USF offers Leavitt lucrative extension

TAMPA -- USF athletic director Doug Woolard is taking a major step to help ensure that Jim Leavitt stays the only football coach in Bulls history, offering him a new contract that would pay him at least $12.6-million over the next seven years, a 70 percent pay raise over the next five seasons.

Leavitt agreed to a seven-year, $7-million deal in November 2005, but after two successful seasons, his new deal would average $1.8-million and extend his contract through the 2014 season.

In all, the new contract would pay him $1.5-million in 2008, nearly triple the $537,680 he made in 2005, two contracts ago.

A copy of the contract offer was obtained Thursday through public records requests; Leavitt and Woolard could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Leavitt, who has coached the Bulls since before their first game in 1997, will also be better equipped to keep his assistant coaches, as the annual pool for their salaries would increase by $200,000 from his current contract. Leavitt lost four assistant coaches to other schools after the 2006 season, but he’s yet to lose one this spring, despite unprecedented success on the field.

The new contract would also increase the buyout required for another school to pry Leavitt from the Bulls, which had been $400,000 through the end of 2011 under his old deal. The buyout now stands at $1-million for 2008, dropping by $100,000 each year until it stops at $500,000 in 2013.

USF had the highest increase in attendance in the nation last fall, with the average crowd at Raymond James Stadium rising by more than 22,000 fans. The Bulls opened the season 6-0, rising to No. 2 in the BCS standings, but finished the season 9-4 and unranked after a 56-21 loss to Oregon in the Sun Bowl.

More hoops: Keith Brumbaugh update ...

Long post here, so I want to make sure you guys know that USF men's hoops is playing at Vanderbilt next season as part of the SEC/Big East Invitational in December. It's in the previous post ...

I started the week thinking I wasn't going to cover any basketball until Saturday night's men's home game against St. John's -- an absolute must-win for Stan Heath's team to have any relevance the rest of the season -- but decided to go over to Hillsborough Community College on Wednesday night and watch Keith Brumbaugh, the talented 6-foot-10 forward who is considering signing with USF.

HCC was playing Polk Community College, which had handed them a 94-76 loss two weeks earlier, so I figured it would be a chance to see him against a relatively tough level of competition. He didn't disappoint, considering he had a rough start and still managed to score 40 points -- four points above his average -- and nearly rallied HCC from a 23-point first-half deficit in what wound up a 92-76 loss.

Brumbaugh, first of all, is probably a small forward in major college basketball -- a tall, talented mismatch of one, with a game best shown with perimeter shooting and superb passing. He missed eight of his first nine shots Wednesday, didn't do much defensively but didn't show much frustration even as HCC fell behind 37-14 against a more physical Polk team. I'd wager he had at least six plays in the first half that would be assists if his teammates were able to hit layups and easy shots inside.

Brumbaugh led HCC on a 20-6 run to end the half down 43-34, with him scoring 12 first-half points on 5-of-16 shooting. He then hit seven of his first nine shots in the second half, getting HCC within two points of Polk but never getting the lead and the momentum that would come with that. Polk pulled away in the final five minutes, but I had Brumbaugh finishing 16 of 32 from the field, including 7-for-15 on 3-pointers.

USF did not have any coaches at Wednesday's game, but they've been on Brumbaugh since the first day they were allowed to: "They've been here since Day One," HCC coach Derrick Worrels said. "Without a doubt, they've established a good relationship with him." Worrels said it's basically the same schools on Brumbaugh -- USF, Ohio State, Connecticut and Cincinnati -- though he said Brumbaugh has "in the back of his mind" considered entering the NBA Draft, as he pondered two years ago before ultimately opting for college and a short-lived stay at Oklahoma State.

Brumbaugh certainly seems to be taking his academics seriously -- he's taking 15 hours this spring and will need another six in summer to complete the associate of arts degree he'll need to get into a major college. He isn't talking about recruiting, saying he wants his focus to be on his current team and his schoolwork, that he won't take any visits until after his season ends in late February.

"I couldn't ask for anything else out of life right now. This is a real fun blast for me, to be back out here and do what I do," he said. "The plan is to make sure I don't let down or slip off, that I'm eligible for next season. I finished up with a 2.8 (last semester) ... I'm leaving all the (recruiting) stuff up to Coach Worrels right now. I'm trying to go as hard as I can and everything will play itself out."

One more HCC note: if Brumbaugh, at 6-10, 210, is talented-yet-could-bulk-up, check out the end of the HCC bench, where Sudanese center Marial Dhal, 7-foot-3 and 220 pounds, is redshirting. He'll continue to add weight and strength and play next season, giving him three years of eligibility at a major college. Worrels said USF is also well aware of Dhal in their recruiting efforts. Dahl came to HCC from Our Savior New American in Centereach, N.Y., so he was a teammate of Teeng Akol, the 6-foot-11 center now at IMG that's strongly considering USF. They had another teammate at Our Savior named Ring Ayeul, who is listed at 7-foot-5 and will be a senior next season. ...

Men's hoops to face Vanderbilt in December

USF's men's basketball team will be one of four representing the Big East in next season's SEC/Big East Invitational, traveling to Nashville to play Vanderbilt on Dec. 16.

"It is certainly a privilege and great opportunity for USF to represent the Big East in the SEC/Big East Invitational," USF coach Stan Heath said in a statement. "Playing Vanderbilt in Nashville will be difficult and a great experience. We are looking forward to the challenge."

Vanderbilt, currently ranked 18th, is one of four ranked SEC schools slated for the event, with No. 8 Tennessee, No. 22 Mississippi and No. 25 Mississippi State. Only one of the Big East's representatives, No. 16 Marquette, is currently ranked, with Louisville and Cincinnati rounding out the league contingent. All four games will be televised nationally on ESPN or ESPN2.

The doubleheader at Nashville's Sommet Center will be USF-Vanderbilt and Marquette-Tennessee, and two days later, Cincinnati will play host to two games, with the Bearcats meeting Mississippi State and Louisville playing Mississippi.

USF coach Stan Heath, having spent five seasons at Arkansas before coming to USF, is well-versed in SEC basketball -- he has a 5-1 career record against Vandy. But USF has played only one game against an SEC team in the past five seasons, losing 72-70 at South Carolina in December 2004. Overall, USF is 7-34 all-time against SEC opponents, the last win coming in 1995 against Florida. Vanderbilt is one of three SEC schools the Bulls have beaten, earning a 66-65 win in Tampa in 1985.

For more information on the event, visit the aptly named bigeastsecinvitational.com. And yes, for a microscopic amount of league pride, secbigeastinvitational.com does not exist; one league gets first billing in the event, the other first in the URL. The site actually goes so far as to call the Nashville event the SEC/Big East Invitational, while the Cincinnati deal is the Big East/SEC Invitational. Forgive me for calling it the "USF-Vanderbilt" game and not alternating to "Vanderbilt-USF" in even-numbered paragraphs.

No. 1 UConn beats USF, 71-48

On one hand, USF's women's basketball team fared seven points better than any other team that's played No. 1 Connecticut in Hartford this season. Then again, it's still a 23-point loss.

The Huskies cruised to a 71-48 win against the Bulls on Wednesday, dropping USF to 1-6 in Big East play. Down just 19-14 about 10 minutes into the first half, the Bulls saw UConn extend that lead to 42-22 at halftime and didn't get closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

USF (11-9, 1-6) continues to struggle shooting the ball, hitting 29.8 percent Wednesday and barely better -- 37.5 percent -- on 16 free-throw attempts. Guard Shantia Grace led the Bulls with 15 points, but went 6-for-16 from the field, which at 37.5 percent was still the highest shooting percentage of USF's five starters. Connecticut stars Maya Moore and Renee Montgomery led the Huskies with 23 and 21 points, respectively.

USF stays on the road, next playing at Louisville on Saturday before returning home to face DePaul on Tuesday.

USF-Notre Dame game moved to Oct. 2011

For all of you who somehow booked travel to South Bend, Ind., for USF's football game at Notre Dame in 2011: Hopefully those reservations can be tweaked a little, with a few years' notice. The game's date has been moved from Nov. 19 to Oct. 1 to accommodate NBC's broadcast of the President's Cup golf tournament, USF said in a news release Wednesday.

The schedule change means the Bulls won't have to face Notre Dame and Miami on back-to-back weeks, though the Irish will now likely come right after USF's Big East opener, which is traditionally the final week in September.

-- An interesting potential addition to the football roster: Troy Kelly, a linebacker from Arcadia who enrolled at Central Florida last spring but left the program after one semester, plans on applying for enrollment at USF so he can join the Bulls as a walk-on this fall.

Kelly, 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, said he was offered a scholarship by USF out of high school and called linebackers coach Wally Burnham when he decided he wanted to return to football. He took classes last fall at South Florida Community College, where he's enrolled this spring, and said he was optimistic about his chances of getting into USF.

"I didn't like UCF like I thought I would," said Kelly, who would have played weakside linebacker for the Knights.

Kelly had 116 tackles and four forced fumbles as a senior at DeSoto County High, where coach Gary Morton said he showed signs of being a solid college player.

"He was a great player for us, the leader of our defense," Morton said. "He can run, can hit, can do everything out there."

USF eyeing 6-foot-11 center from IMG

There's a new name in Stan Heath's search for a big man to take over next season after center Kentrell Gransberry's USF career ends: Teeng Akol, a 6-foot-11 center from Sudan who is turning heads at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

USF is actively recruiting Akol, who transferred to IMG in November after playing two seasons at Our Savior New American, a well-known program in Centereach, N.Y., (Long Island) and is averaging about 18 points and 13 rebounds a game for IMG's postgraduate team.

"South Florida is at the top of the list," IMG's Dan Barto said Wednesday, listing Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Rutgers and Houston among his top suitors. "I know he's very interested in (USF), and he's interested in staying around here. He has friends and relatives up north, so the Big East is very attractive to him."

Barto said Akol played well this past weekend in the Great Southern Showcase, a prep-school tournament in Jackson, Miss., and was rated as the No. 5 overall prospect out of 27 prep schools in attendance. Akol (pronounced "ting" and "a-KOHL") is still a bit undersized at 220 pounds, but Barto said he was at 207 when he got to IMG, so bulking up has and will be a priority.

"He's extremely skilled. He has a very good feel and is a very good finisher," Barto said when asked for Akol's strengths. "He's very long and very high-hipped, so he's much quicker off the floor than most kids his size."

Barto said he expects other programs to jump on Akol as they recognize that current centers who are underclassmen might be leaving for the NBA Draft. With Gransberry done after this season, USF has a major need for post players, and Barto said USF has been "very forward and upfront" about the playing time Akol would likely have with the Bulls. Assistants Reggie Hanson and Byron Samuels have been recruiting Akol, though Heath watched him personally when IMG played against Hillsborough Community College, which has another top USF target in forward Keith Brumbaugh.

USF alum Heintz signs with Orioles

Chris Heintz, the former USF star who has played parts of the last three seasons as a catcher with the Minnesota Twins, has accepted a spring training invitation and signed a minor-league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, USF coach Lelo Prado said Wednesday.

Heintz, 33, has been working informally with the Bulls as a volunteer assistant, helping especially with a group of first-year Bulls catchers. He made his major-league debut with the Twins after spending parts of 10 seasons in the minors. He has a .232 career batting average in 82 big-league at-bats.

Prado said former Yankees and Rays star Tino Martinez will continue in his role as a volunteer assistant with USF. Martinez has been invited by the Yankees to be a guest instructor during spring training, but he'll work with both teams while the Yankees are in Tampa. The two teams meet in a spring training exhibition Feb. 29 at Legends Field.

So close ... Marquette pulls away from USF

Again, USF found itself neck and neck with a top-tier Big East team for about 35 minutes or so, only to see its opponent pull away down the stretch. On Wednesday, the Bulls were tied 42-42 with Marquette in the Bradley Center with 5:10 to play, but stars Kentrell Gransberry and Dominique Jones fouled out and the Golden Eagles got three late 3-pointers from Wesley Matthews, escaping with a 62-54 win.

USF remains winless on the road in three seasons of Big East play, while Marquette keeps its perfect home record intact, improving to 12-0 this season. Gransberry and Jones both played late with four fouls, with Gransberry fouling out with 4:06 to play and Jones with 2:03 remaining. They each scored 15 points to lead the Bulls, with Gransberry also getting 15 rebounds. No other players scored more than seven points, though starting guard Jesus Verdejo did not play due to a back injury.

The Bulls (10-11, 1-7) have a good chance to end their seven-game losing streak on Saturday, when they face St. John's in the Sun Dome. The two teams entered Wednesday's play tied for last place in the Big East standings, with the loss giving USF the bottom to itself.

Verdejo out for Marquette game

USF's men's basketball team, trying to end a six-game losing streak tonight at Marquette, will have to do so without junior guard Jesus Verdejo, who will miss the game after tweaking his lower back in Saturday's practice.

Sophomore guard Solomon Bozeman is expected to start in Verdejo's place, and the Bulls will also be without reserve forward Aris Williams, who has a left knee injury. The Bulls seek their first road Big East win against a Marquette team that is undefeated at home this season, averaging more than 15,000 fans at the Bradley Center. Only Louisville and Syracuse are averaging more fans in the Big East.

The Bulls need a strong showing, if only to get their lockers back. Coach Stan Heath kicked his players out of their locker room after Friday's practice, and the team has worked out of the visiting locker room in three practices since. Heath also took away their practice gear, so the Bulls have gone with no numbers since then -- just green shorts and white practice tops. Six straight double-digit losses has to make a coach try something ...

Spring football game set for April 12

I know you guys have blocked off the entire month of April so as to avoid potential conflicts, but now you can lock down a single date to circle: USF's spring football game has been set for 7 p.m. on April 12 at Raymond James Stadium.

Spring practice is tentatively scheduled to start March 18. It'll be a busy few weeks, with the NCAA men's basketball first round in Tampa, then the Women's Final Four at the St. Pete Times Forum (ching!) on April 6-8.

We'd told you Monday that USF wasn't in the mix for Javontae Boyd, and the Northeast defensive lineman told the Times' Bob Putnam Tuesday he committed to Kansas State. I'm never really sure what part of a sentence like that deserves the link. The kid's name? The exciting action verb? Do I hook Bob up with some underlined text?

Bulls still in play for top recruits

USF already has a recruiting class that ranks fifth in the Big East, but the next nine days are a huge opportunity for a class that could be ranked much higher.

How much is still in play for the Bulls? Consider that of USF's in-state commitments, only one -- Miami Northwestern linebacker/safety Quavon Taylor -- was ranked in the Orlando Sentinel's top 100 state prospects (he was No. 78). The Bulls, however, are among the final choices for six prospects ranked in the Sentinel's top 70.

Topping the potential Bulls at No. 17 is Hialeah defensive lineman Cory Liuget, who visited USF this weekend despite a commitment to Illinois; joining him this weekend is the No. 24 prospect, Miami Northwestern receiver Tommy Streeter, arguably the biggest talent you could call USF a favorite to get. B.J. Daniels, the quarterback from Tallahassee Lincoln who visited USF a week ago, is No. 29, Pahokee receiver Tay Odoms is No. 53, Largo cornerback Leonard Johnson is No. 54 and Plant receiver Derek Winter is No. 70. Again, I wouldn't rule USF out on any of those kids. USF will oversign, knowing some signees who fail to qualify will be placed at junior colleges, and others could be nudged into deferring enrollment until January, moving them to next year's class.

I can't remember a year in which USF was in the hunt for so many kids who say they're waiting until national signing day (Feb. 6) to announce their decision. That could make for a huge late windfall for the Bulls, or could leave them scrambling for backup choices at key positions. The visits are largely completed so much of the real work in recruiting these kids is now done. ...

-- Just in case you were doubting the leg of USF commitment Maikon Bonani from Lake Wales, here's a nugget from the Lakeland Ledger. During a soccer district tournament game last week, he sent an indirect kick 65 yards -- the story calls it "stunning," and the kick bounced over the goalie into the net. Only reason it wasn't a goal was that it wasn't touched by a player. To top that, a day later, Bonani went double duty in penalty kicks, nailing one for Lake Wales, then lining up in goal against Kathleen. Lake Wales opens the playoffs at home on Tuesday.

-- I don't know that running back was anything of a priority in USF's recruiting this season, with Georgia's Demetris Murray committed early and three of the top four backs being freshmen in 2007, but UCF picked up a nice commitment Sunday in Largo's Brynn Harvey, who rushed for a Pinellas County record 2,581 yards as a senior. USF has heavily recruited his teammate, cornerback Leonard Johnson, so the Bulls are well aware of Harvey's talents. With Kevin Smith leaving for the NFL Draft, UCF is an easy sell to talented running backs looking for playing time.

-- Remember, too, that three of USF's most highly touted recruits are junior college players who won't show up on best-of-Florida lists despite being from the state. Rivals.com's list of the top 100 junior college recruits includes three future Bulls: defensive end David Bedford ranks 10th, receiver Anthony Jones is 39th and linebacker Kion Wilson, already enrolled at USF this month, is 77th. It looks like USF did little to pursue former Middleton star O.J. Murdock (ranked 87th), who sought to transfer directly to the Bulls from South Carolina last summer and spent this fall at Pearl River in Mississippi. He's headed to Marshall.

Football banquet: Grothe, Selvie are MVPs

USF had its annual football banquet Saturday night at Busch Gardens, and the most memorable part of the ceremonies every year is the video of interviews with the departing seniors, reminiscing about the friendships built over five years at USF and all that they were able to accomplish. It's a great video presentation, with the outstanding musical score from HBO's "Band of Brothers" in the background. Almost a month after the season, this was a proud group of seniors, basically the last ones to span back to USF's days in Conference USA. Lots of awards given out, with some surprising winners, so I'll run them down for you ...

Rookie of the Year: I'd imagine your first thought would be running back Mike Ford, or perhaps redshirt freshman Carlton Mitchell, who emerged as a real playmaker at receiver. The winner, however, is guard Zach Hermann, the redshirt freshman from East Lake who quietly started every game and graded out at over 80 percent for the season. No arguments here. ...

Overachiever Award: This is also a freshman award, given for work ethic in strength and conditioning. Again, the instinct is to go with a big guy like offensive lineman Sampson Genus, but the winner is far less heralded: Mike McGowan, who shifted from tight end to guard this fall. Impressive, in that he was originally tagged as a grayshirt, where he would just be starting classes this month, so it's strong that he's made a good impression in his first semester in the program.

Golden Bull Award: For top scout-team contributor. Aston Samuels was one of two honored last year and he made a nice splash, so it's a promising award. This year's winners? Fullback Mike Padilla and defensive tackle Kenneth Luberice. Padilla won the Green & Gold Pride Award last year.

Scholar-Athlete Award: Again, two honored, and it goes to receiver Marcus Edwards and quarterback Grant Gregory. Both guys are team-first, always say and do the right things. Not surprised at all.

Green & Gold Pride Award: For the walk-on who best represents USF football's work ethic and leadership. Went to long-snapper Eric Setser -- there's a great clip of him running down and recovering a muffed punt 26 yards downfield in the Rutgers game. If I had to pick the next walk-on to earn a scholarship, I think I'd pick Setser, who's had the long-snap job for two seasons and has done well.

Lee Roy Selmon Award: For courage, perseverance and determination. Goes to linebacker Brouce Mompremier, who played so well last season you forgot he was a first-year starter. I'm going to miss Rich Rachel being out on the field as a position coach -- the former cornerbacks coach presented this award and introduced Mompremier as being "from the 305," one of the better lines of the night. Rachel's a Hialeah grad, Mompremier from Miami Edison.

First Teamer Award: Leadership, character, mental toughness, high academic standards. Goes to linebacker Tyrone McKenzie, who was a tackling machine, just as he was at Iowa State last year. Here's a prediction for 2008: McKenzie will break his own school record for tackles in a season, and he'll do it before the bowl game this time around. He wants to be on the field in the nickel package this fall, which means an extra two or three tackles a game, I figure.

Coaches Award: A new award, recognizing a player who makes "a substantive yet unrecognized contribution, a person whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged." Well-earned by guard Matt Huners, who made a remarkably quick comeback from a major knee injury, tearing three ligaments in his knee in the spring game and making it back six months later. Huners graded out at 86 percent this fall, the highest of any Bulls offensive lineman. As I wrote a few weeks back, the plan is for him to start at guard and slide Ryan Schmidt over to left tackle this spring.

Outstanding Defensive Front Seven Award: One of the biggest applauses of the night was for linebacker Ben Moffitt, who couldn't be at the banquet because he was busy on the winning team at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where he was credited with two tackles. Dan McCarney said Moffitt was one of the best leaders he's coached in 37 years of college football. That's high praise. Watching Moffitt's interceptions this season, you're reminded of what great hands he has. Some great instinctive catches in those highlights.

Outstanding Offensive Lineman: To hard-working center Jake Griffin, another constant on the line this season. Mike Simmonds had a good line, saying how the inscription on USF's Papajohns.com Bowl rings says 24-7 for the score against East Carolina, but it also reminds them to work hard 24-7. Then again, I imagine the inscription "56-21" would do that pretty well also ...

Outstanding Special Teams Player: If you think about where Delbert Alvarado was two weeks into the season, it makes his year all the more impressive. Consistent on his field goals in the second half of the season, outstanding on punts and even filled in kickoffs when necessary.

Offensive Playmaker of the Year: The coaches vote on all the awards except the MVPs, and they chose quarterback Matt Grothe -- hard to argue with his production, both running and throwing. His highlights included his touchdown pass to Taurus Johnson in the bowl game -- you remember the final score, of course, but there was another amazing play that was textbook Grothe.

Defensive Playmaker of the Year: I sat there wondering how they'd choose between cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, who both made so many huge plays this season, with safety Nate Allen not far behind. They took the easy route, giving it to both Jenkins and Williams, again, very well-deserved. Williams already looks like an NFL draft pick in a nice suit; Jenkins couldn't make it to the banquet as he prepares for the NFL Combine workouts, but his helmet-flying hit against Cincinnati drew the biggest cheers of the night. They're going to miss those two this fall ...

Offensive MVP: The players vote on this one, and they too chose Grothe. They should put his season highlights on Youtube -- so many great scrambles and throws from early in the season, and that wild 80-yard touchdown run to open the second half against Pittsburgh. He's got his regular old haircut back, by the way, making you wonder if we've seen the last of the Grohawk.

Defensive MVP: Went to defensive end George Selvie. Coaches can't say enough about his work ethic, how it's there every day. I think the single most impressive highlight from this season is the play Selvie made against Central Florida, getting such an amazing jump off the snap that he could hack at the UCF quarterback and force a fumble before he could even get the ball to running back Kevin Smith.

Anyway, that's that. Oh, and receiver Hugh Smith went in the 46th round of the AAFL draft to Team Michigan today. We'll try to get some recruiting updates in Sunday night ...

Marquette loss drops USF to 1-5 in Big East

Given a week of rest after an impressive win at Seton Hall, USF's women's basketball team reverted to many of the problems that led to the Bulls' 0-4 start as USF took a tough home loss to Marquette, 79-66, on Saturday night in the Sun Dome.

The Bulls shot 28.8 percent from the field and committed 24 turnovers, going from tied at halftime to trailing by as many as 19. Marquette (11-8, 3-3) is the kind of league opponent the Bulls (11-8, 1-5) need to beat at home if they aspire to kind of postseason play. Amazingly, even with the loss, there are four other Big East teams with only one league win, so the Bulls are still within a tiebreaker of making the cut for the conference tournament. Then again, they still have Connecticut, Rutgers, Notre Dame, DePaul and Pittsburgh on the schedule.

Guards Jazmine Sepulveda and Shantia Grace led the Bulls with 14 and 13 points, respectively, but did so on 8-for-25 shooting, with Grace fouling out after playing only 26 minutes. That's still a strong night, relatively speaking -- fellow guards Daiane Packer and Gianna Messina were a combined 1-for-14 with eight turnovers. USF outrebounded Marquette 51-43, but part of that was being able to get offensive boards on 25 of their own missed shots. Guard Krystal Ellis led Marquette with 30 points on 13-for-27 shooting.

Two former Bulls protected in AAFL draft

The All-American Football League, the spring pro league that has a Florida-based team, has its inaugural draft today in Atlanta, and Team Florida protected two USF players before the draft.

Each of the six teams were allowed to "protect" players from the home territory by "pre-selecting" them with draft picks, starting in the sixth round. Team Florida entered the draft with former USF defensive end Craig Kobel -- now a linebacker -- and former Bulls linebacker Maurice Jones on roster. Kobel was pre-drafted using a ninth-round pick, while Jones required a 19th-rounder.

Only three protected players -- all also from Team Florida -- were taken with higher draft picks than Kobel. Former Florida quarterback Chris Leak was the highest-valued protected player, protected with a sixth-round pick. Team Florida has already used 40 of its 50 draft picks to protect players from Florida, so there's a good chance that USF players available in the draft will go to other teams.

The breakdown of Team Florida's 40 protected players? Eighteen are from UF, eight from Miami, four from Florida State, three from Florida A&M, two from USF and UCF and one each from Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Edward Waters.

The AAFL draft consists of 50 rounds of six picks each, so we'll have an update after the draft. Team Florida plays most of its home games in Gainesville but will play one game in Tampa, as well as one in Jacksonville.

Moffitt at Senior Bowl: 'I have nothing to hide'

USF linebacker Ben Moffitt is the Bulls' lone representative at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and Rivals.com reports that a big part of the week for players are the interviews with front-office types from NFL teams, but Moffitt has no problem, even after his wife Shauna told newspapers she wrote papers and took online classes for him at USF.

"They ask, and I'm just 100 percent honest with them," Moffitt told Rivals.com. "I have nothing to hide, and I level with them. I hope they appreciate that."

This time of year, everyone is chiming in with thoughts on the NFL Draft, and one blogger bold enough to publish a five-round mock draft (at that point, go ahead and do a full seven, no?) has Moffitt and former USF cornerback Trae Williams going in the fourth round. The same mock has Mike Jenkins falling to No. 20 to the Bucs and also has West Virginia running back Steve Slaton going to the Bucs in the third round.  Another blog has Moffitt and Williams in the top 200 players, but not in the top 100, which would translate somewhere between the fourth and sixth rounds. Again, nothing authoritative, but fun as a conversation starter ...

-- More credible name-dropping. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, musing about the Cowboys' options at No. 22 and 28, calls Jenkins "ideal for the Cowboys" but admits he's unlikely to fall that far. Seems foreseeable that Dallas could trade up into the top 10 with those two picks if cornerback were indeed their top priority for the draft ... I've generally seen Jenkins and Kansas' Aqib Talib as the draft's top two corners, but the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer quotes the NFL Network's Mike Mayock as saying the top two are Jenkins and Troy's Leodis McKelvin, with Talib in the second tier.

-- We'll have a capsule in Sunday's Times on USF's recruiting, and this is the final major weekend for the Bulls' official visits. USF only has a handful of scholarships still in play, so the visitors this weekend include seven players already committed to the Bulls, who go from recruits to recruiters, trying to sway three visitors who aren't committed. (Two have previously committed elsewhere, actually). The Ocala Star-Banner leads its recruiting notes with Vanguard tight end Jeff Hawkins, USF's first commitment of the year and an unabashed salesman for the Bulls who should help with the undecideds this weekend.

Seeing stars: Bulls find recruiting gems

We've run a recruiting story on each school we cover this week, and for the USF feature, we wrote about how the Bulls have found success by identifying recruits overlooked or undervalued by the major recruiting sites and the rest of college football. They're still going after the four-star kids, but they've also done well with high school stars that aren't highly touted.

USF still has three or four scholarships in play entering its last major weekend for official visits -- the Bulls have the fifth-best class in the Big East, according to rankings from both Rivals.com and Scout.com. They're ranking in the mid-50s nationally, but a last-minute coup or two could vault them into the top three in the conference and one of their highest national rankings ever.

Which of the current USF commitments do you think could be the next Matt Grothe or George Selvie, someone who doesn't have the "stars" on signing day but winds up being a major contributor?

Why no home-and-home? Geography

I've seen this question asked quite a bit in the last 24 hours: Why did USF accept a one-game deal to play at Notre Dame without a return game in Tampa when the Irish are committed to establishing home-and-home series with three Big East teams a year starting in 2011?

The simple answer is that USF was never part of that commitment from Notre Dame, not because of the relative youth of the Bulls program, not because of anything USF has or hasn't done on a football field, but because of the simply geography of Tampa not being in the Northeast.

"Our game plan was that the Big East home-and-home series would be in the Northeast," said John Heisler, Notre Dame's senior associate athletic director, who handles football scheduling. "Our intention for getting to Florida and Texas was through the off-site (neutral site) games."

The Big East's TV partners gain nothing from a member school playing Notre Dame at a neutral location where the Irish have the TV rights to the game, which eliminates USF as a possibility there. Notre Dame has a commitment to games in Orlando and has had discussions with representatives from Tampa and Jacksonville.

Read this story I wrote way back in August 2006, and you'll see Heisler quoted as saying "our interest is getting into the New York and New England corridor ... our intention there was not to split them up evenly among the eight Big East teams."

Since the Bulls were geographically boxed out of the home-and-home option and all but contractually blocked from a neutral-site game, the single-game contract to play in South Bend, while somewhat humbling, represented their only reasonable path to playing the Fighting Irish, who seek to have seven home games and an off-site game that falls under their TV umbrella each season.

Pittsburgh has six of the 18 games Notre Dame is committed to between 2011 and 2016, and Syracuse, Rutgers and Connecticut now appear to have a geographic advantage to land some of the other 12 over West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati.

-- Hey, while I'm posting, there's another new mock draft up from SI.com's Don Banks, a former Times writer, and he too has USF's Mike Jenkins going seventh to the New England Patriots, who could lose corner Asante Samuel in free agency, creating a natural opening for a rare top-10 pick.

A few words about Ball State ...

I'll admit I have not known much about Ball State aside from its geographic location and the fact that David Letterman went to school there.

The most interesting thing I've found in the last 24 hours, since writing that USF would play the Cardinals in 2011 and 2012? That Ball State has never, ever beaten a team from a BCS conference. I count 43 games against major-conference teams, and not one win, and Ball State's football days extend farther back than USF's university days. (I could count a proud 31-31 with Rutgers in 1989, though it predates the Big East's football existence; I'm not counting a 10-5 win against Connecticut in 2001 from the Huskies' early Division I-A days before they joined the league.)

That's not to say the Cardinals aren't dangerous. Just ask Nebraska, which survived Ball State 41-40 in Lincoln last season. Or Michigan, which was ranked No. 2 in 2006 when they edged the Cardinals 34-26; Indiana beat Ball State by a single point that same season. Of Ball State's last seven games with BCS teams, five have been decided by 11 points or less and none of them by more than 22 points. (This is better than the previous six, which included five losses of 38 or more points.)

This past season, Ball State had its first winning season since 1996, made it to the International Bowl and lost to Rutgers 52-30, giving up 280 yards and four touchdowns to Ray Rice. So while the Cardinals have never beaten a BCS team, they're certainly moving closer to doing so -- they get another shot at Indiana this fall -- and could be even more of a threat (or much less of one, for that matter) in four more years.

Scheduling a home-and-home with Ball State is ample ammunition for the Central Florida folks clamoring for more games with USF -- this is a series with a non-BCS Division I-A program, which is what USF-UCF would have been with much more local relevance ... and risk for the Bulls and their status in the state pecking order. Other Big East programs have home-and-home deals with MAC schools like Buffalo, so it's nothing unprecedented. As we've said all along, it will be very hard for UCF to claim they've caught up to USF until the Knights have beaten them on the field, something that won't be possible anytime soon after the 2008 season and the final game in Orlando.

Leavitt on Notre Dame: 'Unbelievable'

Jim Leavitt has told me the story before, back when Urban Meyer was hired at Florida, but I asked him again Wednesday night about the time he flew up to Notre Dame to "talk defense" with the Fighting Irish coaching staff.

It was after the 1996 season, the year before USF's first game, when Leavitt had a team but no opponents. He's never been to a football game at Notre Dame, but he flew up and talked with their coaches -- Meyer was a young assistant on the staff -- got a tour of the campus from then-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, got to make the same pregame walk that players take from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to Notre Dame Stadium. "It's unbelievable," he said.

So he's well aware of the mystique of Notre Dame, how special it will be for USF to play there in 2011. He said he met famous walk-on Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger when he spoke at an adidas clinic in Las Vegas a few years back. To juxtapose his young program, which will be in its 15th season in 2011, against Notre Dame's storied history, he thinks will be a "tremendous story." It's still a ways off, but the freshmen who redshirted this season will get to play there in one of their final games as seniors. It's something everyone at USF is excited about -- athletic director Doug Woolard has been to Notre Dame, but only for basketball games.

Let me throw some links up, first to our game story from USF-Louisville, noting that the current stretch of six consecutive double-digit losses is the longest such run in Bulls history. There's our story on the Notre Dame game, and belated links to our feature on USF's Chris Howard and Stan Heath's comments on his lack of depth, which ran Wednesday. Lots more to come today, so keep checking back ...

Louisville hands USF sixth loss in a row, 80-60

USF has had trouble with everybody this side of Rutgers in the Big East, but no team has dominated the Bulls the way Louisville has.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals built an early double-digit lead and cruised the rest of the way, handing the Bulls a 80-60 loss, their sixth in a row, before 4,781 at the Sun Dome. In three seasons in the Big East, USF has five losses of 20 points or more, and three of them have come against Louisville.

Kentrell Gransberry had 22 points for the Bulls (10-10, 1-6), and freshman Dominique Jones had all of his 15 points in the second half. Louisville (14-5, 4-2) was led by forward Earl Clark's 18 points off the bench.

At least give him an assist, right?

Here's one to leave you scrambling for your rulebook: Dominique Jones is so hot that even the shots he misses are going in. Jones had scored 15 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and he takes a 3-pointer that bounces straight up ... and is somehow tipped in by a Louisville defender.

USF coach Stan Heath is holding up three fingers, hoping to somehow get credit for the shortest 3-pointer in the history of the game, but it's just a two. And the rule on a ball that goes in off an opponent is to score it to the closest offensive player. The initial ruling is it'll be a team basket, unscored for any player ... but shouldn't Jones at least get an assist?

Bulls are down 63-49 with just under eight minutes to play, and if they want to catch up to Louisville, they might need the Cardinals to give them a few more putbacks ...

Jones is back, but Bulls trail 61-47

Freshman guard Dominique Jones went two halves without scoring, held scoreless in the second half Sunday against West Virginia and in the first half against Louisville. He's back, with 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but it might be too late, as USF still trails 61-47.

USF has cut a 24-point lead to 14, but it'll take 10 more minutes of the same to make it close ...

At the half: Louisville up 45-26 on USF

Let's run through the Frustrating Bulls Basketball Checklist:

-- Big game from Kentrell Gransberry? Check. He's got 16 points in the first half.

-- Not enough from the rest? His teammates hit one of their first 11 shots from the field.

-- Struggles at the free-throw line? Bulls are 5-for-11, which is actually an improvement.

-- Lack of perimeter defense? Louisville hit 6 of its first 8 3-pointers.

-- Disastrous stretch on both ends of the ball? A 17-2 run put the Cards up 28-12.

Over early? 17-2 run has Louisville up big

USF coach Stan Heath mentioned Tuesday that his team seems to have a lapse of four or five minutes that ends up being the difference in an otherwise close game.

Yep.

Louisville just went on a 17-2 run -- including a personal run of 10 straight points by forward Earl Clark -- and the Cardinals lead USF 31-16 with 7:24 left in the half. Louisville's already hit six 3-pointers, and while center Kentrell Gransberry is playing well with 12 points, the rest of Heath's roster has all of four points.

Good crowd here at the Sun Dome, though not as much as I might have expected. It's certainly more than the 4,410 that saw Louisville play here last season.

Cardinals dunking, up 16-10 early

Louisville's already showing its depth, getting back-to-back dunks from 6-9 forward Earl Clark off the bench to take a 16-10 lead on USF six minutes into tonight's game.

Clark's second dunk had the added bonus of drawing a bad Kentrell Gransberry foul -- I'd value those at more than two points -- which could give Louisville more of an advantage inside. Louisville also hit three 3-pointers in the first three minutes, so perimeter defense could come up a lot tonight ...

Live blog: USF-Louisville hoops

We're back live at the Sun Dome for tonight's USF-Louisville game, and I can tell you freshman forward Orane Chin will get more playing time here than he did Sunday against West Virginia.

After not playing a minute Sunday, Chin is getting the start at power forward against the Cardinals. USF needs a big game in the post to keep up with Cardinals' depth inside. More to come ...

USF budget shows $269,300 in bowl profits

Actual financial numbers aren't in yet, but USF's budget for its trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, anticipated a profit of $269,300 to be rolled over to next year's overall athletic budget. The profit is as much as the budgeted gains from USF's two previous bowl trips combined.

USF's bowl revenues, primarily the $1.85-million payout from the Big East, totaled $1.95-million, and the budgeted expenses for the trip were budgeted at $1.68-million. The largest budgeted expenses, as expected, were air travel to Texas ($560,000), payment for unsold allotted tickets ($333,000) and lodging ($200,000).

USF's third bowl trip in as many years resulted in a 56-21 loss to Oregon on Dec. 31, but the Bulls were expected to have unprecedented financial success. Two years ago, USF got $1.1-million from the Big East for appearing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., and had budgeted for $82,000 in profit; last year's trip to the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., also had a $1.1-million payout from the league and was budgeted for a profit of $188,000.

Bulls to play at Notre Dame in 2011

Since USF joined the Big East in 2005, athletic director Doug Woolard has said that schools in BCS conferences don't travel for football games without getting home games in return. If you're going to make an exception to that rule, it's for a chance at national exposure and a milestone victory.

The Bulls have agreed to play at Notre Dame on Nov. 19, 2011, traveling to South Bend, Ind., for a meeting of one of college football's youngest programs with perhaps its most historic. The Fighting Irish, who have won 11 national championships, will pay USF $850,000 for the one-game series; the Big East will pay USF $125,000 from its television revenues. The Bulls will play host to Miami at Raymond James Stadium the following week.

Notre Dame has made a commitment to play three Big East teams each year starting in 2011 and had extended an open invitation to all eight conference programs to play in South Bend. While the Bulls have signed nothing but home-and-home agreements since joining the Big East, they'll make an exception here. While Notre Dame's lucrative TV contract with NBC expires in 2010, there's a good chance this game will give the Bulls a national network TV audience, something they had for the first time last month on CBS in the Sun Bowl.

USF will announce the Notre Dame game Wednesday, along with a home-and-home series with Ball State in 2011 and 2012. The Bulls will host the Cardinals on Sept. 10, 2011, and will travel to Muncie, Ind., on Sept. 22, 2012. Along with the Notre Dame game and a trip to play Indiana in 2009, USF will play three games in the Hoosier State in a span of four seasons.

USF will be allotted 5,000 tickets for the Notre Dame game, which will be made available to Bulls Club members and season ticket holders.

USF has tried to schedule two games each year with non-BCS Division I-A teams, and the Mid-American Conference program will fill a slot more recently occupied by cross-state rival Central Florida. The Bulls now have two openings for nonconference games in 2011 and 2012, with one opening remaining (likely a non-BCS I-A opponent) in 2009 and 2010. Ball State has previously hosted BCS conference teams such as Missouri (2003) and Indiana (2006).

The home game against Indiana previously listed as being in 2016 is officially TBA, to be filled into a future schedule at a later point. USF has five nonconference games each season, and here are the Bulls' commitments for future games:

Year            BCS opponents             Non-BCS opp.          I-AA opp.

2008        Kansas, @N.C. State  @UCF, @Florida Int'l   UT-Martin

2009        Miami, @Indiana         Florida Int'l, TBA           Wofford

2010      @Miami, @Florida        Florida Atlantic, TBA       Samford

2011        Miami, @Notre Dame   Ball State, TBA              TBA

2012       Mich. St., @Miami      @Ball State, TBA             TBA

2013        Miami, @Mich. St.       Florida Atlantic, TBA       TBA

2014        N.C. State, TBA           TBA, TBA                        TBA

2015        @Florida, TBA              TBA, TBA                        TBA

Jenkins won't play in Senior Bowl

Former USF cornerback Mike Jenkins, projected as a first-round selection in April's NFL Draft, has opted not to participate in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week, USF sports information director Chris Freet said Monday night.

It's unknown why Jenkins chose not to play in the senior showcase game, though it's not uncommon for potentially high draft picks to not play in such games. Two top quarterbacks, Boston College's Matt Ryan and Louisville's Brian Brohm, also changed their mind after committing to play in Mobile. Just before Christmas, he told Times correspondent Brendan Galella that the game was important: "I just have to play awesome in the Senior Bowl and run one heck of a 40 (yard dash) and let it go."

ESPN.com's Todd McShay had identified Jenkins as No. 2 on his list of "five defensive players who must live up to the hype." According to McShay's current mock draft, Jenkins would have been the highest projected pick playing in Mobile (projected as 7th pick overall); 10 current first-rounders from his mock are on the current Senior Bowl rosters, led by USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (9th overall), UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer (10th) and Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson (14th).

Former USF linebacker Ben Moffitt is listed on the Senior Bowl's South team roster and is expected to play. Cornerback Trae Williams and defensive tackle Richard Clebert represented USF in last week's East-West Shrine Game in Houston.

Former Bull Mitchell now Super Bowl-bound

Congrats to former USF linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who is heading to Super Bowl XLII as a prominent member of the New York Giants. Mitchell, who signed a one-year deal with the Giants last year after four seasons in Kansas City, talked to the Times' Joanne Korth two weeks ago about his success this season. Win or lose in Arizona, he should be in for a much larger NFL payday in free agency after this season.

Mitchell had three tackles for the Giants defense in Sunday's overtime win in Green Bay.

Big crowd, big miss: Bulls fall to W. Va.

Here's the game story from Monday's paper. I'll be back with notes later tonight ...

TAMPA – The opponent changed, the venue too, but the same frustrating problems kept USF from knocking off West Virginia on Sunday afternoon: the absolute lack of a power forward to complement center Kentrell Gransberry inside, and Gransberry’s inability to hit free throws in an otherwise impressive showing.

Gransberry went 2-for-11 at the line and USF got zero points from its power forwards, giving up a late 15-2 run as West Virginia pulled away for a 69-52 win at the St. Pete Times Forum.

"Offensively, to hit 26 percent from the free-throw line and 20 percent from 3, that’s a recipe that’s going to hurt you in the long run," said coach Stan Heath, whose team has dropped five in a row since beating Rutgers in the conference opener. "Grans, I thought, was a strong force for us … but right now, mentally, the free throw thing is in his ear, in his head. We just have to help him get through that part and work with him."

The game had an announced crowd of 12,062 – based on tickets distributed – which technically breaks the single-game record for a USF home game, set when 10,444 fans filled the Sun Dome to see USF play Florida in December 2001. The actual crowd looked to be several thousand less than the announced total, which included a large amount of free tickets. Times Forum officials could not provide an actual attendance.

Gransberry had a solid game from the field, hitting 10 of 13 shots for a game-high 22 points. He scored USF’s first 13 points of the second half, including a fast-break catch and layup that put the Bulls ahead 38-33 with 14 minutes remaining.

Even as the Bulls struggled, missing outside shots and not getting the ball to Gransberry, USF trailed 44-43 with 7:11 to play before West Virginia went on a 15-2 run to put the game away. The Bulls went 2-for-6 at the line during that stretch, including Gransberry missing two front ends that Heath called "momentum busters."

"I'm very disappointed in my performance tonight, and I take full accountability for it," said Gransberry, now shooting 53 percent at the line.

West Virginia couldn't miss at the line, hitting 22 of 26 attempts. Junior Alex Ruoff, a Central grad, went 6-for-6 on the way to 14 points, while Da'Sean Butler and Darris Nichols led the Mountaineers with 15 each. USF didn't trail by more than five points until the final fix minutes.

Six games into Big East play, 12 of the league’s 16 teams have at least three conference wins, but USF is 1-5, sitting 15th in the league standings, its only win against last-place Rutgers.

West Virginia (14-4, 3-2) used a modified triangle-and-two defense to contain USF’s top two scorers, with two defenders chasing those two while the other three played a zone. That limited Gransberry to three points in the final 13 minutes, and made freshman guard Dominique Jones, who had 11 in the first half, disappear in a scoreless second half in which he attempted only two shots.

At power forward, Heath started sophomore Amu Saaka, who has struggled since breaking his nose in the Rutgers win and went scoreless in 19 minutes. Walk-on Mo Esseghir played 19, too, but didn’t attempt a shot and finished with two rebounds.

"We’re searching for one more guy," Heath said. "We’ve got four guys out there doing some things, but we need one more guy to step up for us, and we need our bench to give us a little more. That’s the key for us in terms of turning this thing around this season."

As bad as Heath needed a power forward Sunday, he did not once turn to freshman Orane Chin, who averaged 23 minutes and 5.0 points in USF’s first four Big East games but didn’t play Sunday after logging three minutes Wednesday at Seton Hall.

"I wanted to get his attention," Heath said. "Nothing serious, nothing earthshattering, but I just didn’t feel like he’d made the commitment in the last two days to play today."

Free-throw woes killing Bulls, again

West Virginia has pulled out to its largest lead of game, ahead 56-45 with 3:10 to play, and missed free throws are again a big reason why USF is falling behind late in a close game.

Since the eight-minute mark, the Bulls have gone 2-for-6 at the line, including two missed front ends by center Kentrell Gransberry. For the game, USF is 3-for-11 -- that's 27 percent -- while West Virginia is 10-for-12.

West Virginia is on a 12-2 run since USF pulled within 44-43 with about seven minutes to play. Freshman guard Dominique Jones, who led USF with 11 points in the first half, has been nowhere to be found, held scoreless with only one shot in the second half.

Bulls down 44-41, eight to play

A technical foul called on USF's bench after an elbowing foul was called on Kentrell Gransberry yielded two free throws that have West Virginia up 44-41 on the Bulls with 7:42 to play. Gransberry's back at the line for two shots, but he hasn't scored in six minutes.

The announced attendance for today's game is a huge number -- 12,056 -- but keep in mind that figure is tickets distributed, not fannies in the seats. The previous USF single-game record for a home crowd was 10,444, set against Florida in December 2001. Last year's downtown game against Wake Forest drew an announced 13,181, but that figure was for a doubleheader that also included a Florida State-Providence game. Again, we'll try to get a turnstile count on the crowd ...

Gransberry surge has USF up 38-33

Center Kentrell Gransberry has scored USF's first 13 points of the second half, helping the Bulls to a 38-33 lead on West Virginia as the Bulls try to end a four-game losing streak. Gransberry, held to six points in the first half, now has a game-high 19 just six minutes into the second half.

West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler has found his rhythm as well -- after a 2-for-9 first half, he's scored the Mountaineers' first seven points, giving him a team-high 13 points.

The crowd is a loud one here at the Times Forum (ching!), with the lower level nearly full and a smattering of fans in the middle level as well. I'll be curious what the announced crowd is, and will try to get a turnstile count as well ...

'Eers lead 26-25 at half after 8-0 run

We'd asked in the last post how USF would fare with center Kentrell Gransberry on the bench for the last four minutes of the half with two fouls. The answer? Not well. USF didn't score a point the rest of the way, allowing West Virginia to finish the half on an 8-0 that has them up 26-25 at halftime.

West Virginia's Darris Nichols hit two 3-pointers in that run, and even with that spurt, the Mountaineers are only shooting 30 percent for the half. USF has 11 points from Dominique Jones and six from Gransberry, but the rest of the lineup has eight points on 4-of-14 shooting. Not to harp on something, but West Virginia is ahead because it's 6-for-7 on free throws, while USF is 1-for-5.

For USF, being down one at the half is a good start, and if Gransberry can stay out of foul trouble in the second half, there's no reason to think the Bulls can't stay in this game. West Virginia put much more pressure defensively on USF's guards when Gransberry was out, so his staying on the floor is a key. USF still isn't getting anything from its power forwards -- Amu Saaka and Mo Esseghir have four rebounds, but haven't scored a point. Freshman Orane Chin hasn't even played.

Putbacks help Bulls to 25-18 lead on W.Va.

USF is playing well on both ends of the court, getting offensive rebounds and shooting and defending well, and the Bulls have scored four straight to have a 25-18 lead with 5:15 left in the first half. It's enough that Bob Huggins called a timeout to talk to his West Virginia team.

Freshman Dominique Jones is playing well, with 11 points, including a banked-in 25-footer -- literally from downtown! -- and a nice putback. If there's one thing missing from being here at Times Forum (ching!), it's the lack of a boisterous student section right behind the benches. With a coach like Huggins, there's an opportunity for heckling that's largely missed in this arena.

Center Kentrell Gransberry has four points, but he's just picked up two offensive fouls in a span of three minutes, so he's likely on the bench for the rest of the half. Can USF sustain its lead without him? If West Virginia keeps shooting 30 percent from the field, that shouldn't be a problem ...

-- West Virginia backup quarterback Jarrett Brown is in the game -- he's recent enough of an addition that his No. 31 jersey doesn't have his name on the back. Brown, from West Palm Beach, played the second half of West Virginia's football loss to USF, so he should be familiar to Bulls fans. His playing both sports could help the Mountaineers as they try to land quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a two-sport standout who would like to try playing both at the college level.

Jones, Bulls lead W.Va. 12-11 early

Freshman guard Dominique Jones already has six points, including a 3-pointer from the wing that gave USF its first lead, 12-11, as the Bulls face West Virginia here at the Times Forum (ching!) with about 12 minutes left in the first half.

Remember how before the season, coach Stan Heath said he want 72 percent from the free-throw line? He's not getting it. USF is second-worst in the Big East coming in, hitting 64.7 percent from the line -- only Georgetown is worse. Today, it's limited the Bulls early -- West Virginia is 4-for-4 on free throws, USF is 1-for-4, including an 0-for-2 from Kentrell Gransberry. For what it's worth, USF hit 66.2 percent of its free throws last season.

Walk-on center Mo Esseghir is getting his earliest minutes I've seen, coming off the bench about four minutes into the game as a power forward for a big look aside Gransberry. Esseghir, it should be noted, has gotten in on the shaved-head-design mania, with the iconic "U" logo on the side of his head.

Live blogging from way downtown ...

I'm here courtside at -- what is the name of this downtown arena, again? -- oh, yes, the St. Pete Times Forum, where USF is making its lone downtown appearance of the season, against West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins.

Playing downtown gave USF one of its best wins last season in a December game against Wake Forest. There's a good showing of fans here at Times Forum (you can make the little cash-register sound every time I drop the name) and as expected, a good showing of yellow-and-blue supporting the visiting Mountaineers. West Virginia's leading scorer, junior Alex Ruoff, is from just 45 minutes north in Brooksville, so it's a homecoming of sorts for him as well ... More to come ...

One more USF opponent on NFL Draft list

We told you last week about the slew of talented players who won't be playing against USF in 2008 because they're leaving early to go into the NFL Draft in April. Our initial list of nine didn't include West Virginia defensive end Johnny Dingle, one of the Big East's best pass rushers, who joins teammates Steve Slaton and Darius Reynaud as significant losses for the Mountaineers.

One more surprise name on the NFL's official list of early entrants is UCF junior guard L.J. Anderson, who has started 31 games in three seasons with the Knights. Haven't seen it written anywhere other than the list posted at NFL.com, but Anderson would have been an experienced leader on UCF's 2008 line, which also lost two senior starters to graduation.

Syracuse receiver Taj Smith, who had been reported as an early draft entry, wasn't on the NFL's list, though that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be back for the Orange, either. Add in N.C. State safety DeJuan Morgan, though, and that's 11 players on USF's 2008 schedule leaving early, with some, like Rutgers' Ray Rice and Kansas corner Aqib Talib, projecting as first-round picks.

There are 12 NCAA programs that lost two or more players to the draft, and USF plays four of them.

Women's hoops gets big win at Seton Hall

USF's women's basketball team has gotten itself up off the mat, pulling off an impressive 75-67 win that ends Seton Hall's 14-game home winning streak. It's easily the biggest win of the season for USF, which had dropped five straight to open conference play 0-4.

Junior guard Shantia Grace led the Bulls with 27 points (20 in the second half), with junior guard Jazmine Sepulveda adding 16 and junior center Jessica Lawson scoring 12 off the bench. The Bulls (11-7, 1-4) shot 45 percent as a team and went 8-for-16 on 3-pointers while holding Seton Hall (12-4, 2-2) to 2-for-11 shooting beyond the arc.

USF had been alone at the bottom of the Big East standings at 0-4, but half the league's 16 teams now have one or zero wins. Connecticut (5-0), Rutgers (4-0), Pittsburgh (3-0), Notre Dame (3-1) and West Virginia (3-1) are a combined 18-2 in league play; the rest of the conference is 14-30, so the bottom few spots in the league tournament remain wide-open.

Coach Jose Fernandez called Grace's effort a "phenomenal,gutsy performance," according to USF's sports information department, which shares that the Bulls won despite being taken to the wrong arena, going to Newark's Prudential Center before correctly getting to Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange.

Pirates hand Bulls another road loss

The Bulls kept it close at Seton Hall on Thursday night, but it was the same old result for USF: a conference road game, a conference road loss, this one 74-64 to the Pirates to drop the Bulls to 1-4 in the Big East.

One early lapse, allowing Seton Hall (11-6, 1-3) to hit five 3-pointers for a 15-0 run, gave the Pirates the lead for good. USF pulled within three points early in the second half but got no closer than four in the final minutes, hurt by a slew of missed free throws and finishing 7-for-17 at the line. The Bulls were led by Kentrell Gransberry's 21 points, with Jesus Verdejo (13) and Chris Howard (12) also in double figures.

We'll have a full story up later tonight. The Bulls must come home and regroup for a tough game in downtown Tampa against West Virginia on Sunday.

Report: Richmond set to hire Cavs' London

It looks like USF offensive coordinator Greg Gregory isn't going back to his alma mater as head coach. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond is expected to announce the hiring of Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London as their new coach, as early as Friday morning.

Gregory had expressed a "very strong interest" in the opportunity to return to his hometown and alma mater as head coach, though he conceded from the start that he didn't know if Richmond would have an interest in bringing him in. He'll have his offense at USF back nearly intact in 2008, with only one senior in the starting 11 the Bulls had in Oregon.

It looks like another Big East school is losing a key coordinator, as Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is leaving the Panthers to take the same job at Auburn.

-- Just a note: One of USF's commitments, QB/DB Evan Landi of Coral Springs Charter, has earned first-team all-state honors. Landi was named a first-team Class 2A defensive back on the team announced this week. The all-state teams for the state's largest classifications are due out later this week, so I imagine a few other commitments should be on there ...

Remembering Keeley Dorsey, one year later

By coincidence, I got a link today to the Associated Press' list of notable athlete deaths from 2007, and of more than 100 athletes mentioned, none died younger than former USF running back Keeley Dorsey, who died one year ago today, just 19 years old.

That's five years younger than NFL players Sean Taylor, Darrent Williams, Damien Nash and Marquise Hill, who made the AP list at just 24, and younger than Javan Camon, who didn't make the AP list but is well-known and well-remembered by USF fans.

I think back to Dorsey's memorial service in the Sun Dome last year, to the funeral services attended by teammates and coaches in Tallahassee, to linebacker Patrick St. Louis talking to reporters about his friend outside the admin building on campus, and in one sense it's hard to believe it's been a year. There are still memories of Dorsey all around -- decals on football helmets in pictures, photos in the signature of message-board posters, quotes that remind you of Dorsey's tragic reminder to live each today knowing tomorrow might not come.

In the weeks after Dorsey's death last year, there were e-mails and comments from friends and classmates, memories that painted a great picture of Keeley from those who knew him. You're welcome to leave more of those here today, with thoughts and prayers to his family in Tallahassee and his friends and teammates at USF.

A few leftover notes and observations ...

-- SI.com's Stewart Mandel has his "absurdly early" preseason top 25 for 2008 college football, and while three Big East teams make his list, USF isn't one of them. Mandel has West Virginia No. 14, Cincinnati No. 23 and Pittsburgh No. 25. He puts Georgia No. 1, just ahead of Ohio State. Kansas, which plays USF in Tampa, is No. 11.

-- The latest update on the Richmond coaching search from the Richmond Times-Dispatch makes no reference to USF offensive coordinator Greg Gregory, even when they're dropping names of potential candidates. Not to say something couldn't be happening -- I won't rule anything out until they've made a hire, which could be in the next few days ... South Alabama continues to make "preliminary interviews" with candidates for its first head coaching position.  The latest AP story now has six candidates who have interviewed, including USF defensive line coach Dan McCarney. Those interviews were done out of town, with finalists soon expected to be brought back for a second round on campus.

-- Congrats to two former Bulls who became fathers this past week: defensive tackle Richard Clebert and his wife Allison had a daughter, Ayana; and linebacker Stephen Nicholas and his wife welcomed a son, Stephen Jr. ...

-- Remember Kate Verhoff? She was talented enough to start on USF's volleyball team as a freshman two years ago, then transferred to Kent State to play basketball. After sitting out a year, she played five games for Kent State this season, averaging 3.0 points per game, and has transferred again, to Notre Dame College, an NAIA school in South Euclid, Ohio, where her sister, Lisa, is an assistant coach. She's eligible to play right away -- not many college sophomores can boast playing for three different colleges, let alone in two different sports.

-- The Big East is expected to release its conference football schedule for 2008 around the first of February, with dates to match the opponents and locations USF already knows: home against Rutgers, Connecticut, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and road games against Cincinnati, Louisville and West Virginia. It's reasonable to think a Bulls game or two will get the weeknight ESPN or ESPN2 treatment, which is also a possibility for the USF-Kansas game.

Big crowd, all students free for USF-W.Va.

USF's men's basketball team will have its biggest crowd of the season downtown Sunday when the Bulls play host to West Virginia in the St. Pete Times Forum.

Bill Wickett, the Times Forum's senior vice president for communications, said Wednesday that 7,000 tickets already had been distributed, surpassing the Bulls' season high of 6,027, set last week against Pittsburgh in the Sun Dome.

What's more, organizers hope for a strong walk-up crowd, thanks to a promotion that will allow all students -- college, high school and middle school -- free admission with a valid student ID.

The Bulls have topped the 7,000 mark only twice at the Sun Dome since joining the Big East in the 2005-06 season: last year's Notre Dame game drew 7,705 fans, and in March 2006, 9,636 saw the Bulls play Connecticut. While the game is being played off-campus, all USF season-ticket holders were given a ticket to Sunday's game, Wickett said.

The game's 2 p.m. tipoff will go up with the 3 p.m. kickoff for the Patriots-Chargers AFC Championship game, but USF fans are invited to stay after the Bulls game, with the NFL game's CBS broadcast to be shown on the Forum's "Lightning Vision" video boards and all arena TVs.

Start talking USF-Seton Hall hoops ...

My guy Ari is complaining that we're not putting our pregame basketball capsules from the newspaper on the blog, so I'm offering it up here, if for no other reason than to cultivate some discussion about what could -- could -- be USF's first Big East win on the road, and for that matter, USF's first-ever win in Newark. Enjoy, and I'll have more later this afternoon …

USF (10-7, 1-3) at Seton Hall (10-6, 0-3)

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

TV/radio: Catch 47, 1250-AM.

Scouting report: Seton Hall has won all three previous meetings, and we’ll say it again: USF is still seeking its first conference road win in three seasons in the Big East. Seton Hall hasn’t been especially dominant at home, needing overtime to beat Monmouth, Robert Morris and James Madison, and losing to N.C. State. Expect a lot of points, as Seton Hall is second in the Big East in scoring (82.2 ppg) and worst in points allowed (79.6). Good news for USF? The Pirates are worst in rebounding defense and second-worst in 3-point percentage. ... Bulls center Kentrell Gransberry has stepped up his play in the Big East, averaging 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in four league games to raise his average to a team-high 16.3 and 11.2. Freshman guard Dominique Jones is next with 16.1 points, and Seton Hall has its own 1-2 punch in 6-5 forward Brian Laing (19.0 ppg) and 6-foot guard Eugene Harvey (17.2). ... USF and Seton Hall are 75th and 76th in CollegeRPI.com’s ratings; the Pirates are 1-5 (win vs. Virginia) against RPI top 100 teams, while USF is 2-6 (Florida State, UAB).

Grace injured as Bulls fall to 0-4 in Big East

A bad start to Big East play has gotten significantly worse for USF's women's basketball team, which lost a key league home game to Providence 61-49 on Tuesday night after leading scorer Shantia Grace was sidelined early by a sprained right ankle.

USF (10-7, 0-4) has now dropped five in a row, putting any expectations of postseason play in jeopardy. Providence (11-5, 1-2) came in winless in conference play, but led 39-24 as the Bulls struggled without Grace. USF shot 28.8 percent from the field, led by center Jessica Lawson, who had 11 points on 2-for-8 shooting. The Bulls forced 23 turnovers, but committed 20 themselves.

Grace, who played only six minutes and did not score, was questionable for the second half but did not return; she's expected to be able to travel with the team for its next game, Saturday at Seton Hall. With an 0-4 start that includes three home losses, USF is in danger of missing the Big East tournament, which only takes 12 of the league's 16 teams.