TAMPA - The USF men's basketball team will kick off its 2008-09 regular season vs. SMU on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome. It is the first regular season game of the year for both teams.

Friday's game is broadcast on GoUSFBulls.com and can be heard on WDAE, 620 AM.The Bulls defeated West Florida, 80-41, and Tampa, 79-64, in a pair exhibition games in preparation for the season.

After SMU, the Bulls will make their first road trip of the season when they visit Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

SMU Game Notes (PDF)

SETTING THE SCENE
Date:  Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
Tip-off:  7 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa, Fla. - Sun Dome (10,411)
Television: None
Webcast: GoUSFBulls.com
Radio: WDAE 620 AM will carry Friday's game vs. SMU with Jim Lighthall handling play-by-play and Todd Kalas as color analyst.
USF's Last Time Out:  Defeated Tampa, 79-64, in the second of two exhibition games the Bulls played.
SMU's Last Time Out:  First game of the year for the Mustangs. SMU did not play any public scrimmages.
Series History:  SMU leads 2-0.
Last Meeting:  SMU 87, USF 66 (Dec. 14, 1987 in Tampa)
website:  SMUMustangs.com
USF Tickets: 1-800-GoBulls 

YEAR TWO OF THE HEATH ERA IS UNDERWAY
 The 2008-09 USF season marks the start of head coach Stan Heath's second season at the helm. He is the eighth head coach in the 38-year history of the program.

ABOUT SMU
 The Bulls open the regular season at home against Conference USA opponent SMU. It is the first game of a two-game, home-and-home series between the schools with USF visiting SMU next year. SMU finished 10-20 last year and 4-12 in league play, 11th out of 12 teams. The Mustangs return two starters from last year's squad, six other returnees and welcome six newcomers. Sophomore's Papa Dia (6-9, 250, F, 9.7 pts, 6.5 rebs, C-USA All-Freshman Team) and Ryan Harp (6-4, 180, G, 4.4 pts, 3.4 rebs, 1.7 asts) are the two returning starters. SMU is coached by former North Carolina standout Matt Doherty. Doherty is in his third season at SMU and has a two-year mark of 24-37. He is 114-108 in seven years as a head coach which included stops at Notre Dame, North Carolina and Florida Atlantic.

THE SMU SERIES
 The Mustangs lead the all-time series 2-0. The teams played a two-game, home-and-home series during the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons, with the first game in Dallas and the last meeting in Tampa. SMU won the first game 79-65 and the second meeting 87-66.

UP NEXT: AT VIRGINIA
 The Bulls make their first road trip of the year on Wednesday, Nov. 19, when they travel to Charlottesville, Va., to take on Virginia at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. It will be the first all-time meeting between USF and the Cavaliers. Virginia is coached by Dave Leitao who is in his fifth season leading UVA. They return three starters in Mamadi Diane (Sr., G/F, 11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Mike Scott (So., F, 5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jeff Jones (So., G, 4.8 ppg).

BULLS IN SEASON OPENERS
 USF has had success in season openers and even greater success in season openers at home. The Bulls are 28-9 all-time in season openers and 23-3 all-time in season openers at home. One of the three losses in season openers at home came last season vs. Cleveland State. Prior to last season, USF had won seven straight season openers and 16 consecutive season openers at home dating back to the 1987-88 season.

FIRST FOUR HOME GAMES CAN BE SEEN ON GOUSFBULLS.COM
 The first two home exhibition games and the first two home regular season games this season are not televised but can be seen on GoUSFBulls.com.

BULLS SIGN DUMARS AND NORIEGA
 USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced on Nov. 12 the signing of guards Jordan Dumars and Shaun Noriega to NCAA Letters of Intent during the November signing period. The signing period runs through Nov. 19.
 Dumars (6-5, 225) and Noriega (6-4, 195) will join USF as freshmen for the 2009-10 season and bring with them sharp-shooting skills and perimeter size. Noriega is already North Port High School's all-time leading scorer in just three seasons with 1,282 points, while Dumars holds perennial high school power Detroit Country Day's single-game record for 3-point field goals made with nine.
 “We felt we needed to address our perimeter shooting and both Shaun and Jordan are very skilled players that can stretch the defense and consistently knock down 3-point shots,” said USF Head Coach Stan Heath. “We also felt both players had very high basketball IQ's and will be players that will make good decisions and be good teammates. Both players come from winning programs and have very strong academic backgrounds.”

Jordan Dumars, Guard
High School: Detroit Country Day
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
6-5, 225
Rated as the 92nd best small forward nationally by ESPN.com... Plays for Detroit Country Day, one of the top high school programs in the country and seven-time Michigan state champion... Coached by Kurt Keener at Detroit Country Day... Averaged 14 points and six rebounds as a junior, including a game where he connected on a school-record nine 3-point field goals... He also shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line and over 42 percent from behind the arc... Was sixth man on Country Day's state championship team as a sophomore... Past greats who have played at Country Day include Chris Webber and Shane Battier... Plays for The Family AAU team and is coached by Speedy Walker... Son of Joe and Debbie Dumars... Joe is a former Detroit Pistons great and current Pistons President of Basketball Operations... Joe spent his entire 14-year career with the Pistons and was a six-time All-Star, won two NBA Championships and was the 1989 NBA Finals MVP... Has one younger sister, Aren... Born February 25, 1991... Chose USF over Duquesne, Dayton and Michigan.

Shaun Noriega, Guard
High School: North Port
Hometown: North Port, Fla.
6-4, 195
Attends North Port High School in North Port, Fla., where he is already the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,282 points in just three seasons... Was a Class 5A Third-Team All-State pick as a junior, as well as the 5A Sarasota/Manatee County Player of the Year... Was also a Charlotte Sun-Herald First-Team All Area selection as a junior and sophomore... Helped North Port to a 20-7 record last season where he averaged 24.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, to go along with 28 assists and 43 steals... Was MVP of the Suncoast Cup Tournament... Is coached by Curt Allen at North Port... Plays for the Florida Elite AAU squad and is coached by Conrad Foss... Son of Holly Wynne and Gilberto Noriega... Has three older brothers, Noel, Bryan and Gilberto, and three older sisters, Shirin, Amelia and Gracelia... Born Oct. 26, 1990... Chose USF over Notre Dame, Butler and Washington State.

WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT JORDAN DUMARS....
 “Jordan has great bloodlines. His feel for the game, his strength to go with his skills, are plusses that will help him contribute to our team. He has a lot of basketball upside in front of him and will continue to work hard to get better. I know he is very excited about being a part of our program as well as we are.”

WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT SHAUN NORIEGA...
 “We were looking at several players state-wide that fit the athletic, wing-player, skilled shooting-player mold and he was the first player we identified. Shaun was very excited about South Florida and we continued to follow him and Shaun made a decision early in the process that this is where he wanted to be. His shooting skills, his ability to elevate to get his shot, as well the athletic ability to play above the rim are two special traits that Shaun has that will help our program.” 

FOUR USF STARTERS RETURN
 The Bulls return four starters from last year's squad including All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection and All-Rookie team pick sophomore guard Dominique Jones. Other starters returning include senior guard Jesus Verdejo, senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi and junior guard Chris Howard. Also joining the Bulls at the conclusion of the first semester are Georgia transfer, junior guard Mike Mercer, and Maryland transfer, freshman forward/center Augustus Gilchrist. Both players will miss the first six regular season games of the season, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 game vs. Niagara.

GILCHRIST GRANTED WAIVER
 The NCAA has granted a waiver request for USF basketball player Augustus Gilchrist that will allow him to be eligible for competition after the fall semester of the 2008-09 academic year. Gilchrist will be eligible to begin competition as a freshman on Dec. 14 when USF hosts Niagara at the Sun Dome.  The 6-10 forward/center transferred to USF from Maryland during the Summer of 2008. USF will have played six non-conference games when Giilchrist becomes eligible.

USF DOWNS TAMPA TO WRAP UP TWO-GAME EXHIBITION SCHEDULE  
 In the final tune-up before the regular season begins on Friday, the University of South Florida used a second half surge to pull away from intra-city foe Tampa and down the Spartans 79-64 in an exhibition on Nov. 10 at the Sun Dome.
 Senior guard Jesus Verdejo led the Bulls with 27 points, going 8-15 from the field, including 4-7 from 3-point range. He notched 18 of his points in the second half. Junior guard Chris Howard poured in 18 and added five assists.
 Sophomore guard Dominique Jones struggled from the field but turned distributor and dished out a game-high 11 assists to go along with eight points and four rebounds. Freshman forward Eladio Espinosa and senior forward Aris Williams led USF with eight rebounds a piece. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi had nine points and seven rebounds.
 The Bulls jumped out to a 12-2 lead before Tampa regained some composure to cut the lead to 16-12 with 13:58 remaining in the first half. The Spartans battled hard throughout the first half and trailed by only six, 37-31, at the break.
 Howard led USF with 12 points at halftime, going 5-8 from the field. Verdejo chipped in nine points at the half and Jones tallied six assists in the first stanza.
 The Spartans cut the USF lead to one at 39-38 with 18:38 to play as UT kept the game close for a good portion of the second half. The Bulls finally began to pull away with just under eight minutes remaining.
 Verdejo nailed a 3-pointer to give USF a 62-51 lead with 7:58 to play and a couple of nice assists by Howard and freshman Justin Leemow, and two buckets by senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi, pushed the lead to 15 at 69-52 with just over seven minutes to play. The lead grew to 21 with 5:26 left and the Bulls cruised the rest of the way.
 Junior transfer Alex Rivas Sanchez made his USF debut with 11:52 remaining in the first half. Rivas Sanchez has been recovering from surgery on both lower legs and did not play against West Florida. He notched six points, five rebounds and one block in just 10 minutes of action. He did not play in the second half.
 USF shot 49.1 percent from the field and out-rebounded Tampa 40-27.

BULLS ROMP OVER WEST FLORIDA   
 With a bang, a very big bang! That is how the 2008-09 season started for the USF men's basketball team. The supplier of the bang was All-BIG EAST sophomore guard Dominique Jones who threw down an emphatic one-handed monster jam for the first points of the game and season.
 And year two of the Stan Heath era is underway as the Bulls downed the University of West Florida, 80-41, in the opening exhibition game of the season on Nov. 4 at the Sun Dome.
 Nine Bulls played as every healthy player saw the court, including new walk-on, junior guard Ryan Kardok. In addition to Eladio Espinosa, who started, freshmen guards Justin Leemow and Gaby Belardo also made their USF debuts.
 Jones ended with a game-high 26 points, going 10-15 from the field. He connected on 3-7 3-pointers and also had a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds.
 Senior Jesus Verdejo finished the night with 14 points and Espinosa was also in double figures with 11 points, including three thunderous dunks. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led the Bulls with nine rebounds to go along with eight points. Junior guard Chris Howard had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.

RIVALS.COM RANKS MIKE MERCER THE NO. 5 IMPACT TRANSFER
 Rivals.com recently announced its top 10 transfers for the upcoming season and USF's Mike Mercer was ranked fifth. Mercer averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 51 career games for Georgia. He was averaging 13.6 points per game as a sophomore before being sidelined with a right ACL injury. Mercer will miss both exhibition games and the first six regular season games, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 Niagara game.

RECORD SEVEN BIG EAST TEAMS RANKED IN ESPN/USA TODAY PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
 The BIG EAST has seven teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and the Associated Press poll. The seven ranked teams are the most ever for one conference in the Coaches' poll, besting the previous all-time record of five.

WALK-ON ADDED TO ROSTER
 Junior college transfer Ryan Kardok has been added to the 2008-09 roster as a walk-on. Kardok spent two years playing at Broward Community College. He attended Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where he averaged 17 points and six assists per game as a senior.

BULLS PICKED TO FINISH 16TH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
 The Bulls have been picked to finish 16th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll.

BULL-A-PALOOZA $15 TICKET SPECIAL
 The University of South Florida athletics department has announced Bull-A-Palooza, a special Bulls On Parade ticket special for four sporting events during the weekend of Nov. 14-16.
 For just $15, USF fans can attend the men's basketball regular season opener vs. SMU on Friday, Nov. 14, the football game vs. Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 15, and either the women's basketball game or volleyball match vs. Villanova on Sunday, Nov. 16.
 The men's cagers take on SMU at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome to kick off the 2008-09 season, while the football squad will host Rutgers at Raymond James Stadium on Military Appreciation Day. The game time has not yet been announced. The women's basketball team is hosting the USF Shootout, Nov. 15-16, and take on Central Connecticut on Saturday and then play either Harvard or Loyola (Md.) on Sunday. Game time will be either Noon or 2 p.m. The volleyball squad plays its final BIG EAST regular season game of the year at 2 p.m. at the Sun Dome Corral. To take advantage of the Bull-A-Palooza special fans should call 1-800-GoBulls.

USF TICKET INFORMATION
 Season ticket packages for the 16-game home schedule for the 2008-09 USF men's basketball season are currently on sale with pricing starting as low as $99 for second level baseline tickets, with second level sideline tickets available for as low as $150. Premium seating is also available.
 To purchase season tickets or for more information call 1-800-GoBulls. USF faculty and staff discounts are also available.
 Individual-game tickets for the non-conference schedule are on sale and range from $8 to $20. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster phone at 813-287-8844, at any Ticketmaset location or at the Sun Dome Box Office. Big East individual game tickets will be available starting December 15 at 9 a.m. and range from $10 to $25.
 The Bulls open the season with a pair of home exhibition games. The exhibition schedule is highlighted by an intra-city matchup with the University of Tampa on Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Prior to facing Tampa, the Bulls kick off the 2008-09 season with an exhibition game against the University of West Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m.
 USF's first regular season contest will come at home vs. SMU on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The home schedule also includes visits from High Point (Nov. 25), Northeastern (Nov. 29), Niagara (Dec. 14) and Iona (Dec. 27). The games against Northeastern, Niagara and Iona will be televised locally on the Bright House Sports Network.
 The BIG EAST will once again play an 18-game conference schedule, allowing teams to face each opponent once and three teams twice. It will mark the second year of the 18-game schedule, which began for the 2007-08 season.
 The Bulls open league action with a pair of nationally televised home games vs. Syracuse and Louisville, respectively. USF hosts the Orange on ESPN on Friday, Jan. 2, at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Cardinals visiting Tampa for an ESPN2 game on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. The home BIG EAST slate also includes NCAA Tournament teams in Villanova (Jan. 24), Marquette (Feb. 6), Georgetown (Feb. 18), and West Virginia (March 1), along with DePaul (Jan. 20), Providence (Feb. 10) and Cincinnati (March 3). 

BIG EAST FIELD 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.
 Previously, on the top 12 teams in the final regular-season standings advanced 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.

TV ALL THE TIME
 In 2007-08, the BIG EAST began a new multiyear agreement with ESPN that brought the national television exposure for the league to unprecedented levels.  That coverage continues this season.  For the second straight year, every conference regular-season game will be televised.
 The BIG EAST has always been considered a leader in TV.  Twelve of the 16 BIG EAST institutions are located in the top 34 media markets in the country. Some of the highlights of the current agreement:
 ESPN, Inc. will produce 140 of the 144 regular-season conference games this season.  The four remaining games will be carried by CBS Sports.
 ESPN and ESPN2 will telecast a minimum of 60 games each year.  In 2008-09, ESPN or ESPN2 will televise 45 regular-season league games, 11 games of The BIG EAST Championship and eight nonconference home contests.
 ESPN Regional will carry a minimum of 67 games under the banner of The BIG EAST Network and continue to produce its weekend Game of the Week package, which reaches over a third of the nation's homes and has a household reach of more than 38 million.  Most games offered by ESPN Regional are also available nationally as part of ESPN Full Court, the pay subscription college basketball outer-market service.
 ESPNU or ESPN360, the network's customized broadband service, will carry at least 28 league games in 2008-09.
 ESPN or ESPN Regional will produce numerous non-conference home games.
 The BIG EAST will continue its regular presence on ESPN's Big Monday as well as a regular presence on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The television schedule is so extensive that the league can claim it has multiple “Nights of the Week.”
 A record 45 conference contests will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2.  CBS Sports will televise 10 more games involving BIG EAST teams.  ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship from Madison Square Garden in New York.  The dates are March 10-14.
 In total, 70 of the 144 regular-season BIG EAST games will be on national television, which includes 21 that will be carried on ESPNU.  The remaining games will be carried on ESPN360 or the BIG EAST Network, which is produced by ESPN Regional Television. 
 The ESPNU slate also includes at least 13 nonleague contests.  ESPN.360 is carrying seven games.
 In addition, the BIG EAST and ESPN Regional Television will present the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week on Saturdays and Sundays, mostly at noon, Eastern time.  The syndicated package, the largest in college basketball, reaches more than one-third of the nation's homes.