With the USF Sun Dome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates.

Tampa - An energized USF Bulls team used a second half comeback to defeat #24 Seton Hall 56-55 Friday night at the reflecting pool at MLK Plaza.

"We really wanted to honor Martin Luther King this weekend, so what more fitting way to do that than to hold a game at MLK Plaza," said USF athletic director Doug Woolard.

"It's really great playing here and honoring a founding father," said USF forward Victor Rudd.

Seton Hall led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but the more lively Bulls ate away the lead as the Pirates tired down the stretch with 1-6 shooting over the last 6:12.

"I took my guys to Fort DeSoto Beach on Thursday so they could practice walking in shallow water," said USF coach Stan Heath. "You could see it paid off in the second half."

When asked in the post-game press conference if the Pirates used similar training methods, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard was bemused.

"Have you been to a beach in New Jersey in January? Fahgetaboutit," said Willard. "Even on a good day, the last thing I want to do is take these kids to the Jersey Shore.

"We thought about practicing in kiddie pools but we couldn't find any that could fit more than three basketball players."

Guard Anthony Collins led the Bulls with six assists and 36 minutes played.

"I attribute my conditioning to the intramural water polo I played last year," said Collins. "Since we couldn't dribble, I skipped some passes on the water into the post; their guys hadn't seen anything like it."

Although forward Augustus Gilchrist had a tough game shooting (3-11, including an ill-advised three-pointer), and turned the ball over three times, his seven rebounds were key.

"It was like they were standing in a bucket of water," said Gilchrist.

Anyone know what is going on with TheBullspen.com? I figure a lot of us are on both sites( in addition to many others) and for what feels like the last week the site has been down. I know Brad has mentioned an issue with the servers and the service the site uses, but I figure somethings gotta be going on and someone on Voodoo Five might know. Any inside scoop is appreciated, hopefully not just by me lol.

With the USF Sun Dome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates.

infield infidel is on holiday, but our Campus Nomads correspondent has the story.

TAMPA -- Anthony Collins converted a three-point play with 12.7 seconds remaining to lift the South Florida Bulls to a 67-65 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sunday afternoon in the Cooper Hall breezeway.

The visiting team, off an emotional, double-overtime upset win over #10 Florida on Thursday night, had trouble with the quick turnaround and the early start on New Year's Day. Adding to their misery, the Subway around the corner was closed, forcing them to scavenge nearby vending machines for their pregame meal.

"I know it affected me," said junior swingman Dane Miller, who only scored three points. "I really needed a $5 footlong to get ready to play, but it just wasn't going to happen." He then said he and his teammates scrambled to get whatever they could from the balky machines around the opposite corner.

Miller added, "First the machine eats my dollar, and then after I get some change... a stale pimento and cheese sandwich? Man, get that (expletive) out of here."

Ron Anderson Jr. led the Bulls with 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Longtime Cooper Hall residents could be heard noting that they had not seen such athleticism in the breezeway since the epic hacky sack games of the mid to late 1990s.

With the Bulls trailing 65-64 late in the second half, Collins dashed from one end of the breezeway to the other, getting a vicious screen set by the brick wall in the middle of the ramp. He scored and got fouled, although Rutgers coach Mike Rice tried to argue that Collins actually made contact with a skateboarder coming from the CIS building in the opposite direction.

"It was so obvious. You look at the tape and you see some kid in cargo pants not looking where he's going and he sideswipes their guy, and we get the foul. I don't know what to tell you."

Rice then cut his press conference short when a reporter suddenly asked about the coach's uncanny resemblance to Bat Boy when he gets upset during games.

The Bulls will travel to Villanova and Notre Dame as Big East play continues. Their next home game will be January 13 against Seton Hall at an as-yet-undetermined location.

With the USF SunDome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates (hopefully).

USF kept it close against No. 9 Connecticut Huskies, but fell 60-57 Tuesday evening just off campus at the Coppertop Pub.

Forward Tolaryn Fitzpatrick registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also had a two double-18s and a triple-twenty in a game of darts against Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb.

"Fitzpatrick could be the Deion Sanders of basketball and darts," said Lamb. "He could give Phil Taylor a run for his money."

The Bulls were limited to just four field goals in the last 11:49 of the game, shooting 4-11 during that period. They also had three turnovers and seven team fouls over that stretch.

"With a big win within our grasp, silly mistakes kept us from winning the game," said Coach Stan Heath, who was seen drowning his sorrows with his fourth pint of Yuengling during the protracted shooting slump.

"I mean, Tolaryn gets a steal and then right after Ron Anderson turns the ball over and fouls the Connecticut dude," added Heath. "It's enough to drive a man to the sauce."

USF had their best free throw performance of the season, shooting 12-16 from the stripe.

"I attribute it to the killer wings we ate before the game," said Shaun Noriega, who was 4-5 from the line. "The only guy who missed more than on was Jawanza (Poland). He missed out on the wings and he was off his game all day."

Poland was 0-2 from the line, and his four personal fouls limited him to 24 minutes of play. During the time on the bench he ate take-out pizza from CDB Pizza, which is next door.

"Best pizza in Tampa," said Poland.

Notes: The Huskies trailed even before the game started because the Huskies were assessed a technical foul for failing to submit its starting lineup on time. Noriega hit one of two free throws.

"It's totally my fault," said Connecticut assistant coach George Blaney. "I was deep into an intense foosball game with Rocky the Bull, and lost track of time. You got to get the lineup in 10 minutes before tip-off, and I was late."

When asked about the foosball match, Rocky gave the thumbs up, kissed his right biceps muscle, and walked out of the pub with two scantily clad co-eds.

For all of the Bulls all over the Bay,

A deep feeling of gloom, there is no bowl to play.

No place to go at the end of the season

No cause to cheer and the Fitch is the reason.

The Fitch hated the bowls.

No one is sure why.

His heart is where all the bowl dreams go to die.

"The games on the gridiron should end after Fall.

I don't like the post season. I don't like it at all."

He thought to himself, "I must end this bowl streak.

The thought of a bowl game just make me feel weak."

"There will be no Belk's! No Pinstripe! No Compass!

I'll kill any hope of a wild Orange Bowl rumpus!"

"I must concoct a diabolical scheme.

I will end this madness, I will crush the Bulls dreams!"

He thought and he thought 'til his thinker was sore.

He thought about ways for the team not to score.

Then his Fitch face spread into a fitchy fitch grin.

"When I find plays that work, I won't run them again!"

"If we move through the air, I'll switch to the ground!

Yes, this is the ticket! This plan is quite sound!"

"But what if we gain yards despite my charade?

If we're close to the goal line I'll run FADES, FADES, FADES, FADES!"

"Fades to the left and fades to the right! We won't score a point, I'll run fades all damn night!"

"I'll mix in a screen, then a badly timed draw!

We won't move the ball! We won't move it at all!"

The Fitch led the offense with his evil Fitch ways.

The season progressed, the team in a daze.

There were mixups, and screw ups, and foul ups aplenty.

"Run some more fade routes! We've only run twenty!"

The Fitch's plan worked, it worked to perfection.

The Bulls season went in a downward direction.

There would be no bowl, to the fans' disbelief.

No trip to the Champs, not even the Beef's.

The evil Fitch laughed and then said with a sneer, "If you thought this was bad, just wait 'til next year!"

Merry Christmas!

@EvilSkipHoltz

With the USF SunDome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates (hopefully).

The debut performance of guard Jawanza Poland spurred the USF Bulls to a 70-55 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings at Pizzo Elementary School.

"With the university on Christmas break, we wanted the guys to have some fans here for support," said athletic director Doug Woolard.

Pizzo Elementary is located on the USF campus, in a cooperative effort between USF and Hillsborough County. The game was held during an extended recess.

Poland opened the game with a thunderous put-back dunk, to the delight of all 621 students at Pizzo, as attendance to the game was compulsory.

Both teams shot poorly in the first half (USF 35.7%, CSU 33.3%), as they had trouble adjusting to the six-foot rims at the school's playground.

In the second half, however the Bulls altered their strategy to take a large lead.

"When they challenged our shots, we just jumped as high as we could," said USF guard Anthony Collins, "And then we would shoot directly down into their out-streched arms. With the rim so low, it was goaltending every time."

Cleveland St. committed an NCAA record 14 goaltending penalties, helping USF shoot 65% in the second half.

"We couldn't win," said Cleveland St coach Gary Waters."Either we jump and challenge and get called for goaltending, or we don't challenge and they hit open shots."

Despite the improved second-half effort by the Bulls, the crowd was less than enthusiastic

"The crowd was really into it during the first half," said forward Augustus Gilchrist. "but then in the second half, the kindergarten to second graders had nap time. Kind of killed the support."

Notes: At halftime, 5'11" guard Mike McCloskey performed a spirited dunking exhibition.

"It's the only time I get to dunk, ever, so it was great to get out and show what I can do," said McCluskey.

The game was delayed 22 minutes during the second half as mass hysteria ensued at the sight of an ice cream truck.

Freshman Jordan Omegbehin was involved in an incident on playground complex. Omegbehin, 7'3" and 291 lbs, became stuck while sliding down the swirly tube slide. Campus security informed authorities, who utilized the jaws of life to remove the player, who is redshirting this season.

"I'm just sitting on the bench every game, bored out of my mind," said Omegbehin. "After the kids were using my arms as monkey bars, they kept goading me into going down the slide. Peer pressure is tough."

Omegbehin escaped withou any injuries except the incessant teasing by the students.

"Jordan's really big," said first grader Todd Jenkins, "but my dad is bigger."

In honor of Poland's outstanding debut performance, after the game the Tampa Bay chapter of the NAACP renamed Kwanza, the African-American held next week, to Jawanzaa.

With the USF SunDome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates (hopefully).

After a back and forth first half, the USF Bulls used a great rebounding effort and some local magic to pull away from the Florida A&M Rattlers 83-59 Sunday at the reanimated specter of the Special Event Center.

The Special Events Center (SEC), which hosted lectures and concerts, was demolished in 2005 to help make way for the new Marshall Center.

Athletic Director Doug Woolard said the building reanimated due to the lunar eclipse over the weekend.

"After doing some research into the history of the campus," Woolard said "we saw that during a previous eclipse, ghost planes started landing on a reanimated airstrip in the middle of campus, much like the air field that existed at the campus' location before USF was formed"

"So we made an educated guess that with this eclipse the Special Event Center would reanimate, and sure enough it worked out."

"When I looked at the schedule, and saw the SEC on there, I thought, hey, didn't they demolish that building," said coach Stan Heath. "I mean, it's not on the campus map at all.

"But leave it to the creative schedulers at our athletic department to find us another quality venue on on this beautiful campus."

FAMU stayed competitive early despite shooting only 39% from the field in the first half.

"It took us awhile to adjust to the murky atmosphere," said FAMU guard Brandon Hosely, who shot 2-8 from the field.

Hugh Robertson, who got a rare start in place of Ron Anderson, pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds.

"It was like the ball was magically drawn to me," said Robertson. "I mean, really drawn to me. It followed me into the locker room at the half, and even into the shower after the game."

Anderson and Victor Rudd were both late scratches for the game. Anderson was out with the flu. It was initially thought that Rudd also had the flu, but, due to the lunar eclipse, he transformed, phantasmagorically, into a werebull.

"We thought about running some Teenwolf style plays for Victor," said coach Heath, "but the team trainers advised against it."

Notes: Longtime Marshall Center night custodian Sam Brown theorized that the time period of the SEC apparition was the Ziggy Marley Concert in May of 2002.

"This place tonight smells just like that dank herb from that concert," Brown said.

--- The USF Bull topiary, which normally stands in the location of the former SEC building, was seen drinking water at the pond outside WUSF-TV. It then tried to cross Willow Drive, but was struck by a food services delivery truck.

"Good riddance, that thing was fugly," said junior Tamika Richards.

--- A raucous crowd of 3,889 attended Sunday's game.

"It was nice to see the support," said coach Heath. "Now it may have been due to the fact that the majority of the crowd was zombies, but we appreciate any support we can get."

"It's too bad the zombies were the only ones left in the stands at the end, though," said Robertson "It would have been nice if our living fans hadn't left so early."

Among the undead were Alex Rivas and B. B. Waldon.

I'm not much of an NFL fan, but I happened to catch the opening minutes of the Giants at Cowboys game tonight and saw that of all the starters USF seems to have the most starters with three (JPP, Mike Jenkins, and Jacquian Williams). I think Miami and LSU also had two starters on the line up.

My question for the moderators and the masses is, what match-up of NFL teams would have the most USF starters?

Considering the Big East Football program is looking to add a set of schools that aren't even east of the Mississippi River - Houston, Southern Methodist, San Diego St., Boise St. - the moniker of "Big East" becomes a mockery.

Continue reading this post »

With the USF SunDome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates (hopefully).

St. Petersburg - USF had four players scoring in double figures as the Bulls downed the Florida Atlantic Owls 68-55 on Saturday aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Alligator docked at the USF-St. Petersburg College of Marine Science

Florida Governor Rick Scott was on hand as guest of honor, and threw the honorary tip-off. Gov. Scott referenced the Carrier Classic, a game earlier this month between North Carolina and Michigan State played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego.

"We saw what they did in San Diego a couple weeks back, so we thought this would be a great chance to showcase the two of our state universities," said Gov. Scott.

"We figured that since FAU has 'Atlantic' in their name, that our opponents would be right at home on the water," said USF athletic director Doug Wollard.

However, due to state budget shortfalls, and the shallowness of the marina at USF-St. Pete, an aircraft carrier was not deemed feasible. Instead, Scott chose the CGC Alligator, a Coast Guard Cutter based nearby at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.

Since the CGC Alligator is only 87 feet long, and the regulation court is 94 feet, it was decided to configure the court perpendicular to the ship, across its deck at bow, with the ends of the court hovering over the water. The benches were located on temporary seating affixed to pontoons at either end of the court, while the 2109 fans in attendance sat on shore.

Forwards Tolaryn Fitzpatrick and Ron Anderson each contributed double-doubles to the Bulls' effort.

Anderson was a game-time decision because of his fear of open water due to his inability to swim. However, coach Stan Heath suggested he wear plastic floaties throughout the game, and Anderson came through with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

"There's nothing in the rule-book outlawing floaties," said coach Heath.

"They gave me a lot of confidence," said Anderson. His protective armor aided him in collecting six rebounds on the offensive end.

Anderson and Anthony Collins were the only two Bulls to shoot over 50% for the game as the ship's swaying reeked havoc with both teams shooting.

"I'm on a boat!," Collins added.

Fitzpatrick shot 3-4 on three-pointers, but only 3-8 inside the three-point line.

"I found that when everyone was on one side of of the court, the ship would lean," said Fitzpatrick, "so I just starting taking three-pointers in transition and things worked out."

Despite the aquatic venue, Florida Atlantic shot only 37% from the field.

"We did a poor job of representing our ocean today," said Florida Atlantic coach Mike Jarvis.