hard to overcome. Even if USF sags into a zone defense, the Panthers will bound the glass and turn defensive pressure into scoring opportunities as they are excellent at scoring in transition when the opportunity presents itself.

The Bulls will need to take care of the basketball and hope that Blair picks up a couple cheap fouls 30-feet from the basket, which he can be prone to do. Pressure from wing guards Dominique Jones and Jesus Verdejo offensively could cause Pitt some troubles, but there are are few teams as athletic and detail-oriented on defense as Pitt.

The latest college basketball odds have Pitt as a 20 1/2-point favorite. While there is little doubt that Pitt's inside strength and defensive prowess would have little trouble covering this number more often than not, look for the Bulls to stay within that number at the final horn. Pitt has a date with Louisville on Saturday evening and a game back home on Monday with top-10 Syracuse. Not only could they be looking ahead, but when they do reach a cruising altitude with their lead, look for some liberal substitutions from Jamie Dixon to get some players more time and for the Bulls to play this one out to the end.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 81
South Florida 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA AT DEPAUL

January 10, 2009


Something has to give at Allstate Arena on Saturday afternoon as DePaul and South Florida both look to earn their first wins in conference play this season. DePaul has lost to Notre Dame at home and to Providence and Syracuse on the road to begin their conference schedule.

South Florida began conference play with a pair of home games, but came up short against Syracuse and Louisville. They will not hit the road that has never been very forgiving for the Bulls since joining the Big East in search of their first conference win of 2008-2009.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today’s match-up from the web this morning:

DePaul Desperate for Big East Win (SouthTownStar.com)
DePaul, South Florida Look for First Big East Win (Chicago Tribune)

The early college basketball odds have DePaul as a 6 ½-point favorite to be the team to get their first conference win in this game. The Blue Demons are likely to have the two best players on the floor for much of the game with Dar Tucker on the wing and Mac Koshwal in the paint, although Dominique Jones will try and have his say in that matter. However, Tucker’s defensive potential could slow Jones down on one end of the floor.

South Florida has never been one to find road success in the Big East, even though DePaul is not one of the stronger teams in the conference, USF is unlikely to start finding the success this afternoon either.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

DePaul 65
South Florida 57

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ SOUTH FLORIDA

January 7, 2009


Louisville finally opens up league play on Wednesday night when they travel south to take on former Conference USA rival South Florida in the Sun Dome. The Cards will look to avoid a letdown following their thrilling win over rival Kentucky from Sunday. USF is 0-2 in the Big East and looks to upset UL to gain some momentum in the conference.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Cards’ Ears Paying for Roaming (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Cards Must Be Loud on the Road (Courier-Journal)
False Alarm for Jet Carrying Louisville Basketball Team (WKYT.com)
Sosa, Cardinals Wars Entering Brutal Big East (Kentucky.com)
Big East Pulls Rank on South Florida Bulls (St. Pete Times)

This is one game we are going to watch closely. Louisville has struggled in their pre-conference schedule and are coming off the exciting last second victory over rival Kentucky on Sunday. The player getting their most finger-pointing in his direction for the Cardinal’s less than inspiring start to the season is Edgar Sosa and he was the hero in Sunday’s game by drilling a three-pointing in the closing seconds for a 71-64 win.

Many factors are at play in this game. Is the UK win the stepping stone and confidence building game that Sosa needed? Or was it just another flash of the talent he possesses and he falls back into his maddening inconsistent ways?

Also, the emotional high of the win over a big rival and then the trip to Tampa to meet the Bulls has caught several teams napping in the past only to escape the Sun Dome with a closer than expected win. The Bulls played an inspired second half at home in a close lose to Syracuse last Friday, so it will be interesting if USF can do the same.

Louisville has the talent to take this game easily, but they need to get acclimated to new surroundings as they will play their first true road game of the season. They have lost neutral floor games to Western Kentucky and Minnesota and a home contest against UNLV. Their lone win outside of Freedom Hall game in nearby Cincinnati when they got past Ole Miss in the Big East/SEC Challenge.

We are still waiting for the Bulls to begin to mesh, they have players filling roles with Dominique Jones being the top scoring option. They desperately need some frontcourt production and Louisville will look to go inside to Samardo Samuels early and often against USF.


Look for Louisville to lead comfortably throughout, but some lapses of concentration throughout will keep coach Rick Pitino on his toes and the Bulls within striking distance and within the 10 ½ point spread that the current NCAA Basketball Odds show UL to be favored by.


NBE Blogger’s Prediction:

Louisville 67
South Florida 59

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BIG EAST ROSTER UPDATE: SOUTH FLORIDA

January 4, 2009


Incoming Transfer Alert: Anthony Crater, 6'1 PG from Ohio State

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:


Seniors: Chris Howard (PG), Mike Mercer (G), Alejando Rivas-Sanchez (C)

Juniors: Dominique Jones (SG)

Sophomores: Eladio Espinosa (F), Juston Leemow (G), Augustus Gilchrist (C), Gaby Belardo (G)

Freshmen: Shaun Noriega (G), Jordan Dumars (F), Anthony Crater (PG)

Another transfer will join the South Florida squad, the latest addition is Anthony Crater, who visited for a recent game and will begin classes next week at USF. The Former Ohio State Point Guard Will Transfer to South Florida (St. Petersburg Times) and have three and a half years of eligibility beginning after exams in December 2009.

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Stan Heath reached back to his Michigan roots once again and added Ohio State transfer Anthony Crater to the Bulls roster. Crater lasted only a few months with the Buckeyes, playing in 10 games in his first semester as a freshman. In 13 minutes of action a game, Crater averaged 1.3 points a game and was unhappy with his playing time, so he has moved on.

After a weekend visit to South Florida, where he saw the Bulls take on Syracuse, Crater felt USF offered the best situation for his future. As a highly rated recruit out of Flint (MI), Crater was a highly targeted recruit by many top programs before he settled on OSU. The addition of JUCO guard Jeremie Simmons did not sit well with the Crater camp and as Simmons got more and more time early on, Crater took a look at his options and will join the USF program, following in the footsteps of other recent mid-year transfers such as Jesus Verdejo, Kentrell Gransberry, Augustus Gilchrist and Mike Mercer that have joined the Bulls in recent seasons.


In the early signing period, the Bulls inked 6'6, 230 lb forward Jordan Dumars, again using coach Heath's Michigan ties. Dumars is the son of former NBA star and current Piston executive Joe Dumars. Jordan Dumars attends Detroit Country Day School and had formed a close relationship with Stan Heath that began with the relationship between Heath and his father.

On paper, Dumars fills a position of need on the USF roster (small forward) and leaves Stan Heath and staff with two scholarships remaining for the class of 2009 as the Bulls have even scored for the class of 2009 earlier with North Port shooting guard Shaun Noriega. Of course, with how busy it has been with players coming and going from their program, that could very well change.


The Bulls were needing immediate help in the class of 2008 with transfers of five players since the 2007-2008 season began. Guards Dante Curry, Aaron Holmes and Solomon Bozeman, along with forwards Ade Saaka and Orane Chin have all left the Bulls program to look for opportunities elsewhere. Also, recruits Teeng Akol, Dwan McMillan and Eugene Teague were not admitted to school because of academic difficulties, leaving the Bulls scrambling for the 2008-2009 season.

USF is still struggling in attracting top high school talent and academic difficulties with recruits seem to have the roster in constant flux. The transfer route is tricky, but relying on it so much rarely works, and to this point, it has not helped the college basketball odds for the Bulls in the Big East.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE @ SOUTH FLORIDA

January 2, 2008


Syracuse heads to the sunshine state on Friday and it will not be for a little holiday rest and relaxation. Especially with the memory of last season's embarrassing loss they suffered to South Florida in the Sun Dome fresh in their minds.

Here are some pre-game stories and previews from the web:

Ready or Not, Here Comes the Big East (Tampa Tribune)
Orange Head to Sunshine State (Syracuse.com)
USF's Jones Can't Find Consistent Rhythm (Post-Standard)

It looks like it will be another long Big East campaign for South Florida. The Bulls finished their pre-conference slate with a 5-7 record and lost highly anticipated mid-year transfer addition Mike Mercer for the season in the process. Mercer, a transfer from Georgia, suffered a torn ACL in a loss to Wright State.

Syracuse has had an excellent beginning to their season with just about everything going their way. Wins in the CBE over Kansas and Florida shot the Orange into the Top 25 rankings and a win at Memphis, without Eric Devendorf, stamped SU as contenders in 2009. Devendorf is not back after being suspended from the University in which he missed two games. He came off the bench to score 20 in SU's Big East opening laugher over Seton Hall.

Devendorf missed the entire Big East slate last season because of a knee injury and Andy Rautins, who has 16 three-point baskets in the last two games, also missed the entire season a year ago. With those two back and the emergence of power forward Rick Jackson being able to play with Arinze Onuaku together in the frontcourt, this is a much different SU team from the one that missed the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season last year.

NCAA Basketball odds have SU as an 8-point road favorite in Friday's contest. The improved perimeter firepower of SU and the thin frontcourt of USF should have the Orange cruising to a victory in this one, even on the road.


Prediction:

Syracuse 75
South Florida 62

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