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    BIG East Football Article on Espn.com

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Updated: Oct. 12, 2005, 9:40 AM ET

    Big East off to slow start, but there's hopeBy Joe Starkey

    Special to ESPN.com

    The Big East has never been better, what with Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College all ranked among the top 14 teams in the country.

    What? Those schools don't play in the Big East anymore?

    OK, well, there's still ...

    And then there's ...

    And what about ...

    As we were saying, the Big East has never been worse (except for last season). No. 19 Louisville is the conference's only ranked team, and they were humiliated at South Florida, 45-14, on Sept. 24.

    More numbers reinforce a grim reality. Big East teams are just .500 (12-12) against Division I-A competition and are 0-5 against ranked opponents. Only one of those five games was decided by less than 10 points.

    But before you pile on, consider: The Big East remains the sixth-best conference in the country -- faint praise, we know -- and its automatic Bowl Championship Series bid isn't going to be stripped anytime soon. It is secure through 2007, when the BCS's current four-year evaluation period expires.

    Rest assured, the BCS criterion for automatic bids post-2007 will be worded loosely enough that the Big East will keep its bid (conference commissioner Mike Tranghese is pretty well-connected, you know).

    This conference will get better, too. Louisville still has a chance to be a top-10 team this year, and its No. 6 national ranking last season was credited to the Big East for BCS evaluation purposes, even though the Cardinals played in Conference USA.

    People tend to forget that the Big East is only 14 years old and is recovering from major surgery. It's also often overlooked that Virginia Tech wasn't exactly a national power when it joined the newborn league in 1991.

    Every big-time program has to start somewhere. Go back to the early 1970s, when Florida State and Miami were far from dominant. Their rise to power gives hope to the likes of South Florida and Connecticut, two recent additions to Division I-A and two programs with the potential make a quick run up the power polls. The new Big East is counting heavily on that, plus a return to prominence for Pitt and Syracuse, which are in transition phases with new coaches. West Virginia is holding steady as a solid program under Rich Rodriguez, and Louisville is loaded.

    So, there's hope.

    In the meantime, there's misery.

    Biggest Surprise

    Big East media picked USF to finish seventh in the conference, which seemed about right considering how badly the Bulls finished last season. It could still happen, too, but the Bulls are off to a 3-2 start (1-0 in conference) that included the rout of Louisville -- about as stunning an upset as the Big East has ever seen.

    Louisville was a 21-point favorite and coming off a 63-27 dismantling of Oregon State. The loss ruined the Cardinals' national championship aspirations, although they might yet run the table. USF's next game, Saturday at Pitt, will tell us whether this team is for real.

    USF would leave itself just two wins short of qualifying for a bowl if it beats Pitt. An unsettled quarterback position could spell trouble, but killer team speed and workhorse running back Andre Hall can make up for a lot.

    Biggest Disappointment

    Pitt came into the season ranked No. 23 and picked to finish second. Then it went a month without beating a Division I-A team.

    Today, the Panthers are 2-4 overall, 1-1 in the Big East and with victories only against Division I-AA Youngstown State and freshman-laden Cincinnati. Two of those four losses were to Ohio and Rutgers, teams Pitt had traditionally beaten like piñatas.

    New coach Dave Wannstedt's biggest dilemma is lack of experience and talent on his offensive and defensive lines. Most players on both lines are in new positions, which has caused Pitt to be manhandled at times by opposing offenses and unable to protect quarterback Tyler Palko.

    Wannstedt has taken to playing several true freshmen, a wise move, and this team still has some star power. In this conference, it would be no surprise to see Pitt turn things around. The first step would be a victory over a decent opponent.

    Midseason MVP

    It might seem less than proper to pick a Louisville player, considering the Cardinals fell flat on their faces in their only Big East game thus far, but Elvis Dumervil's numbers are impossible to ignore.

    Dumervil, a senior defensive end, set an NCAA record with nine sacks in a two-game span. He leads the country with 15 sacks overall, more than twice as many as his nearest competitor. He also leads the country in forced fumbles with seven (the next-nearest players have four) and tackles for loss (16).

    In last weekend's 69-14 victory over North Carolina, Dumervil had three sacks, two forced fumbles and his first career interception.

    "When you look at him on the field, he's short, but he's so strong," said North Carolina quarterback Matt Baker. "He looks like Dwight Freeney."

    Midseason Coach of the Year

    Midseason Coach of the Year USF's Jim Leavitt edges UConn's Randy Edsall simply because of the rousing victory over Louisville, which shook the conference to its core and put the Bulls on the map.

    Nine years ago, Leavitt started the USF program from scratch, working out of an abandoned trailer that doubled as his first office. His team was terrible at the end of last season, but he has quickly restored it to respectability, as evidenced not only by the Louisville win but by South Florida's somewhat competitive showings against Penn State and Miami.

    In this conference, somewhat competitive against nationally-ranked teams will put you above the competition -- and playing at Miami the week after the Louisville game was an impossible task.

    Bowl Bound

    Louisville, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rutgers.

    Joe Starkey covers the Big East for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

    Big East Basketball Article

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Big East is big news again, 20 years laterBy Andy Katz

    ESPN.com

    Archive

    Editor's note: This is part of a four-day, seven-piece series on college basketball's biggest change agents in the past 20 years and what the future will bring.

    The Big East of the 1980s was a bruising league, possessing intimidating players, Hall of Fame coaches and national-title contenders.

    Now, 20 years after the Big East was the nation's "it" conference, with three teams making the Final Four in 1985 -- culminating in one of the greatest upsets in the event's history: Villanova over Georgetown -- the Big East is once again back on top ... although the formula has changed a bit.

    Malcolm Emmons/US PRESSWIRE

    Ewing and Georgetown were '85's dominant team -- until the title game.

    Yes, there are still Hall of Fame coaches -- Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun were just inducted last month. And yes, there are still national-title contenders. Two of the past three national champs are from the Big East -- Syracuse in 2003 and Connecticut in 2004 -- and Connecticut and Villanova could be top-five teams to start the season.

    Add Louisville and Marquette, and four teams now in the conference have made the Final Four in the past three seasons. Don't forget West Virginia, which went to the Elite Eight last season and lost to Louisville in Albuquerque.

    "We had three Final Four teams in 1985, and this year we've got 10 out of 16 teams that could be really good [read: NCAA-caliber]," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.

    Still, this isn't the Big East I grew up with. The league, now with 16 teams, is the largest in the country and the largest since the WAC also had 16 from 1996-99. More importantly for Big East purists, the league is no longer all about the intimidation and bruising, gritty style that symbolized its play in its mid-'80s heyday. The league also is lacking true marquee stars in the spirit of Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin -- an issue that runs across today's college basketball landscape.

    No one who coaches in the league is about to downgrade the conference's talent. In the past couple of years, the Big East has seen imposing players like Connecticut's Emeka Okafor and Syracuse's Hakim Warrick. And, as West Virginia coach John Beilein points out, a player like Connecticut junior center Josh Boone can be a disruptive force.

    But the difference today versus two decades ago is that there aren't players in the Big East who will draw the crowds. Most folks go for the games and to root on the schools, not necessarily to see a talent they might not see again. For basketball fans who grew up in the Northeast, the prospect of going to see Ewing roam the paint or Mullin rain down jumpers was a draw. There also were legendary coaches like Georgetown's John Thompson, St. John's Louie Carnesecca and Villanova's Rollie Massimino.

    "The Big East back then had so much media attention because of the markets it was in," Beilein said. "Carnesecca and John Thompson added so much luster to the league. We don't have those same personalities. But we do have two Hall of Famers and a third in [Louisville coach Rick] Pitino. The players don't stay as long, but we have some come along, like Carmelo Anthony for a year at Syracuse."

    Focus on Sport/Getty Images

    Mullin's lefty stroke carried the Johnnies to the Final Four.

    Still, for all Anthony did for Syracuse, he wasn't around long enough to build a cult following.

    The style of play has changed, too. The Big East isn't a brute league any more simply because the rules have been altered.

    "Back then, the league was more of a grind-it-out conference and there would be wrestling matches inside with Ewing going against [st. John's center Bill] Wennington," Beilein said. "It was more of an NBA style, a physical toughness inside. You can still have that today, but that would probably get you into foul trouble. There is still a rising pro on almost every team, but Okafor was a rare one -- a shot blocker who could be intimidating. When they get to that maturation point, [typically] they're already in the pros."

    Georgetown coach John Thompson III, the son of the former Hoyas coach, said that Ewing, Mullin and Syracuse's Pearl Washington were those "special type of players." But he added, how do we know that in 10 years people won't say the same thing about the players who come out of the league now?

    True, although we're not talking about how good they'll be in the NBA but rather how imposing they are or were in college.

    The person who might have as much perspective as anyone on the Big East is Pitino. He coached in the league in the mid-1980s at Providence, leading the Friars to the '87 Final Four. Now, 18 years after that trip and his last game with the Friars, he's back in the Big East. He had stops at Kentucky and the NBA's Boston Celtics before going to Louisville, where the Cardinals were in C-USA for the past four seasons under his watch.

    "Back then, we had a true league champion, but now television dictates who is going to have the easier path and who is not," Pitino said. "Notre Dame was hurt the past two years by its schedule and now is playing rebuilding teams twice in DePaul, Marquette and Providence."

    Pitino's reference to the unbalanced schedule is a necessity of a 16-team league. The league didn't want to go beyond 16 conference games, which meant each team would play only three teams twice. The league and its television partners at ESPN and CBS essentially dubbed Connecticut, Villanova, Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati and West Virginia as the top six teams this season -- which creates more difficult league schedules for those clubs.

    The schedule variance may also help competitiveness top to bottom, an aspect of the conference that Pitino thinks is vastly improved.

    "This league is much deeper," Pitino said of the conference now versus the '80s. "You're not going to have a Ewing, Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson [of St. John's] or Ed Pinkney [of Villanova], because those types of players aren't getting to their fourth year. It's the deepest conference ever."

    "No one will be surprised if a team from the middle of the pack wins it," Thompson III said. "There are so many tough teams from top to bottom."

    From the start in 1979, founding Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt had a dream of corralling the best Eastern teams, and he went about picking the right schools that would garner the most television interest.

    The original seven members were Syracuse, Connecticut, Boston College, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John's and Georgetown. Villanova was added a year later. Pittsburgh entered in 1982. Miami came on board in '90. Notre Dame, West Virginia and Rutgers arrived in '95 (except for the Irish in football).

    The blossoming of the Big East in the 1980s was one of college basketball's most significant moments. The same could be said of this year's expansion to 16 teams. The agreement is for at least five seasons, but no one is quite sure whether the football-playing schools can coexist in the long-term with the non-Division I-A football members.

    Beyond that, there are NCAA Tournament access issues, as in how many teams can get into the Dance. There are also conference tournament issues, because four coaches will be twisting in the wind each March as their teams sit home and watch the 12-team event. Ensuring that everyone is pleased with their schedules, television appearances and the like will be an ongoing struggle for the league office.

    Regardless of all the challenges and the differences from yesteryear, one thing is certain: the Big East is a beast again.

    Jim Leavitt Quotes from 10/04

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Smazza we did go toe to toe for last 3 quarters. Are D showed up Offense didnt thats all. If you couldnt see that you truly are blind. And i know your negative about everything, but miami fans told me other than fsu's dominating d we were best d they have faced defensively. Take it or leave it you'll probly leave it but I will take it.

    GO BULLS

    Why chant over-rated?

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Fans Being Fans People just chill! Loudest ever in Ray J and we complain makes no sense dont care how much you hate certain chants. I started a lot of chants have no voice today but still went out and announced soccer.

    I started some diff creative chants such as "Whos Your Daddy"...... "USF" wish that would have caught on more.

    Anyways GO BULLS TAKING THIS STAMPEDE TO MIAMI!

    2006 USF Baseball Schedule

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    2006 USF Baseball Schedule Announced

    Click here for 2006 schedule

    TAMPA, Fla. (Thursday, August 25) – Head Coach Eddie Cardieri and the University of South Florida baseball team unveiled its schedule for the 2006 campaign today.

    Comprised of 55 games, the 2006 schedule will pit the Bulls against six teams that received bids to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, including two of the National Top Eight Seeds. The 2006 season will mark USF’s inaugural campaign in the BIG EAST Conference as the Bulls along with Louisville, Cincinnati and DePaul increase the conference’s total of baseball teams to 13.

    USF opens up the 2006 campaign with a three-game homestand versus Northwestern (Feb. 10-12). Having met only two other times, the Bulls hold a 2-0-0 record against the Wildcats. Following the three-game set with Northwestern, the Jacksonville Dolphins will visit Red McEwen Field on Feb. 14. The Bulls will then travel to Alexander Brest Field for two more games versus the Dolphins (Feb. 18-19). The former Sun Belt members have met a total of 91 times with USF trailing 46-45 in the all-time series history.

    The Bulls will host North Texas on Feb. 21 before traveling to DeLand to take part in the Stetson Invitational (Feb. 24-26). USF will face Western Carolina, Illinois and host institution Stetson. USF will then begin a 14-game homestand, starting with a three-game series with the Fighting Illini (March 3-5). The Penn Quakers will face the Bulls in a single game on Tuesday, March 7. Three games with the Massachusetts Minutemen (March 10-12) followed by a week night game with Army (March 14) will take place before USF plays its BIG EAST Conference opener versus Connecticut (March 17-19). USF owns a 20-4-0 record versus UMass all-time with the Bulls sweeping the last three-game series versus the Minutemen (March 12-14, 2004). Last season, USF fell to Army, 5-4, on March 15, 2005, moving the all-time series to 12-4-0 in favor of the Bulls. Army finished the 2005 season with a 38-12 record and berth in the NCAA Tournament. Following their three-game series with UConn, the Bulls will host the Seton Hall Pirates (March 2426), marking the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

    Playing its first game away from Red McEwen Field in over a month, USF will travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators (March 29). The Gators - the 2005 national runners-up – were swept by the Bulls last season.

    USF will resume conference action with a three-game series at Cincinnati (March 31-April 2), marking the Bulls first-ever visit to the UC Baseball Stadium which opened in May 2004. The Bulls have won eight-straight contests versus the Bearcats.

    The Bulls will head home to face the UCF Golden Knights in the first of three contests during the 2006 season. USF and UCF will square off on April 4 (at Red McEwen Field), April 11 and April 18 (at Jay Bergman Field). The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will travel to Tampa to face USF in a three-game series (April 7-9). Notre Dame finished the 2005 season with a 36-22-1 record, winning the 2005 BIG EAST title and making an appearance in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

    The Bulls host Louisville (April 13-15) before hitting the road for UCF and Pittsburgh (April 18-23). The Bulls swept the Cardinals last season, moving the all-time series to 32-18-0 in favor of USF. The Bulls trip to the “Iron City†will mark the first-ever meeting between USF and Pittsburgh.

    USF will then head home to host Stetson (April 25) and Georgetown (April 28-30). USF has played Stetson more than any other opponents (139 times). The Hatters went 35-26 in 2006, making a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown will be USF’s third first-time opponent during the 2006 season (a total of five first time opponent – Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, St. John’s and West Virginia).

    USF ends the season playing 10 of it last 11 games away from Tampa. The Bulls will make a trip to Atlanta, Ga. (May 5-7) to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The No. 2 National Seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Georgia Tech finished 2005 with 45-17 record. The Bulls have not faced the Yellow Jackets since the 1989 season.

    USF will next travel to Jamaica, N.Y. to face the 2005 BIG EAST Regular Season Champion St. John’s Red Storm (May 12-14). St. John’s earned a berth in last year’s NCAA Tournament with a 39-16 record. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Red Storm and Bulls.

    The Bulls will wrap up the 2006 regular season with a trip to Morgantown, W.Va. USF will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (May 19-21).

    The BIG EAST Championship will take place in Somerset, N.J. (May 24-27).

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