Setting the Scene

Game Notes In PDF Format

Date: Jan. 5, 2008
Tip-off: Noon
Location: The Carrier Dome (33,000)
Television: ESPN Regional BIG EAST Game of the Week on WFTS (ABC) in Tampa. Mike Gleason and Bob Wenzel have the call.
Radio: WHNZ 1250 AM will carry the game. Jim Lighthall (play-by-play) and Todd Kalas (color analyst) will call the game.
Records: USF (10-4, 1-0 BIG EAST); Syracuse (11-3, 1-0 BIG EAST)
USF's Last Time Out: The Bulls opened BIG EAST play with a 68-45 win over Rutgers Wednesday at the Sun Dome.
Syracuse's Last Time Out: The Orange defeated St. John's 76-70 on Wednesday at the Carrier Dome in their conference opener.
Series History: Syracuse leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Syracuse 70, USF 53 (Feb. 14, 2007 at USF)

After winning its conference opener for the first time since entering the BIG EAST three years ago, USF will now look for two straight wins when it heads to Syracuse for its first conference road game of the year on Saturday, Jan. 5, at Noon at the Carrier Dome. Saturday's game is the ESPN Regional BIG EAST Game of the Week and will be shown in Tampa on WFTS (ABC). The game can also be heard on WHNZ 1250 AM and GoUSFBulls.com. The Bulls are 10-4 (1-0 BIG EAST) on the year after downing Rutgers, 68-45, Wednesday in the BIG EAST opener at the Sun Dome. Syracuse enters the game at 11-3 (1-0 BIG EAST) after defeating St. John's, 76-70, Wednesday at home in its conference opener. 

THE START OF A NEW ERA
This season marks the start of a new era for Bulls basketball as new head coach Stan Heath takes the reigns. He is the eighth head coach in the 37-year history of the program. Heath leads the Bulls into the their third BIG EAST season after successful coaching stints at Arkansas and Kent State, which included three NCAA Tournament appearances, a 30-win season and an Elite Eight finish.

THE SERIES VS. SYRACUSE
The Orange lead the all-time series 4-0, including 2-0 in BIG EAST action. Syracuse won 70-53 last year at the Sun Dome and 63-57 two years ago at the Carrier Dome. The teams will play a home-and-home this season, one of three conference teams the Bulls play twice. The first all-time meeting came in 1987-88 at Syracuse with the Orange winning 111-65. The schools met again during the 2001-02 season with Syracuse winning 80-68 at the Carrier Dome.

BULLS OPEN BIG EAST PLAY WITH DOMINANT WIN OVER RUTGERS, HAVE WON 10 OF 11
Kentrell Gransberry nearly cost his team two points before the opening tip. The center made up for it with an outstanding performance. Gransberry had 20 points and 17 rebounds and Dominique Jones added 24 points to lead the University of South Florida past Rutgers 68-45 in the Big East Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night. Rutgers had the rare opportunity to actually take the lead before the game started. Gransberry was called for an indirect technical foul for dunking during warm ups. However, Jaron Griffin missed both free throws he attempted between the introduction of the starting lineups and the opening jump ball. USF (10-4, 1-0) has won 10 of 11. The victory improved the Bulls all-time Big East Conference mark to 5-28. Anthony Farmer had 14 points and team-leading scorer JR Inman was held to eight points but had 14 rebounds for Rutgers. USF broke the game open with a 16-3 run, to go up 60-43 with 4 minutes left. Jones had five points, including a 3 during the stretch. Rutgers (8-6, 0-1) hit just three field goals during the final 11:15 of play. Gransberry scored 13 points and Jones had nine to help the Bulls take a 30-26 halftime lead. Farmer had eight points, while Inman came off the bench 5 minutes into the game and was held to two first-half points. The decision not to start Inman was so Rutgers could use a different lineup. Inman played 35 minutes. Inman was 4-for-13 from the floor, and missed all three free throw tries. Rutgers was without Corey Chandler, who has a right foot injury, for the third consecutive game. The freshman guard is averaging 14.1 points, and is listed as day to day. He has some limited practice time recently.

GRANSBERRY NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
For his 21 point, 14 rebound performance against Winston-Salem State, Kentrell Gransberry was named to the five player BIG EAST Honor Roll this week.

BULLS ON THE TUBE FOR ALL BIG EAST GAMES
As part of the BIG EAST's new agreements with its television partners, all 144 regular-season league games will be televised.  In all, conference teams will make 400 television appearances this season. In addition to USF games on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360, Bulls games will also air locally on Catch 47 and WFTS. Saturday's game at Syracuse will air on WFTS.

STAN HEATH TV SHOW AIRS ON SATURDAY'S
The Stan Heath TV show airs every Saturday at Noon on WFTS (ABC).

BULLS OPEN BIG EAST PLAY WITH A WIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ENTERING LEAGUE
With the win over Rutgers, it marks the first time since USF entered the BIG EAST three years ago that the Bulls have won their conference opener.

YEP, IT'S BROKE
Sophomore Amu Saaka, who started his third consecutive game, caught an inadvertent elbow from Rutger's Hamady Ndiaye during the first half of the game and suffered a broken nose. Saaka returned and was available for the remainder of the game. He has been fitted with a protective mask and will continue to play.

USF HAS WON TWO STRAIGHT VS. RUTGERS, TALLIES ITS TOP POINT TOTAL IN SERIES 
After dropping the first four meetings in the series, the victory marks the Bulls' second consecutive win against Rutgers, moving the all-time record against the Scarlet Knights to 2-4. The 68 points scored is the most ever that the Bulls have posted against Rutgers in the six all-time meetings. The previous high was 62 on Jan. 24, 2007.

JONES TALLIES GAME-HIGH 24 VS. RUTGERS, HITS CAREER HIGH FIVE 3'S
Dominique Jones tallied a game-high 24 points, going 9 of 12 from the field, 5 of 5 from 3-point range and 1 of 1 from the free throw line. The five 3-pointers made was a career high, besting the four he made vs. UCF.
 
GRANSBERRY PUTS ON DOMINATING PERFORMANCE VS. SCARLET KNIGHTS,
ADDS TO HIS REBOUND STATISTICS AND MARKS
After picking up a technical foul during pre-game warmups for dunking (Rutgers missed both free throws), Kentrell Gransberry proceeded to make up for his mistake by dominating the Scarlet Knights to the tune of 20 points and 17 rebounds in the win. It was his 7th double-double of the season and the 19th of his 36 game career at USF. The 17 rebounds were a season-high, surpassing the 15 he had pulled down twice previously this season. It was the 8th time in his career that he has garnered 15 or more rebounds in a game and is tied for the 4th best rebound total of his career. His career high is 23, done last year at DePaul, followed by a 19 rebound game at St. John's last year and a 17 rebound outing at UNLV. It was the top rebounding mark of his home career.

BULLS START IS TIED FOR FOURTH BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY, 10 OF 11 RUN IS BEST SINCE 1990-91 SEASON
The 10-4 start by USF is tied for the fourth best start in school history. The 1982-83 squad started out that season 12-2 while the 1990-91 and 2001-02 teams began 11-3. It is the eighth time a Bulls team has begun a season 10-4. The streak of 10 wins in 11 games is the school's best streak since the 1990-91 season.

45 POINTS SCORED BY RUTGERS IS SEASON LOW AGAINST BULLS,
23-POINT WIN IS LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY USF HAS POSTED IN BIG EAST PLAY
The 45 points scored by Rutgers was a season low scored against the Bulls this season and the the 23-point win differential was the largest that USF has ever posted in BIG EAST conference play. USF also held Rutgers to just one free throw made (1-8), the least allowed by the Bulls all season.

THREE POINT FIELD GOALS MADE ALREADY TOPS LAST YEAR
USF has made 7 or more 3-pointers in 9 of its 14 games this season. All last year the Bulls made 7 or more in a game just 6 times, including a single-game high of eight once. USF made 11 against Florida State and 10 vs. Florida Atlantic earlier this year. The single-game record is 14 set Dec. 7, 1991 vs. Oral Roberts. The Bulls have nailed 8 or more 3-pointers in a game 4 times this season.

LEADING THE BULLS
Dominique Jones leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Kentrell Gransberry is second at 15.2 points per game and leads the team at 11.5 rebounds per outing. Chris Howard leads the team with 5.5 assists per game and is at 11.1 points per game. Jesus Verdejo is also in double figures in scoring at 10.3 a game.

NBA AND DA BULLS
Da Bulls, the USF Bulls, have been a frequent stop for NBA scouts the first 7 home games of the season. Nine NBA teams have already visited the Sun Dome to watch NBA prospect Kentrell Gransberry and numerous additional credential requests have already been submitted for future games. The nine teams who have already been to USF are Seattle, New York, Cleveland, Washington, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Boston, Indiana and Detroit. Teams that have requested future credentials are San Antonio, Golden State, Miami, New Jersey and Orlando, with many of those teams requesting credentials for multiple games

BULLS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS
After Wednesday's games, Chris Howard is tied for 40th in the nation in assists with 5.5 per game and Kentrell Gransberry is 4th nationally in rebounds at 11.5 per game.

SAAKA MAKES MOST OF FIRST TWO STARTS OF SEASON
Amu Saaka started his second straight game against Winston-Salem State and continued to impress offensively. His first two 3-point attempts were good, helping the Bulls run out to a 17-9 advantage early. Saaka also set his career high in points for the second consecutive game, picking up 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting, as well as 5 of 6 from the free throw line. He tallied 13 points last game vs. St. Francis. His previous career high was 12 against South Carolina State last season in his first game as a Bull.
 
HOLMES NOTCHES CAREER HIGH 20 POINTS IN JUST THIRD CAREER GAME
Redshirt freshman Aaron Holmes, playing just his third career game, had his best offensive game of his career, totaling 20 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. He bested the 13 points he tallied in his second game vs. St. Francis. Holmes was a mid-year transfer from Florida State and became eligible after first semester finals were complete. The Wake Forest game was his first real game action since the final game of his senior year of high school. Holmes became eligible after first semester finals were complete. He sat out the first 10 games of the season. He was one of the most prolific scorers to ever play in the greater Tampa area. A 2006 graduate of St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Holmes garnered All-Suncoast Player of the Year accolades on three occasions and concluded his career with 2,748 points. He was a two-time first team all-state honoree and is the all-time leading scorer at SPC. The four-year letterwinner was runner-up for Mr. Basketball honors in Florida in 2006. He is one of just six players in Pinellas County history to score more than 2,000 career points.

BIG K SCORES SEASON HIGH 21 FOR FOURTH TIME THIS SEASON
Kentrell Gransberry's 21 points vs. Winston-Salem State tied his season high, a total he's notched four times this season.

39 POINT WIN WAS LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY IN FIVE YEARS  
The 39 point win vs. Winston-Salem State was the largest margin of victory for the Bulls since a 40 point victory over LIU-Brooklyn on December 28, 2002. 

55 POINTS SCORED IN SECOND HALF MOST FOR ANY HALF THIS SEASON
The second half was an offensive explosion for the Bulls, outscoring the Rams 55-27, and shooting 61.3 percent from the floor. The 55 points scored in the second half were the most scored in a half this season. USF scored 52 in the first half vs. FAU and 50 in the second half at Richmond. The Bulls did not score 50 or more points in a half at all last season.

53 REBOUNDS MOST PULLED DOWN THIS YEAR, +22 TIES SEASON HIGH
The 53 rebounds collected by USF vs. Winston-Salem State were the most garnered by the Bulls in a game this season and last. It is the first time with more than 50 rebounds in a game this season. USF had 51 at East Carolina last year. The 53-31 rebound advantage and +22 differential tied a season high, also done at Richmond (46-24).

SHARING THE ROCK
The Bulls continue to share the ball effectively, notching 22 assists on 31 field goals against Winston-Salem State, including a season high eight for Solomon Bozeman and a career high seven for Dominique Jones.

LOVETT GETS IN SCORING COLUMN
Senior walk-on Eddie Lovett made a 3-pointer in the last minute of the game vs. Winston-Salem State to get in the scoring column for the first time this season.

STINGY
On the defensive end, the Bulls were as stalwart as they've been all season, holding Winston-Salem State to just 29.5 percent shooting, the lowest percentage of any opponent this season.

BULLS HAVE BEST SHOOTING GAME OF YEAR VS. ST. FRANCIS
USF recorded its highest field goal percentage of the season vs. St. Francis, converting on 33 of 56 shots for a 58.9% clip. 

TEN DIFFERENT BULLS HIT SCORING COLUMN VS. ST. FRANCIS, TOPS OF SEASON
The Bulls had 10 different players score vs. St. Francis, the most they've had all season, surpassing the 9 players who registered a point against Wake Forest.

ST. FRANCIS ASSISTS ALSO TOPS FOR YEAR
25 assists vs. St. Francis was a season high for the Bulls.

WAKE LOSS FIRST LOSS IN MORE THAN A MONTH
The loss at Wake Forest snapped a seven game winning streak for USF. It was the first loss for the Bulls in more than a month, since a loss to Rhode Island on Nov. 16. The seven game streak was the longest since the start of the 2001-02 season and matched the longest in 25 years dating back to a nine-game streak during the 1982-83 season.

GRANSBERRY AND LOVETT GRADUATE
USF had a week off from game action but it was still a big weekend for two members of the team. Senior center Kentrell Gransberry and senior guard Eddie Lovett both graduated Saturday, Dec. 15. Both players earned BA's in Communication. Gransberry will enroll during the Spring quarter and take classes toward a second undergraduate degree to compliment his major, while Lovett will take a semester of undergraduate Business courses.

JONES NAMED THE SPORTING NEWS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND
BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE WEEKS EARLIER THIS SEASON
Freshman Dominique Jones was named The Sporting News National Player of the Week as well as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive Dec. 10. Jones averaged 27.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in wins over Richmond (79-65) and UAB (68-58). He shot 61.5 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 86.4 percent from the foul line in the two outings. He had 30 points and 14 boards in the victory at Richmond and 25 points and six rebounds against the Blazers.
 
JONES HAS BACK-TO-BACK 30-POINT GAMES
Freshman Dominique Jones tallied consecutive 30-point games vs. UCF and at Richmond. The 30 points scored by Jones was just three shy of the USF record for points scored by a freshman. Radenko Dobras tallied 33 points on Feb. 11, 1989.

JONES FIRST USF FRESHMAN AND JUST THIRD USF PLAYER EVER TO SCORE 30 POINTS IN CONSECUTIVE  GAMES
Dominique Jones became the first freshman in USF history, and only the third USF player ever, to score 30 or more points in back-to-back games. The last player to do it was USF's all-time leading scorer, Charley Bradley, during the 1983-84 season. Bradley tallied 30 or more points twice back-to-back during that season as well as twice during the 1982-83 year. He also went a record six straight games with 30 or more points during the 1982-83 season. Bradley had 24 career games with 30 or more points, doing it 3 times as a senior, 6 as a junior and 15 as a sophomore. The first Bulls player to accomplish back-to-back 30 or more point games was John Kiser, who scored 30-plus points in the first two USF games ever played in 1971.

JONES AND “AI”
Dominique Jones became the first BIG EAST freshman in 13 years to score 30 or more points in consecutive games. The last BIG EAST freshman to accomplish it was Georgetown's Allen Iverson in Dec. of 1994. (Information courtesy of the BIG EAST and Greg Auman of the St. Pete Times).  

JONES ALSO NOTCHES FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Not only did Dominique Jones have a great game offensively with 30 points at Richmond, he also pulled down a career high 14 rebounds for his first career double-double. Twelve of his rebounds came on the defensive end. It was also the first double digit rebound game of his career, besting his previous high of eight done twice. The 14 rebounds are tied for third most in a game this year with Kentrell Gransberry. Gransberry owns the single-game high of 15, done twice.

GRANSBERRY UP FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Center Kentrell Gransberry was one of 30 senior male basketball players announced as official candidates for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

The award ? presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports ? focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA will award the winners with trophies during the men's NCAA Final Four weekend. CLASS, An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.

Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Since originating with basketball, Lowe's has expanded the award to include a total of eight NCAA sports. In early February 10 finalists will be selected then featured in special vignettes during college basketball telecasts on CBS. The winner will be announced by Dick Enberg on CBS during the Final Four broadcast and the Women's Winner will be announced at the Women's Final Four. From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the winner.

The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke University basketball player Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season and led the Blue Devils to the National Championship in 2001. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).

TOP SEC GUARD MIKE MERCER TRANSFERS TO USF
USF added one of the top guards from the SEC with the transfer of Mike Mercer from Georgia. Mercer will become eligible at the conclusion of first semester finals next winter. He had not played in any games for the Bulldogs this season. The 6-4 guard from Snellville, Ga., started all 23 games for the Bulldogs last season before suffering a knee injury that forced him to miss the final 10 games. He was the second leading scorer on the team at 13.6 points per game.

He had appeared in 51 games for UGA in his two-year career, starting 27, and averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Prior to his injury last year, he was leading Georgia in scoring and minutes played and was ranked 18th in the SEC in scoring, 14th in assists (3.6), 8th in steals (1.70) and 13th in assist/turnover ratio (1.43). Was named SEC Player of the Week once and came within two rebounds against Jacksonville of becoming first UGA player in history to achieve a triple-double. He scored a career-high 26 points vs. South Carolina State. As a freshman, he averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and was named to the Coaches' SEC All-Freshman team. He was ranked th in the SEC in steals as a freshman.

As a high school senior in 2005, he was rated the No. 5 point guard in the country by Rivals.com and No. 22 overall. He was rated No. 44 overall by Scout.com. He averaged 19.8 points, 8.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds as a senior, helping South Gwinnett to a 28-3 record and the quarterfinals of the Georgia Class 5A state tournament in 2005. The Comets held a top-10 national ranking throughout most of the season. As a junior, he averaged 18.1 points, when South Gwinnett went 31-2 and won the 5A championship. He was a backcourt teammate, both at SGHS and for the AAU's Georgia Stars, with current Philadelphia 76er Louis Williams.

CURRY TO TRANSFER
USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced Nov. 30 that redshirt freshman Dante Curry has been granted permission to seek a transfer to another institution. Curry had appeared in six games this season, playing an average of 9.0 minutes per game. He was averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
  
Pre-season All-BIG EAST and Wooden Honors for Gransberry
Gransberry was one of 11 players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team announced at the annual BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He was also one of 50 players named to the preseason candidates list for the John R. Wooden Award, perhaps the most coveted honor in college basketball.

ESPINOSA SIGNS WITH BULLS
USF head coach Stan Heath announced on Nov. 15 the signing of forward Eladio Espinosa to an NCAA Letter of Intent during the early signing period. Espinosa will enroll for the 2008-2009 season and have four years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound forward is currently at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., after spending his junior season at Victory Christian Academy in Charlotte, N.C. He is ranked the 30th-best power forward in the country and 129th overall in the ESPN 150 class of 2008 rankings. Espinosa plays for Kevin Keatts at Hargrave. He played for Stan Kowalewski and the North Carolina Gaters AAU program and played for Mike Pratt at Victory Christian. At Victory Christian, Espinosa averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game, while shooting 62-percent from the field. He was honorable mention all-conference and was named to the all-tournament team after helping lead Victory to the National Association of Christian Athletes national title. He tallied 15 points and eight rebounds in the final.

BIG EAST Championship Fields To Increase To 16 For 2009
The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference voted to include all 16 member institutions in the men's and women's basketball championship tournaments beginning in 2009.  The Presidents took this action at their annual meeting, which was held Nov. 6 in Philadelphia, Pa. Currently, the top 12 teams in the final regular-season standings advance to participate in the men's and women's championships.  The men's championship is held in New York City at Madison Square Garden.  The women's championship is held in Hartford, Conn., at the Hartford Civic Center.

Ticket Information And Plans
Season ticket packages for the home schedule are currently on sale with pricing starting as low as $175. Premium seating is also available. Individual-game tickets and mini-plans are also on sale. Individual-game tickets range from $8 to $25. The two mini-plans that are available are a "Pick Three" plan and "The Weekend Warrior." The "Pick Three" is a choice of any three games on the schedule for $60 while "The Weekend Warrior" is a five-game plan for $99 that includes UAB, West Virginia, St. John's, Connecticut and Notre Dame. Season tickets, mini-plans and group tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls. Individual-game tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or via Ticketmaster phone at 813-287-8844. The athletics department also announced that "All-U-Can-Eat-Seats" will be available for all men's and women's home basketball games for the 2007-08 season. With the purchase of one south end ticket (second level for men and lower level for women) you will receive a voucher that will allow for "All-U-Can-Eat" hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and soft drinks for the the game. The ticket is $20 for men's games and $15 ($12 youth) for women's games and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls.