Yankees give Bulls a loss to remember

TAMPA – Call it the most enjoyable 11-4 loss in USF baseball history.

The Bulls got a memorable brush with celebrity Friday afternoon at Legends Field, playing a spring training exhibition against the New York Yankees. And while USF managed only two hits, the Bulls made the most out of those moments.

The big hit came in the sixth inning, when Yankees pitcher Kei Igawa walked two batters, then hit USF’s Addison Maruszak to load the bases. Bulls coach Lelo Prado pinch-hit senior Eric Baumann, an Armwood graduate whose last hit came at Duke in 2005, before he missed two seasons with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Baumann sent the first pitch over the left-field wall, putting USF on the scoreboard and himself into a small piece of history.

"It's been a while since I've had a feeling like that," Baumann said. "It's surreal. I knew I hit it hard, so I just started running. I heard the crowd and looked up. I thought 'It's unbelievable I just did that.'"

If Baumann’s hit was the biggest, then Mike Consolmagno’s single up the middle in the fourth might have been the most appreciated. The senior from Staten Island had 40 relatives and friends who flew in from New York, all sitting in the upper deck behind third base, decked in white T-shirts bearing his name and his No. 4.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids,” said his father, Tom Consolmagno, from the stands. “Mike’s been a Yankees fan since birth. It’s such a great experience, because we’re a baseball family. There’s nothing better than to have our family all here.”

Mike Consolmagno said he was starstruck the whole game, especially when he made it to first base and found himself chatting with former American League MVP Jason Giambi.

“He was like all ‘Good job,’ I wanted to hug him, I was so excited,” he said. “But I relaxed and just said, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ tried to make like it was just cool.”

Martinez, in his second season as a Bulls volunteer assistant, is also working as a guest instructor with the Yankees this spring. He showed up in pinstripes, though Prado said he spent more time with the Bulls.

“I can't pay him as much as they do. That's the problem," Prado said.

Even the awkward moments came off fine, like when Bulls starter Shawn Sanford, facing his second batter in the opening innings, plunked Yankees star Derek Jeter in the left elbow.

“After I got into the dugout, the guys were all laughing and it turned into ‘I hope I didn’t hurt him.’ He’s the starting shortstop in the All-Star Game,” Sanford said. “He took his time getting over to first, let me know I hit him pretty good. … Joey (Angelberger) said he said ‘It’s going to happen all year.’ I guess he shrugged it off, which is good.”

Baumann hits grand slam off Igawa

The chant here at Legends Field? That'd be "U-S-F, U-S-F!"

Pinch-hitter Eric Baumann found himself in a great position, as two walks and a hit batsmen had loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning. On a 1-2 pitch from reliever Kei Igawa, the senior catcher from Armwood hit a grand slam over the fence in left field, cutting the Yankees' lead to 9-4.

The Bulls are probably still losing this one, but somebody now can tell their grandkids they did a lot more than just play against the Yankees.

Nice start: Stull gets scoreless inning

As college debuts go, redshirt freshman Matt Stull has about as cool a first Bulls appearance as you can ask for: a scoreless inning of relief against the Yankees.

Stull, a 6-foot-5 right-hander from St. Pete Catholic, made it through the third without hurting the Bulls stranding Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, who had singled.

The Bulls also have their first hit, as Mike Consolmagno -- from Staten Island, no less -- hit a single to straightaway center off Ian Kennedy to lead off the fourth.

The Bulls got cocky and let Stull have a second inning on the mound and he nearly got another zero, but Jorge Posada hit a two-out triple off the wall in right to give the Yankees a 7-0 lead. An error by Addison Maruszak allowed Posada to score, and Shelley Duncan got an RBI single, so it's 9-0, Yankees.

Rough second: Yankees up 5-0 on Bulls

Down 1-0 after an inning, USF is letting things slip a bit. But it is the New York Yankees.

New York now leads 5-0 after getting a pair of two-out singles to leftfield from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez -- still feels weird just to type that -- as the Bulls still seek their first baserunner.

Joba Chamberlain's out after two perfect innings, with Ian Kennedy now on the mound for the Yankees. USF sent freshman Zach Pietrzyk in the second, but he gave up three hits and three walks. Again, he was in high school last year and he's facing the Yankees today, so we'll cut him some slack.

Wow: USF's Sanford plunks Jeter

Here's a fun development: USF starter Shawn Sanford, after getting a line-drive out from Johnny Damon, has hit Yankees star Derek Jeter in the left elbow in the bottom of the first inning.

Sanford threw four pitches to Jeter, with one taken for a ball and two fouled back. Bobby Abreu followed with a single to rightfield, and Alex Rodriguez brought Jeter home with a sacrifice fly to right.

Top of the first: Bulls make contact!

The much-awaited showdown between Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and USF shortstop Addison Maruszak has come and gone, with the Bulls junior popping out to shallow left field to end a 1-2-3 first inning for USF.

Mike Consolmagno led off for USF and made contact on the second pitch, fouling it back, then lined out to rightfield. Ryan Lockwood grounded out to second on the first pitch he saw, then Maruszak -- who had a fun exchange with Chamberlain last week -- took a fastball, fouled back the second pitch, then popped out to left.

Now we see how USF's pitchers can handle the Yankees lineup ...

Payday: Kawika Mitchell signs with Bills

We jump from MLB to NFL, with news that former USF linebacker Kawika Mitchell, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the New York Giants, has signed a free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills.

Terms haven't been disclosed yet, but it's likely the second-largest deal ever for a USF alum, trailing only the five-year, $25-million deal that cornerback Anthony Henry signed with the Cowboys in 2005.

Mitchell shined in his one season with the Giants after playing four years with the Chiefs. The Bulls should have another big contract coming this spring from cornerback Mike Jenkins, who is projected to be drafted in the middle of the first round of the NFL Draft.

Live blog: Bring on the Yankees

Beautiful, beautiful day at Legends Field, with what I like to call thermostat weather: Set it to this every day, I'll never complain. It's about 35 minutes until the first pitch as USF takes on the Yankees in a spring training exhibition.

The Yankees have a $288-million payroll. The Bulls? Maybe half a million in scholarship packages and coaches. The Yankees have more retired jerseys than anybody in any sport. The Bulls have ... Scott Hemond and coach Robin Roberts. The Bulls have zero World Series rings since 2000. The Yankees ... 

Big day for the Bulls spring sports, as baseball gets a shot at the Yankees and softball tries to upset powerhouse Arizona on its home field at 6 p.m. ET. We'll have lots more from Legends Field, where closer Shawn Sanford is expected to get the starting nod for the Bulls, and yes, the Herd of Thunder is here. What says baseball more than a marching band ... in khakis?

Williams, USF's first basketball coach, dies at 84

Don Williams, a pioneer of USF's early sports development as the Bulls' first men's basketball coach, died Thursday morning. He was 84.

Williams, who coached USF in its first three seasons from 1971-74, went 33-42 as head coach, including a victory in the Bulls' first game against Stetson in December 1971.

"He reminded me of a Tom Landry, a quiet guy with a lot of dignity, but he was fierce," said Joe Tomaino, who had just started working at USF when Williams coached the Bulls. "Don Williams was one of the icons."

Williams, who also coached at Tampa's Hillsborough High from 1953-62, is the third notable member of USF's early basketball days to pass away in the last six months. Richard "Dick" Bowers, who was USF's athletic director from 1963-82, died in November, and John Kiser, a captain on the first Bulls team, died in August.

Now batting, University of South Tampa

I probably cultivate it a little with posts like this, but nothing gets USF fans' dander up quite like their school being identified incorrectly, especially in the national media. Today's contribution is one I hadn't heard before, but the Yankees blog of the New York Daily News has a reference today to the "University of South Tampa," which apparently plays the Yankees in a spring training exhibition Friday at Legends Field in Tampa.

One fun little nugget to glean from that blog is that UST -- sorry, USF volunteer assistant Tino Martinez, a guest instructor of the Yankees this spring, will be in pinstripes Friday and not his Bulls uniform. Tino's advice to USF: "You don’t want to beat them," he says of the Bronx Bombers. "You want to be invited back."

Just so you don't think the Bulls are taking this too seriously, Lelo Prado will have his Friday starter, Daniel Thomas, throwing tonight at home against Oklahoma State, resuming his regular rotation Saturday, so he'll allow a bunch of pitchers to throw against the Yankees and have that experience under their belts.

Ouch: Notre Dame beats USF women, 92-49

If you're tired of the agonizingly close finishes the USF men's basketball team has endured in the last two weeks, here's a refreshing break: USF's women's team found itself down 31 at the half on Wednesday on the way to a 92-49 loss at No. 14 Notre Dame.

USF (13-14, 3-11) is below .500 for the first time this season, all but eliminating itself from contention for the Big East tournament with two games to play. Shantia Grace led the Bulls with 15 points, but went 4 of 14 from the field. Notre Dame played nine players and all but one finished with at least seven points.

The Bulls have another tough game ahead, returning home to face Pittsburgh on Saturday before finishing the year at Marquette. They're likely to miss the postseason for the first time in five seasons.

Would you commit to RayJay through 2026?

We knew USF would have to commit to a longer lease at Raymond James Stadium if the Bulls wanted scheduling priority to avoid conflicts such as the ACC championship game. But how long?

The initial term sheet offered between the Tampa Sports Authority and USF to amend their lease agreement calls for the contract to be extended from a five-year deal (with the right to opt out with two years' notice) to a 20-year deal through the 2026 season, with no right to early termination.

It's just a starting point, and right now, the focus is on trying to find a compromise that will allow USF and the ACC game to co-exist in the first week of December. But seeing the growth of USF football in its 11 seasons, how would you feel about locking the Bulls future into Raymond James Stadium for the next 19 years? Is gaining the right to a home season finale worth shelving the possibility of an on-campus stadium for nearly two decades?

That question leads off this week's USF notebook, along with the Bulls somehow leading the Big East in men's basketball attendance growth and a new name interested in joining Jim Leavitt's staff. I should have more links this afternoon ...

All too familiar: Seton Hall nips USF, 79-75

TAMPA – It wasn’t a one-point loss, as the last two games had been for USF, but when the Bulls fell 79-75 to Seton Hall in the Sun Dome on Tuesday night, was every bit as agonizingly, frustratingly, historically close.

Down two with 15 seconds to play, USF center Kentrell Gransberry missed two free throws, part of a 2-for-6 effort at the line for the Bulls in the final 1:20. Seton Hall hit its last four free throws in the final 31 seconds, clinching a win that officially eliminates USF from the Big East tournament.

“It seemed like the breaks didn’t go our way, but we’ve got to create our own breaks, too,” coach Stan Heath said. “We still had great chances … it’s just the one or two right there that eluded us. A lot of teams that are young and figuring things out go through these things, though you hope you don’t have to.”

The loss spoiled a superb night for USF guard Dominique Jones, who scored a career-high 31 points, the most by any freshman in the Big East this season.

“Jones was so spectacular that we could not stop him,” Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez said.

But Jones missed a free throw of his own that would have tied the game with 1:20 to play, and had a layup blocked with 50 seconds left. Those, unfortunately, are the memories that linger after the loss.

“All night, you think about, ‘Oh, if I would have done this different, if I would have done that different, we would have come out with a win,” said Jones, who set USF’s freshman season scoring record, set by B.B. Waldon in 1998-99. “All that individual stuff, it means something to me, but I can always trade stuff in for a win.”

The Bulls (11-17, 2-13) lost to Connecticut in overtime by one point on Feb. 16, then again by one point at Cincinnati on Feb. 20.

In USF’s history, this run of three losses in 11 days by a combined six points is unprecedentedly close. Of 174 previous stretches of three consecutive losses, dating back to 1971, none had been lost by less than a combined eight points.

The Bulls trailed the entire second half, by as much as nine, after a free throw off an Amu Saaka technical foul put Seton Hall up 58-49. The Bulls clawed back, twice taking 3-pointers that would give them the lead, but both missed.

Chris Howard missed a free throw with 34 seconds to keep Seton Hall up 75-73, and teammate B.J. Ajayi had the rebound before center John Garcia popped it loose. Garcia, a 55 percent shooter, hit two free throws for a four-point lead.

Jones hit a layup to pull within two with 21 seconds to play, and a backcourt travel by Seton Hall gave USF a chance to tie with 16.2 left. Gransberry, who had 15 points, missed his free throws, and a wild outlet pass from the Pirates took a lucky carom off the backboard and to Garcia, who passed to Jeremy Hazell, who hit two free throws to put the game away.

Brian Laing had 20 of his 24 points in the first half for Seton Hall, and when USF got him into foul trouble, Jamar Nutter stepped up, scoring 16 of his 20 in a nine-minute span of the second half.

USF came in as the Big East’s worst free-throw shooting team, but was hitting 80 percent (16 of 20) until the final 1:20, when the biggest shots cost them a chance to win.

“The ones we really needed just didn’t go down for us,” Heath said.

Ajayi putback cuts it to 73-71, 1:55 left

USF got a big 3-pointer from Dominique Jones, then after a Eugene Harvey layup, the Bulls got a key putback from forward B.J. Ajayi to cut Seton Hall's lead to 73-71 with 1:55 left at the Sun Dome.

Jones has 28 points, two off his career high.

USF down 67-65 to Pirates, 4:32 to play

Seton Hall has led the entire second half here in the Sun Dome, but USF isn't going away, trailing 67-65 after a Jesus Verdejo runner with 4:32 left.

Dominique Jones leads the Bulls with 25 points and Kentrell Gransberry has 15 points, but neither has scored in four minutes, with B.J. Ajayi and Verdejo picking up the slack.

Twice since the seven-minute mark, the Bulls have had a chance to take the lead, but Jones and Chris Howard missed 3-pointers while down two, and Seton Hall has kept its lead.

Finally: Live blog, USF down 58-53

That massive power outage that put millions of Floridians without power today also claimed the wireless network here in the Sun Dome, which is now up, allowing me to blog from tonight's USF-Seton Hall game.

Real close game here, with USF down 35-33 at halftime and now trailing 58-53 with 10 minutes to play. Seton Hall's Brian Laing went off for 20 in the first half, and while he's cooled off, teammate Jamal Nutter has scored 16 points in the second half, helping the Pirates keep their lead. USF guard Dominique Jones has set USF's freshman season scoring record, with 23 points in a strong showing.

Combine interview: Mike Jenkins verbatim

I'll have more on news from the NFL scouting combine, but first wanted to offer up a transcript of an interview former USF cornerback Mike Jenkins gave to reporters in Indianapolis. It's made available through the Pro Football Writers Association, and I want to thank our NFL writer, Stephen Holder, for passing it along. Here you go, and check back for plenty of live blogging from basketball tonight.

Q: (How did South Florida become so prominent in college football?)
MJ: "I think it's more of coaching - they've done a great job of getting guys ready."

Q: (How did he end up at South Florida after being recruited by Florida, Oregon, Nebraska, and Clemson?)
MJ: "My mother was sick. She had diabetes. On my signing day, she actually went into the hospital. I was keeping my little brother. It was only an hour from Bradenton to Tampa, so I could commute to take care of my brother."

Q: (What did you do to get ready for the combine?)
MJ: "I trained down in Orlando."

Q: (What teams have you talked to?)
MJ: "I haven't done any interviews yet, but yesterday I did 'preinterviews' with
the Rams, the Saints, Panthers … there was a lot of teams."

Q: (Can you talk about kickoff returns, and your 100-yarder?)
MJ: "I did kickoff returns back in high school. I hadn't done it in college until we played at Cincinnati - I was always behind another guy. He got hurt that week and they put me back there. My first time returning a kickoff, I ran it back 100 yards."

Q: (What was it like, the team getting ranked so high?)
MJ: "There definitely was a lot of attention, coming from the fans. Even in school - our school isn't really that big."

Q: (What makes you a good returner?)
MJ: "My speed. I'm a 10.5 hundred guy."

Q: (Would it be neat to be drafted by the Bucs?)
MJ: "It would mean a lot. Staying in Tampa, I could give back to the community."

Q: (Best receiver you faced?)
MJ: "This year, probably Harry Douglas from Louisville."

Q: (Q: How'd you do against Brian Brohm?)
MJ: "I picked Brian Brohm off once."

Q: (What corners did you pattern yourself after?)
MJ: "Champ Bailey, DeAngelo Hall and Al Harris."

Q: (Why Al Harris?)
MJ: "I like his aggressiveness."

Q: (What would it be like to be USF's highest-ever draft pick?)
MJ: "It would be an accomplishment for me - I had a lot of doubters, people saying I wouldn't go too high, just because I went to South Florida out of high school. So it would be a big accomplishment."

Q: (Why didn't you show for the Senior Bowl?)
MJ: "My first week in Orlando training, I kind of tweaked my hamstring. My agent kind of held me out from there." (Agent is Eugene Parker).

Q: (What has the combine process been like, with the medical exams, etc.)

MJ: "It's definitely something I understand, because they're going to invest a lot of money in you ... it's been pretty rough going through this whole process. They wake you up early in the morning. They check your body; if nothing's wrong with you, they're going to make something be wrong with you. If they see anything wrong with you, you have to get X-rays … It's just a long process, but it's pretty cool being up there with all the guys and the scouts."

Q: (How long did the medical testing take?)
MJ: "Aw, man. I got down there at 7 o'clock this morning. I didn't get back to my room until 1-something."

Q: (Weirdest question asked?)
MJ: "Pretty much all the questions have been the same, my talent, my parents' history - that's pretty much the craziest. A lot of scouts try to compare me to my father. He made his mistakes coming up. I feel like a lot of scouts are trying to compare me to him, but we're different people … He played at Tennessee State."

Q: (What mistakes?)
MJ: "I'd rather not discuss it."

Q: (A lot of good corners high in this draft?)
MJ: "I think all the corners are pretty much the same (physically) … I definitely don't compare myself to anybody. We all have different games."

Hoops recruiting: Goins sets up USF visit

Making a lot of basketball recruiting calls, and had meant to get this up yesterday, but there's encouraging developments for USF in the recruitment of 6-foot-10 center Steve Goins from Chicago's Curie High.

The biggest news is that Curie has lined up an official visit to Tampa -- the only one he's made with a top-level program -- and will come to Tampa with his mother the weekend of March 8. He's also likely to visit Connecticut, and the only program he's previously visited is hometown Illinois-Chicago. Another indication of Goins' interest in USF is that he, his mother and Curie assistant Larry Wallace attended USF's road game at DePaul two weeks ago and met briefly with coaches after the game.

Not convinced Goins is a Big East player? Wallace said Goins showed a lot Saturday, when Curie went up against Chicago Farragut (where Kevin Garnett played) in the city playoffs and Goins held his own against 6-foot-9 Michael Dunigan, an Oregon signee who is a five-star recruit according to Scout.com, a McDonald's All-American rated as the No. 3 center nationally in this class. Goins finished with eight points and nine rebounds; Dunigan had 14 and seven as Farragut posted a 20-point win.

One more Goins note: he's a high school teammate of 6-foot-5 forward Wayne Blackshear, considered one of the top prep freshmen in the country. Curie opens the state playoffs tonight ...

Two new names to offer: USF coach Stan Heath was out in Idaho a few weeks ago to look at Juan Pattillo, a 6-foot-7 forward from the College of Southern Idaho, according to Barret Peery, coach at the juco powerhouse.

Pattillo has come on strong this season, leading a 26-0 CSI team with 17.7 points per game and ranking a close second on the team with 7.2 rebounds. It's also worth noting he's hitting more than 70 percent of his free throws. Pattillo, who is from Las Vegas, has some heavy hitters on him, with Arizona, UCLA and Oklahoma among his other top suitors, along with hometown UNLV. Pattillo won't set up visits until after his season ends in another two weeks or so, but USF figures to be in the mix.

Another juco forward USF is watching is Zvonko Buljan (sounds like bull-yon), a 6-8, 220-pound sophomore at Vincennes University in Indiana. Coach Everick Sullivan said Tuesday that USF has had coaches in to see him "a couple of times," but that Buljan has 15-20 schools interested and he won't start narrowing down his list for visits until after the season ends in 2-3 weeks. Buljan is averaging 13.0 points and 9.4 rebounds -- "a great rebounder, very skilled, can step out on the perimeter, very athletic, can guard 3s if he needs to," Sullivan said. I hesitate to even mention this, but Buljan is from the same Croatian city as former USF center Frane Markusovic. Again, that's all I know them to have in common. These guys don't have offers as Goins does, so all we're saying is USF's looking at them, and we'll check back as these guys start to line up visits ...

Infielder Butler suspended indefinitely

Senior infielder Dexter Butler, the only USF baseball player named to the Big East preseason all-conference team, has been suspended indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Butler, who has started 158 games over the last three seasons, did not play in USF's season-opening series with Indiana State. The senior from Key West ranked third on the Bulls last season with a .324 batting average and finished with 44 RBIs, one off the team lead.

USF baseball coach Lelo Prado could not be reached for comment Monday. The Bulls started freshman Jonathan Koscso in Butler's place at second base this weekend, and Koscso went 2-for-11 in his first games at USF, with both hits coming in Sunday's 6-4 loss.

In other news, USF's Addison Maruszak and Daniel Thomas were named to the Big East honor roll for the week after Maruszak went 7-for-13 (.538) with his first home run of the season and Thomas pitched five scoreless innings of one-hit baseball, striking out seven in Friday's season opener.

The Bulls (2-1) next play Thursday at home against Oklahoma State, with an exhibition scheduled for Friday afternoon at Legends Field against the New York Yankees. USF plays at home against Northwestern on Saturday and against Oklahoma State again Sunday.

Genus will get look at defensive tackle

Here's a new wrinkle to pay attention to when spring football opens next week: Offensive lineman Sampson Genus, talented and strong enough to play as a true freshman last fall, will get a look at defensive tackle this spring as the Bulls work to build depth on the defensive line.

By no means is this a permanent move, just the kind of tinkering you see in spring drills and something coaches will continue to tweak in the week leading up to the first spring practice March 4. With a general lack of depth on both lines, you could see more players getting looks at other positions.

Genus, 6 foot 1 and 308 pounds, played sparingly at guard in six games last season, making him one of two true freshman linemen to see action, along with Terrell McClain. Genus came to campus as one of the strongest players on the team, boasting a 420-pound bench press in high school.

USF has little depth on the defensive line this spring behind projected starters Aaron Harris and McClain. The top backups at defensive tackle entering spring drills would be converted linebacker Keith McCaskill at three-technique and another redshirt freshman, Darren Powe, at nose tackle. USF has two potential impact signees this fall at defensive tackle in Jatavious Jackson and Danous Estenor.

-- One quick note: We'd told you last month about Adam Shaw, the walk-on quarterback transferring in after one semester at Richmond. He won't be on the spring roster and said last week he wants to focus on making the transition to USF this spring and has talked with Jim Leavitt about joining the team as a walk-on this fall.

USF gets four national TV games in '08

The Big East released its 2008 football schedules on Monday, and USF has four national TV games, matching the most of any conference team.

Three USF games -- a Friday game at Central Florida on Sept. 5, a Thursday home game against Pittsburgh on Oct. 2, and a Thursday game at Cincinnati on Oct. 30 -- have been designated for broadcast on ESPN. A fourth game, the regular-season finale Dec. 6 at West Virginia, will either go on ESPN or ESPN2. Either way, no Big East team has more games on ESPN's main network than USF.

USF had hoped to finish the season at home against Rutgers with a national TV game on Thursday, Dec. 4, but now they'll close the season at West Virginia, as they did with a huge upset two years ago.

The Bulls have three bye weeks, but none coincide with their weeknight games, so they'll have short week leading up to the UCF, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati games. USF would have a full week off to prepare for the finale at West Virginia, a potential league championship game; the Mountaineers have a key rivalry game at Pittsburgh eight days before meeting the Bulls.

Between the N.C. State and West Virginia games, the Bulls will have a span of 70 days with only two road games, but those two -- at Louisville and at Cincinnati -- will come in a span of six days in late October.

The Big East can add ESPN or ESPN2 coverage to its Saturday games during the season, but here's the breakdown of national TV games per team. The West Virginia-Pittsburgh game is slated for a network broadcast on ABC, while Pittsburgh and Syracuse have games at Notre Dame that will be carried on NBC.

USF                 4   (3 ESPN, 1 ESPN or ESPN2)

Pittsburgh       4   (1 ABC, 1 NBC, 1 ESPN, 1 ESPN or ESPN2)

West Virginia   4   (1 ABC, 2 ESPN, 1 ESPN or ESPN2)

Louisville         4   (2 ESPN, 2 ESPN2)

Cincinnati        3   (2 ESPN, 1 ESPN2)

Rutgers           2   (2 ESPN)

Connecticut     2   (1 ESPN2, 1 ESPN or ESPN2)

Syracuse         1    (1 NBC)

Here's the schedule, so you can print it and put it up on the fridge ... I'm throwing in a blog plug on the bye weeks, just for some NASCAR-style product placement ...

USF

Sat., Aug. 30     Tennessee-Martin

Fri., Sept. 5       at Central Florida (7 p.m., ESPN)

Sat., Sept. 13    Kansas

Sat., Sept. 20    at Florida International

Sat., Sept. 27    at North Carolina State

Thu., Oct. 2       PITTSBURGH (ESPN)

Sat, Oct. 11      OFF (read blogs.tampabay.com/usf !)

Sat., Oct. 18      SYRACUSE

Sat., Oct. 25      at LOUISVILLE

Thu., Oct. 30     at CINCINNATI (ESPN)

Sat., Nov. 8       OFF (read blogs.tampabay.com/usf !)

Sat., Nov. 15      RUTGERS

Sat., Nov. 22      CONNECTICUT

Sat., Nov. 29      OFF (read blogs.tampabay.com/usf !)

Sat., Dec. 6       at WEST VIRGINIA (ESPN/ESPN2)

USF offers this quote from athletic director Doug Woolard: “We are pleased with the spotlight that ESPN and the BIG EAST have presented to our program. USF is on the rise and ESPN recognizes that we are an attractive team to college football viewers across the country. It appears the 2008 season is something the entire community of Tampa Bay will be excited about. We have a challenging home schedule for our fans, a wealth of national exposure and great opportunity to continue the growth of the USF brand.”

Thoughts? Comments? Your assignment, loyal readers, is to rank the four toughest games, finishing with the toughest ...

Late rally keeps baseball undefeated

It's only two games against Indiana State, but the way USF has opened the season has been promising for Lelo Prado's second season with the Bulls.

Take Saturday night, when one new player -- sophomore Chris Rey, a transfer from Miami Dade College -- hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, then rarely used Victor Pina, who went 0-for-4 his entire freshman year, came through with the game-winning RBI single in the 12th. Closer Shaun Sanford pitched three scoreless innings to get the win in relief.

"For us to win there must be a hero every night,” Prado said on USF's official site. “Tonight it was Victor Pina.”

USF's softball team continues to alternate between impressive and disappointing, getting a 10-run no-hitter from three pitchers in a 1-0 win against Hofstra on Friday, then losing 2-1 to Wright State. On Saturday, the Bulls lost to Wisconsin by the same score -- that's a total of three runs in three games on their home field. It was clear the Bulls would have elite-level pitching this season, but it remains to be seen if they'll have the bats to play at a high level.

There's not much that remains to be seen for USF's women's basketball team, whose hopes for making the Big East tournament took a big hit Saturday with a 66-56 loss at Georgetown. With three games remaining, USF is 3-10 in conference play, one game out of 12th place with games remaining against Notre Dame (8-4), Pittsburgh (8-5) and Marquette (7-7). The Bulls have only one win this season against a Big East with seven or more wins, and they'll need at least two in the next two weeks if they want to play in Hartford. The two teams immediately ahead of the Bulls with 4-9 records, Georgetown and St. John's, have beaten USF and thus have the tiebreaker advantage should they share the same record.

Questions or comments from you guys who have seen the spring teams in person? We'll get an update in from the NFL combine and more later tonight ...

Spring football: Sooner than you think

Didn't think you could wait until March 18 for spring football practice? No need to worry. The Bulls will squeeze in three practices before spring break, going March 4-6 before starting spring drills in earnest on March 18. So yes, spring football is just 12 days away ... with a 12-day hiatus in the middle.

USF sent out its full spring roster Thursday, and as the official blog of record for all things walk-on, I have a few departures to announce, even if they won't likely cause much of a fuss anywhere but here on the blog. Seven walk-ons who were on roster at the end of the fall aren't there for spring: kickers William Criswell and Morgan Riley, linebackers Josh Soto, Brad Chancey and Caleb Russell and running backs Rafael Bennett and Marquise Pease.

Again, nothing unusual here -- don't think any of those seven had made it on the field, with Criswell the longest-tenured of the departing walk-ons. I'm down to seven Pinellas County players this spring, with Riley, Criswell and Chancey leaving, but there are more locals coming in the fall. I can't do my "Pease, Love and Understanding" roster joke anymore, but that's probably a good thing.

Former Jefferson and Florida tight end Trent Pupello, said to be getting his first look at defensive end, is now listed as a defensive tackle, which probably suits his 6-foot-2, 276-pound frame. Again, Pupello would need a hardship waiver to play this fall, so it doesn't matter too much whether he's a tackle or an end.

For you roster-number junkies, eagerly hoping to update your video game databases, I can offer a few morsels of who's wearing what this spring:  Pupello is wearing a very un-DT number, 44; another January addition, safety Charlton Sinclair, will wear No. 31, and the new walk-on running back, Joel Miller, will wear No. 37.

And yes, the NFL combine workouts are this weekend in Indianapolis, with Mike Jenkins, Trae Williams and Ben Moffitt representing USF. It looks like Moffitt might have dropped some weight since his USF days, as he was listed at 245 pounds at USF, but his bio page at NFL.com has him down at 231. Should have official heights and weights in the next day or so. Turns out the Big East football schedule likely won't get unveiled until Monday ...

Gaither's Malley earns spot on baseball roster

Former Gaither pitcher Drew Malley, who signed with Ohio State last year and transferred to USF in January, has earned a spot on the Bulls' baseball roster as a walk-on.

Malley, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander, pitched four innings without an earned run in Ohio State's fall intrasquad exhibition. He's the second Gaither grad on USF's roster, joining senior starting pitcher Daniel Thomas. Coach Lelo Prado now has seven Division I transfers on his roster -- two from Louisville, and one each from Ohio State, Duke, Florida, Florida State and Miami. This is the final semester a baseball player can transfer and be eligible immediately.

The Bulls open their season Friday with a three-game series against Indiana State at Red McEwen Field.

Close, again: Another one-point loss for Bulls

For the second time in five days, USF's men's basketball team was one shot away from a key Big East win, but again, the Bulls came up one point short. USF had three shots in the final five seconds to get its first Big East road win, but all of them missed, and Cincinnati eked out a 52-51 win Wednesday night. Here's our story, from correspondent Ryan Ernst.

The latest close loss all but ends USF's hopes of reaching the Big East tournament. The Bulls (11-16, 2-12) will be eliminated from contention with a loss Tuesday against Seton Hall. As it stands, the only chance USF has to make it to Madison Square Garden is to win its four remaining games and have Villanova, Seton Hall or DePaul lose their final five games, with St. John's and Providence winning no more than one of their remaining four games.

Football news: We'd told you late last season that USF coach Jim Leavitt wanted to seek a sixth year of eligibility for tackle Jared Carnes. Carnes' mother, Jean, said Wednesday that the extra year is not going to happen, so Carnes' USF career -- earning a scholarship after transferring in as a walk-on and making occasional starts the last two seasons -- is over.

Offensive tackle may be USF's thinnest position, with starter Marc Dile returning as a senior, but barely anyone else with significant game experience at tackle. The initial plan is to shift guard Ryan Schmidt -- who has played some tackle at USF -- to tackle this spring, with senior Matt Huners likely taking his old starting spot at guard. The other options at tackle -- walk-on Jacob Sims, redshirt freshman Thomas Edenfield, and Danny Tolley, who has missed most of the last two seasons with a pelvic injury -- are largely unproven.

We had this in Wednesday's paper, but neglected to write here that Eric Setser, USF's starting long-snapper for the past two seasons, will be on scholarship for his final season with the Bulls. Setser is the latest in a long line of walk-ons to earn scholarships, including returning players like Ben Williams, Justin Teachey and Colby Erskin.

The most recent departures of scholarship players hit hardest on the defensive line, where the entire second line is up for grabs. Looks like redshirt freshmen Keith McCaskill and Darren Powe will be the second-team tackles going into spring football. End obviously gets a boost in the fall with junior college transfers David Bedford and Craig Marshall, but I'm not sure who the second-team ends would be to open spring drills. If you consider Chris Robinson an end, he'd be there, but it's still unclear whether he's an end or a linebacker ...

Former USF star Hall arrested in Pinellas Co.

Former USF running back Andre Hall, who just finished his first full NFL season with the Denver Broncos, was arrested Tuesday in Pinellas County. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Hall was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of failing to appear in court on a January citation for driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Hall, 25, a St. Petersburg native who is USF's career rushing leader, was arrested at 4:47 p.m. Tuesday and released less than an hour later on $513 bond, according to the site.

He was previously cited in Pinellas County on Jan. 11 for speeding in a school zone and driving with a suspended or revoked license, county records show. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he missed a court date Feb. 5, and his license was suspended again Feb. 11 because he had failed to pay a $260 fine related to the school zone citation, according to the records.

Hall's license was originally suspended for failing to pay a $117 fine related to another traffic infraction in February 2007; he paid the fine in August, but did not have the suspension on his license lifted, according to county records.

Hall, who rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos in 2007, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

USF women rally from 15 down to win

Big, big home win for USF's women's basketball team tonight, rallying from a 25-10 deficit to pull out a 77-66 victory against Villanova in the Sun Dome. Amazingly, the Bulls committed only three turnovers -- while the media guide does not list a school record for fewest turnovers, it's hard to imagine this isn't a low in the program's history.

The Bulls (13-12, 3-9) regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Daiane Packer with 13:43 and did not trail Villanova (15-11, 5-8) again, leading by at least six points from the nine-minute mark on.

While Shantia Grace led the Bulls with 21 points, she did so on 8-for-26 shooting. The more impressive showings came from Jazmine Sepulveda and ChiChi Okpaleke, who scored 19 points each. Grace had seven assists and zero turnovers in 40 minutes; Okapaleke had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and sophomore Porche Grant, who played 33 minutes, had a game-high 15 rebounds to go with nine points. USF outrebounded the worst rebounding team in the Big East 48-34 -- a ridiculous 20-3 edge on offensive boards -- and won despite giving up 11 3-pointers.

If the Bulls are to make the Big East tournament, they'll really need to win against Saturday when they travel to face Georgetown, which at 3-8 is a half-game ahead of USF for 12th place -- the last spot to make it to Hartford -- in the Big East standings.

New walk-on: Wharton RB Joel Miller

We remind you loyal readers all the time that we seek to be the official blog of record for all things walk-on at USF, and we have news of the first walk-on to earn a spot on the spring roster from the open tryouts held on campus two weeks ago: it's Joel Miller, a freshman running back from Wharton who rushed for more than 1,200 yards in each of his last two seasons with the Wildcats.

The Wharton roster from the Times' 2006 football preview section listed Miller at 6 feet, 190 pounds, and he was honored as a third-team all-state selection in 2005. Wharton's official site lists him as rushing for 1,323 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005, and the Times has him as rushing for 1,291 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior in 2006.

Running back is a tough position to break in at, as every back from last season is expected back for the Bulls, with only Ben Williams and Shawn Cannon as seniors this fall. If Miller can keep his roster spot, he'll be a redshirt freshman in the fall.

Five reserve players not on spring roster

Five scholarship football players, all defensive reserves who have played sparingly if at all, are not on USF's spring football roster and aren't expected to be with the team this fall.

The most prominent of the five are defensive linemen Josh Smiley and Brandon Peguese, who were at one point listed as top backups on USF's depth chart but combined for just five tackles as redshirt freshmen in 2007. Also gone are defensive back Jamaal Jenkins, a former walk-on who had four special-teams tackles last season; linebacker Marvin Peoples and defensive tackle Corian Garrison.

Peoples transferred to USF after one season at Maryland, but wasn't able to earn any significant playing time at linebacker, making a small impact on special teams. Garrison injured his knee before arriving on campus last fall and was never able to practice with the Bulls; it's unknown if he'll be able to recover enough to play football on the college level.

Counting linebacker Donte Spires and defensive tackle Kyle Dampier, the Bulls have lost seven defensive reserves who were on scholarship last fall. The incoming recruiting class will help address those losses, with at least 15 of 26 new scholarship players slated to get their first look on defense. The departures aren't likely to impact the Bulls on the field except for some depth concerns, though the turnover will have an impact on USF's football APR scores, which factor in retention of scholarship athletes.

Maddon, Yankee rookies headline USF banquet

Rays manager Joe Maddon, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and Yankees phenoms Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes are among the celebrity guests for USF's Leadoff Banquet on Wednesday night in Tampa.

The banquet, hosted by USF baseball coach Lelo Prado and softball coach Ken Eriksen, had a strong Yankees presence last season, starting with Prado's brother-in-law and volunteer assistant, Tino Martinez, and Yankee stars such as Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. The connection between the two programs also includes USF alum Dave Eiland, who is the Yankees' pitching coach and will also be a guest at the banquet, along with Martinez and former Yankees pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon.

The banquet will be held at the Pepin Center on N. 50th Street in Tampa, with a reception starting at 6:30 p.m. and dinner following at 7:30. A limited number of tickets were still available Tuesday afternoon, with seats costing $75, or $800 for a full table. For information, call the Bulls Club at (813) 974-7494.

The Bulls and Yankees will meet for the first time on Friday, Feb. 29, in an exhibition at Legends Field to open the spring training schedule for the Yankees.

USF-UConn hoops: Where does it rank?

I've been asked several times in the last few days where I'd rank Saturday's USF-Connecticut overtime thriller in terms of the most exciting basketball games I've covered. I've only been on the USF beat four years, but I think it has to be at the top of the Bulls list right now. It's right there with football's best games in the last year or two, though I think of those as being bigger because of the ramifications on the line with any college football loss. Every bit as exciting, though.

It's hard to remember a game so tight for the entire length of the game -- USF led by seven early, but neither team led by more than five in the second half, so it's a prizefight in a phonebooth, no room for anybody to take a step back and catch their breath. Then the finish -- so many back-and-forth punches late, then Jesus Verdejo's huge high-rising 3-pointer to force overtime.

Connecticut had two strange turnovers under its own basket at the end -- the first gave USF a chance to win in regulation. To see two lead changes in the final six seconds is phenomenal, and Craig Austrie's runner from the free-throw line with 0.2 seconds -- while heartbreaking for Bulls fans -- was a great example of a player being keenly aware of the clock and himself amid chaos. I also liked the general lack of any controversy -- no real raw calls, just a great game on both ends.

I'm reading Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback on SI.com, and even PK chimes in on USF-UConn: "I'm not a big college basketball guy, but the UConn-South Florida game Saturday was about as good a cliffhanger in the last 10 minutes as you'll ever see."

Jones on pace for USF freshman scoring mark

Bulls guard Dominique Jones, fresh off his third Big East Rookie of the Week honor, is closing in on USF's freshman scoring record, set by B.B. Waldon in 1998-99.

With five games to play, Jones has 418 points, putting him 37 behind Waldon's record of 455. At his current average, he'll finish with 498 points, so the more interesting watch is to see whether he can get to 500 on the season. He'll need a real strong finish to crack the top 10 scoring seasons in USF history -- the cut to make that list is 533 points, so Jones would have to average 23 points the rest of the way.

Tonight's bar-bet trivia question is a doozy, and again, no looking it up in media guides: Counting conference games only, who holds the Big East freshman records for total points in a season, scoring average, and points in a game? (Clue: It's three different guys, two of which you should know.)

Other obscure statistical milestones to keep an eye on in the next few weeks: center Kentrell Gransberry is on pace to have the second-highest total rebounds in any USF season. Gransberry has 274, so he needs three rebounds to crack the all-time top 10 seasons, but he's on pace for 329, which would finish second behind the 383 Hakim Shahid had in 1989-90. Gransberry's current average of 11.0 would rank third, behind his 11.4 average last season, and Shahid's 12.4 in '89-90.

And if you want really obscure, pull for Solomon Bozeman to get to the free throw line at least 22 times in the last five games. Bozeman's shooting 87.5 percent at the line (35 of 40), which would be the third-best season in USF history, but to make the cut, a player has to average two free throws per game. In a 31-game season, that means 62 attempts. The good news? Bozeman can miss one of those 22 attempts and still get the highest free-throw percentage in school history. That record? Who could forget Cal Glover's 88.9 percent in 1976-77? Bozeman barely missed Glover's mark as a freshman last season, hitting 88.4 percent -- yes, by making just one more out of 147 attempts last season, Bozeman would have the best season in school history.

And, getting back to the freshman phenom Jones: Barring a ridiculous finish to his season, he will not be the Big East Rookie of the Year. That honor will go to Syracuse's Donte Greene, who has averaged about two more points per game for a more successful team, while ranking among the league leaders in rebounds (7.2) and blocks (1.8). Jones is a solid runner-up and a lock for any league all-freshman team. During the ESPN Regional broadcast Saturday, Mike Jarvis called him one of the best freshmen in the nation. Hard to argue with that ...

Jones named rookie of the Week

Freshman Dominique Jones was named Big East Rookie of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games. It was the third time Jones has won the award.

   

Leavitt revels in Sant'Yago parade fun

Lots of basketball to reflect on from Saturday, but perhaps the most amusing news was that USF football coach Jim Leavitt was an honored bead-tossing guest at the Sant'Yago Illuminated Knight parade in Ybor City on Saturday night.

The clincher is that Tampa Bay's 10 got some video of Leavitt, loaded with beads and smiling in the back of a convertible. The second shot of Leavitt from the clip is great -- in classic Ybor parade fashion, somebody convinced him to take his shirt off, so he pulls his green USF warmup off and tosses it into the crowd. And yes, he did have a white T-shirt on. Rocky the Bull even made it into the clip.

This, much like his Sun Dome basketball cameo in USF's student section last month, shows he's letting his guard down a little this offseason, something I haven't always seen him do ...

No. 5 Rutgers cruises to 71-50 win at USF

TAMPA -- After back-to-back games against No. 1 teams, No. 5 Rutgers got the refreshing break of an unranked opponent Saturday night, and there was no hint of controversy or disappointment in the Scarlet Knights' easy 71-50 win against South Florida.

"This was a nice game for us to play," said Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, whose team played for the first time since a controversial last-second call allowed Tennessee to beat Rutgers on Monday night.

A season-high crowd of 2,151 saw USF (12-12, 2-9) tied with Rutgers (20-4, 10-1) at 25-25, with 17 of those points coming from Bulls guard Shantia Grace. Rutgers pulled away to a nine-point halftime lead and USF never got closer than eight, but Grace finished with 30 points. It's the most anyone has scored against Rutgers this season, topping the 27 scored by Tennessee's Candace Parker.

Grace became only the second person in USF history to score 25 or more points in three consecutive games, joining the program's all-time leading scorer, Jessica Dickson.

Rutgers, led by Matee Ajavon's 14 points, shot a season-high 61.9 percent, getting a 31-3 edge in bench scoring.

"That's hard to deal with," USF coach Jose Fernandez said. "It's not like we weren't trying to guard them. They hit some tough shots. They're very talented."

USF offered $3 tickets as part of the NCAA's "Think Pink" week, with proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for breast cancer research and awareness. As a result, the crowd was nearly double the 1,153 that saw the two teams play in Tampa in 2006.

USF, which plays host to Villanova on Tuesday, is a game and a half out of 12th place and a trip to the Big East tournament with five games remaining.

Grace with 28, Bulls down 17 ...

Things are not looking any better for USF's women's basketball team, now trailing 54-37 against No. 5 Rutgers, but the school's single-game scoring record is very much still in play for Shantia Grace.

Grace now has 28 points in 28 minutes, putting her exactly on pace to barely break LaTonya Greer's 10-year-old record of 39 points. Again, the rest of USF's team, collectively, isn't quite into double digits yet, accounting for nine total points. Her teammates were 2-for-13 in the first half and have a free throw (Congrats, ChiChi Okpaleke!) to show for their second-half scoring with 11:48 to play.

Grace gunning for USF scoring record?

I think I officially jinxed the USF women's basketball team with that last post, as since that 25-25 tie, Rutgers is off on a 14-5 run. To update, the Scarlet Knights lead the Bulls 39-30 at the half.

The news, then, is that USF junior guard Shantia Grace already has 22 points, putting her within range of the Bulls' school single-game record of 39 points, set by LaTonya Greer against Cleveland State in 1997. Yes, seems amazing Jessica Dickson didn't get 40 once in her record-setting career, and coincidentally, her career high of 37 came against Rutgers on this court two years ago.

Grace has come close before -- she set a career high just 11 days ago with 35 points in USF's upset of then-No. 25 DePaul. We'll keep you posted on her scoring here, as well as the game itself ...

Seriously: USF women tied 25-25 with Rutgers

Since I wrote the headline, Rutgers' Heather Zurich has pulled off a four-point play, but with six minutes left in the first half, Shantia Grace had scored 17 points to have USF tied with No. 5 Rutgers, 25-25.

OK, and as I wrote that paragraph, Matee Ajavon hit a jumper to make it 31-25. What's really amazing is with eight minutes left in the half, Rutgers was shooting 81 percent, USF was shooting 33 percent, and the Bulls were only down three. Still, good showing for the Bulls early -- I don't know that this one is going to overtime, but USF is playing well ...

Grace keeping Bulls close with No. 5 Rutgers

Eight minutes into the game, USF is keeping impressively close with No. 5 Rutgers, trailing 16-12. Junior guard Shantia Grace has 10 of USF's 12 points, with Melissa Dalembert getting the remaining points on a pair of free throws.

Considering that USF lost by 26 to Rutgers last season, it's a promising start for the Bulls. Rutgers' last two opponents have been ranked No. 1, and the Scarlet Knights haven't played since Monday's loss at Tennessee and its botched final call. Rutgers has won 25 straight against unranked opponents.

Hey, unrelated, but I'm thinking this Mike Bibby trade to the Hawks could help Solomon Jones' minutes a bit in Atlanta. He's only averaging 1.0 point per game, but with Lorenzen Wright and Shelden Williams gone, he likely slides a spot or two away from the end of the Hawks bench.

Live blog: USF women vs. Rutgers

Back at the Sun Dome after a few hours off, here to cover the USF women's basketball game against No. 5 Rutgers. USF is participating in "Think Pink" week, offering tickets tonight for just $3, with proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for breast cancer research and awareness.

USF coach Jose Fernandez is wearing a pink dress shirt and pink tie under a black coat, pulling off the color about as well as you can under any circumstance. USF's bench players have pink shirts in lieu of their regular warmups. Rutgers wore the pink in Monday's showdown with Tennessee, and with the way that one ended, you can't really blame them for going back to their standard reds ...

Thriller: UConn's Austrie beats Bulls at buzzer

TAMPA – In a game that was tight from start to finish, the Sun Dome went from euphoria to stunned silence in six seconds Saturday afternoon.

USF freshman Dominique Jones hit a putback with six seconds left in overtime, putting the Bulls in position for a second Big East upset in four days, but Connecticut hurried down the court and guard Craig Austrie nailed a runner from the free-throw line with 0.2 seconds left, allowing the No. 17 Huskies to escape with a 74-73 thriller of a win.

“The way our guys laid it out there, they certainly played like a winning team,” coach Stan Heath said. “It’s too bad we didn’t get to experience that kind of victory today. … We made big plays, they made big plays. They had the last possession, and that was a hell of a shot the kid knocked down.”

In a battle of two of the Big East’s best big men, USF’s Kentrell Gransberry had a huge showing, finishing with 26 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks. UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet, six inches taller at 7-foot-3, had eight blocks but was held to six points and nine rebounds.

The Bulls (11-15, 2-11) nearly pulled off the upset in regulation, as guard Jesus Verdejo hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to tie the game at 65-65. Connecticut (20-5, 9-3) turned the ball over in the backcourt, giving USF a shot at the win, but Jones’ drive missed in the final seconds.

With two minutes left in overtime, USF led 71-67 with the ball, but UConn clawed back, getting a three-point play from guard A.J. Price with 1:47 left. Down one, Price missed a layup with 38 seconds remaining, but Stanley Robinson got a putback dunk to give the Huskies a 72-71 lead.

Heath called a timeout with 19 seconds left, and Jones kept the ball and drove to the basket, missing but getting his rebound and banking it in. Connecticut had a time out available, but let the final six seconds play out live.

“Craig made the play that we talked about: If it’s late and they make something, we’re coming at you,” Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said. “We’re not going to call a time out, because they won’t be ready.”

USF tried a length-of-the-court pass, but UConn’s Jeff Adrien intercepted it, heaving the ball halfway up the Sun Dome stands as the Huskies danced on the court. Their celebration – the Big East’s hottest team winning its ninth straight game, against the league’s last-place team, days removed from a 10-game losing streak – showed UConn’s respect for the Bulls.

“I give incredible credit to South Florida,” Calhoun said. “I’m not a predictor of the future, but I have to say the Syracuse game, they turned the corner. I have no idea of the past, but over the last two games … they’re a very good basketball team. They defend, they play hard … they get right up into you and play terrific defense. Early, we were taken aback by that, clearly. ... On my scales, they outplayed us.”

A crowd of 6,185 saw a taut game in which neither team led by more than seven points. Speedy Huskies guards A.J. Price and Doug Wiggins, who combined for 43 points, had a key 11-2 run that put UConn up 56-52 with five minutes to play. USF got three free throws and the key 3-pointer in the final two minutes from Verdejo, who had 17 points, one more than Jones.

The Bulls outrebounded the league's No. 2 rebounding team, 44-35, and outblocked the league's top blocking team 12-11 -- only once in the past 32 years have the Bulls blocked more shots in a game. One clutch shot was all that kept them from upsetting a ranked team for the third year in a row.

"We knew all along we could play with them, and we stood with them," Gransberry said. "The guy just hit a tough shot. You can't ask for any more."

Jones' layup has USF up four in OT

USF is up four on No. 17 Connecticut with 2:44 left in overtime, getting a great transition play to force a Huskies timeout.

Kentrell Gransberry got a loose ball in the UConn paint, fed it to Chris Howard, who threw a 60-foot pass to Dominique Jones, who got a layup for a 71-67 lead. This came after another huge shot from Jesus Verdejo, who hit a pullup to break a 67-67 tie.

Overtime: Verdejo 3 ties it up 65-65

USF guard Jesus Verdejo has stepped up huge in the final two minutes, hitting three free throws, then nailing a 3-pointer at the top of the arc with 21 seconds left to force overtime between USF and No. 17 Connecticut here at the Sun Dome.

Connecticut committed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play, giving USF a shot to win in regulation, but Dominique Jones' pullup fell short in the final seconds. They're playing another five minutes here, and the Sun Dome is plenty loud for it ...

This is it: Bulls down 65-62, 0:42 left

USF isn't going away today, as the Bulls again cut a four-point Connecticut lead to a single point, trailing 63-62 with 1:18 to play. The Huskies' Craig Austrie just nailed a lay-up with five on the shot clock, extending the UConn lead to 65-62 with 49 seconds left.

Stan Heath called a time out with 42 seconds remaining, so the Bulls need a 3-pointer to tie, then another defensive stop ...

Still close: UConn up 61-57, 3:31 left

USF and UConn are trading big plays, one after another, and the No. 17 Huskies lead the Bulls 61-57 with 3:31 to play.

Just as UConn had built its lead to 56-52, Kentrell Gransberry answered with a three-point play, grabbing a blocked Chris Howard shot and getting a lay-in and foul, making the shot to give him 24 points. Jeff Adrien answered with a three-point play of his own, and after an assertive Orane Chin basket, Doug Wiggins went 2-for-2 at the line for the Huskies. He's had a great game off the bench, with 20 points.

The Bulls haven't backed off at all in the closing minutes, but with power forward B.J. Ajayi gone after getting his fifth foul with 5:06 to play, USF needs players like Chin to step up here at the end ...

Down to the wire: 50-50, seven to play

Great Big East game here at the Sun Dome, with USF neck-and-neck with No. 17 Connecticut, tied 50-50 with 7:16 to play. The crowd is very much into the game, though Connecticut has scored the last five points after USF had taken a 50-45 lead.

The supporting cast is stepping up, too -- Solomon Bozeman, perhaps the smallest player on the court, just drove straight at Connecticut's post, and Orane Chin got the rebound on the miss and drew a foul on the Huskies' Hasheem Thabeet. The Bulls and Huskies have combined for probably 18 blocked shots so far, so there's a lot of defense on both ends.

Gransberry has 21 points and 11 rebounds, one of his most impressive games of the conference season ...

Down to the wire: 50-50, seven to play

Great Big East game here at the Sun Dome, with USF neck-and-neck with No. 17 Connecticut, tied 50-50 with 7:16 to play. The crowd is very much into the game, though Connecticut has scored the last five points after USF had taken a 50-45 lead.

The supporting cast is stepping up, too -- Solomon Bozeman, perhaps the smallest player on the court, just drove straight at Connecticut's post, and Orane Chin got the rebound on the miss and drew a foul on the Huskies' Hasheem Thabeet. The Bulls and Huskies have combined for probably 18 blocked shots so far, so there's a lot of defense on both ends.

Gransberry has 21 points and 11 rebounds, one of his most impressive games of the conference season ...

Getting loud here: Bulls up, 42-41

Great sequence of plays leading into a media timeout that has the Sun Dome as loud as it's been today, with the Bulls leading No. 17 Connecticut 42-41 with 11:29 to play.

Loose ball on the UConn end, and center Kentrell Gransberry, fresh off a post-up lay-in, grabs the loose ball and shoots it out of the paint down the court -- ball never went more than two feet off the court -- and the speedy Jesus Verdejo, pushing the ball upcourt in transition very well the last few games, got a pull-up floater to fall for a 42-41 lead.

If that didn't have the Sun Dome going, Gransberry swatted a UConn shot for his fourth block of the game, triggering the TV timeout. It's loud here, so if USF can keep momentum, the crowd is behind the Bulls ...

Not good: Ajayi gets fourth foul

USF is hanging right in there with No. 17 Connecticut, down 33-32 with 15:55 left, but power forward B.J. Ajayi has picked up his third and fourth fouls. That means USF will have to go with a rotation of Aris Williams, Orane Chin and Amu Saaka for most of the next 10 minutes or so, against a tough, tall UConn frontcourt.

USF's Kentrell Gransberry has stepped his game up in the second half, already with four points and at least four rebounds in the first four minutes, including two nice offensive boards. If USF can just stay even with UConn on the rebounds, they should be able to stay close on the scoreboard as well.

USF: More rebounds, blocks than UConn

I think if you'd told Stan Heath that at halftime Dominique Jones would have four points and he'd be trailing No. 17 Connecticut by a point, he'd be cool with that.

How about USF outrebounding the No. 2 rebounding team in the Big East 22-17? How about the Bulls outblocking the Huskies, 7-5? Kentrell Gransberry and B.J. Ajayi have been credited with three blocks each, though I think UConn has had more than five, to be fair.

If USF can keep the defensive intensity it's shown in the first half and get Jones more involved in the offense, this could be down to the wire here.

The Late-Half Collapse: UConn up 27-26

Tell me if this sounds familiar: USF is playing well, even leading a tough Big East opponent late in a half, only to see that opponent go off on a tear.

With 6:26 left in the first half, USF was up 21-14 on No. 17 Connecticut ... and two minutes later, the Huskies have tied the game at 22-22. But no sooner do I start typing then does USF show a real spark, getting a bucket from Chris Howard and two free throws from Solomon Bozeman for a 26-22 lead. Connecticut countered with an A.J. Price 3-pointer, and a nice Doug Wiggins baseline drive.

At the half, it's Connecticut 27, USF 26.

So the Times is the presenting sponsor of today's game as Official Paper, etc., and they just did a newspaper-based promotion during a media timeout. Two pairs of fans are on the court, with each challenged to toss a paper to their partner, holding a big bin say 40 feet down the court. I like the promotion, though I will say they're clearing tossing weekday papers. Get 'em Sunday editions out there and then let them show me their arms ...

Another strong start: Bulls up 17-12 on UConn

USF has started well against No. 17 Connecticut, leading for the opening 10 minutes, then responding to the Huskies first lead with six quick points for a 17-12 lead with 7:30 to play.

Just as it was in Wednesday's win against Syracuse, there are three players scoring for the Bulls -- Kentrell Gransberry has eight points, Jesus Verdejo has five and Dominique Jones has a quiet four.

Power forward B.J. Ajayi is on the bench after two early fouls, but the Bulls have gotten surprisingly good play from Aris Williams, who is getting rare Big East minutes against the Huskies frontcourt. Amu Saaka didn't fare well in a brief appearance, and we've yet to see freshman Orane Chin as an option.

After a 9-3 start for the Bulls, the Huskies have made it close, but USF has responded well.

Live blog: Up first, Bulls-Huskies

Blogging live here at the Sun Dome, where there's another strong crowd as expected to see the Bulls go after No. 17 Connecticut. USF has hosted Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun in a span of four days -- two 700-win coaches in the same gym back-to-back. There's only five of those in men's college basketball, so how often can that happen without them playing each other?

A day for rampant live blogging ...

Remember twi-night doubleheaders? USF offers just that at the Sun Dome today, with the men's team taking on No. 17 Connecticut at noon, then the women's team getting No. 5 Rutgers tonight at 7 -- again, tickets are only $3, with proceeds going to breast cancer awareness and research. Lots to blog about after a busy Friday, so keep the comments and questions coming.

We'll start the day with a link to the latest NFL mock draft from SI.com's Don Banks. We told you last week that former USF cornerback Mike Jenkins seemed to be slipping slightly from initial projections that matched him with the No. 7 picks and the Patriots. Banks has the Pats taking a defensive end, with the Ravens at No. 8 taking corner Leodis McKelvin of Troy and Jenkins falling to the Saints at No. 10. Again, going 10th would easily be the top draft pick in USF's short history, so we want to keep any "drop" in perspective.

And just so you guys don't get on me about basketball coverage, we're all over it, with a feature on Kentrell Gransberry's NBA future, how 14 NBA teams will have watched him play in a four-day span after today's game with UConn and 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet. We even got the advance capsules on line, so here's our scouting reports for USF-UConn and USF-Rutgers. That should hold you over til noon or so ...

Unfiltered: Mayor Iorio verbatim on USF

Just want to give you guys a transcript of Tampa mayor Pam Iorio's comments after this afternoon's meeting with USF and Tampa Sports Authority officials and other local leaders. Iorio was designated to speak on behalf of everyone in the meeting, so Judy Genshaft, Jim Leavitt, Henry Saavedra, Rob Higgins and others weren't allowed to comment to the media. Here you go:

"(This was a very positive) meeting with all the parties involved. Of course, the University of South Florida, and how proud we are of all their football achievements and how far we've come with that program, and of course everyone involved in bringing the ACC football tournament here, which is something we're very pleased with.

"We've had a very positive discussion, and I think what's come out of it is very good news for the University of South Florida for the longterm. We're going to look at the University of South Florida structuring a longterm lease agreement with the Sports Authority that will in the future protect their rights for that first week in December, so that in the future and as this program continues to be probably one of the most successful football programs in the country, we'll be very fortunate that that week will be preserved for future football nights, Thursday nights, ESPN, nationally televised events. That is what we're going to do moving forward.

"We are accepting of the '08 and '09 schedule with the ACC football tournament and recognize that that is something we will go with because that is the arrangement. Our real emphasis today has been on longterm and how the University of South Florida's football program fits into the priorities of this community. It is a large priority of this community, and I think that was accepted by everybody in this room.

"We do congratulate those who put out a big effort to bring the ACC here, the Sports Commission and of course the CVB and the Sports Authority. Bringing large national events to Tampa is something we always want to do. The biggest one we bring of course is the Super Bowl, but there are a lot of other major events that we bring. We appreciate the efforts that were put out, but we also recognize the tremendous growth of the University of South Florida's football program, and the fact that that program needs to be protected in the future. That's going to be our longterm goal."

(Question: "When you say longterm, how many years are they looking at to be locked in at Raymond James Stadium?")

Iorio: "I think that's going to between the University of South Florida and the Sports Authority, but it's going to be longer than their current lease agreement, which is five years."

(Question: "When you talk about that week in December, do you mean including the Saturday of that week, or just the days leading up to that Saturday?")

Iorio: "The Saturday of that week. We're talking about the first week in December."

(Question: "Does this mean the ACC championship will be here in '08 and '09. Is USF still trying to get that Thursday night game, or have they decided they're not going to have it and they'll move on?")

Iorio: "The '08 and '09 is something that has been agreed upon. What we're looking at is beyond that. Past 2009, the priority is going to be the University's football program."

(Question: "Would preserving that week for USF in any way limit the ability for Tampa to get the ACC game beyond, in '12, '13?")

Iorio: "It likely would, and that is one of those tradeoffs, but I think it's a tradeoff this community is willing to make to acknowledge the importance of the University's program. Pleased that we could host the ACC football tournament for two years, but that would not be a tournament we would go after in the future."

(Question: "Do you think USF should have an on-campus stadium?")

Iorio: "I don't think that's a priority of the University. I can't speak for the University. I'm just a Bull fan, but I'm not the president and the board and so forth. They can speak to that. We're fortunate we have a professional NFL football stadium that a college team can play in. That's good for the team. I bet the coach loves it. (Leavitt, in background: "Oh, sure.") The fans love it. What we want to do is maximize the use of this asset we have in the community, which is our Raymond James Stadium. That's one of the points of all this. We need to maximize that."

(Question: "Was there any scenario that would allow USF to get a longterm lease and be able to go after an ACC championship in the future, or it was an either/or?")

Iorio: "I think given the scheduling of the ACC championship and the Big East conference schedule, that the two are, in the longt