Aside from the raucous cheers coming from South Florida’s bench, the Verizon Center was dead silent.

On Feb. 3 in Washington, D.C., the 12,207 fans in attendance could only watch in disbelief as traditionally subpar South Florida came from behind to defeat No. 7 Georgetown, 72-64. The loss came just four days after the Hoyas defeated then-No. 8 Duke.

‘It was just a matter of putting it together and going out there and actually doing it,’ USF senior guard Chris Howard said. ‘I always thought that we could play in this league and be one of the top teams in this league. We definitely have the talent to do it, so it’s just a matter of going out there, showcasing our talent and getting wins.’

Maybe Howard saw this coming. It’s unlikely many others did.

South Florida (15-8, 5-6 Big East) joined the Big East conference in 2005, and it has not been the easiest of transitions for the Tampa school.

Since being hired in 2007, USF head coach Stan Heath has compiled a 36-49 record, including a 12-35 mark in Big East play. By Jan. 20 of this year, it didn’t seem as if the team was necessarily heading in the right direction. The Bulls were 1-5 in the conference, with their lone win coming against a lowly Rutgers team.

But then it all began to turn around. South Florida earned a hard-fought road victory in overtime against Providence (12-12, 4-8 Big East) on Jan. 23 and followed that up with an impressive win against an athletic Seton Hall (12-9, 3-7 Big East) team on Jan. 28. After shocking then-No. 17 Pittsburgh (18-6, 7-4 Big East) with a win on the Panthers’ home court on Jan. 31, the Bulls shook up the college basketball world with that triumphant comeback over the Hoyas.

‘We’ve matured,’ Heath said. ‘I think beating an inspired team like Providence helped us tremendously. And I do think that our team is just really starting to believe that we can win games. We’re making some of the subtle plays: the free throws, the defensive stops, the loose ball rebounds. We’re making the plays down the stretch that we didn’t used to make.’

Following South Florida’s upset of Georgetown (18-5, 8-4 Big East), Heath told reporters that the win, which capped off a four-game winning streak, was the biggest in the program’s history.

And for good reason.

The win has been having immediate external effects. When Heath and his staff left the Verizon Center to make their way back to Tampa, they were pleased to see a couple of missed calls and voicemails left on their cell phones. It wasn’t friends. It wasn’t family. It was recruits. This caught the coaching staff by surprise, as Heath and his assistants are usually the ones making the phone calls.

‘I think that when you win and when your program gets a chance to be highlighted on ESPN or the Internet, it certainly opens up some doors that haven’t been opened before,’ Heath said.

Though South Florida has one of the top players in the country – junior guard Dominique Jones – Howard admits that there is not always a buzz around campus about the school’s basketball program. The attention mainly lends itself to the football program, which is a perennial Big East contender. However, as the team continues to play hard, at times knocking off the conference’s elite, Howard can tell that the fans are beginning to notice that something special is taking place.

‘It’s been very positive around here with the students,’ Howard said. ‘Just going to class you have people saying, ‘Good game,’ and ‘See you at the game tonight’ and ‘Get a win.’ I think our fans have been doing a great job with their attendance and the support they’ve been giving us. When you’re tired mentally and you hear that crowd, it takes you over the hump.’

For the first time since the Bulls entered the Big East, there is speculation that USF has the chance to land an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The fact that the Bulls are even in the discussion is a significant step up for the program. More importantly, it suggests that there is reason for USF fans to believe for the future.

‘No question,’ Heath replied when responding to whether or not this is the most confident USF team he has coached. ‘This is the best we’ve played since I’ve been here and the most consistent. We’ve had games where we win and then lose a close one to a very good team. But we’ve never had this kind of consistency in the three years I’ve been here.’

Player to watch

Luke Harangody

The Irish (17-7, 6-5 Big East) had lost four out of five games coming into the week, but the senior forward willed his team to two consecutive victories, keeping Notre Dame’s NCAA hopes alive. Following a devastating loss to Rutgers (12-12, 2-9 Big East) on Jan. 30, Harangody scored a season-high 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Irish defeated Cincinnati (14-9, 5-6 Big East), 83-65. Three days later, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year registered 19 points and tied a season-high with 15 rebounds as Notre Dame cooled down the blazing-hot Bulls of South Florida. Harangody’s two double-doubles on the week were the 62nd and 63rd of his career.

Game to watch

No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 25 Pittsburgh

Friday, 9 p.m., ESPN

The Panthers will look to avenge a 19-point loss to the Mountaineers (19-4, 8-3 Big East) on Feb. 3 when Pittsburgh hosts WVU in the Petersen Events Center on Friday. Pittsburgh is struggling, having lost four of seven games and seeing its AP national ranking drop from No. 9 on Jan. 18 to No. 25 this week. West Virginia had won six consecutive games before falling to No. 4 Villanova (21-2, 10-1 Big East) at home on Monday night. In the first meeting between these two teams, senior forward Da’Sean Butler and sophomore forward Kevin Jones contributed with 18 and 16 points, respectively, en route to an easy victory for the Mountaineers. The Panthers were especially cold from the field on that evening, going 6-for-30 in the second half, including an 0-for-7 mark from the 3-point line.

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Published on February 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm