TAMPA - The University of South Florida men's basketball team heads on the road for a pair of games this week. The Bulls travel to Alabama on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to face UAB at 9 p.m. ET before heading to Orlando to take on UCF on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. ET.
Saturday's game at UCF is televised on Comcast/Charter Sports, while both games can be heard on WNHZ 1250 and GoUSFBulls.com with Jim Lighthall and Todd Kalas brining you the action. Live stats are available and a live blog will also be ongoing during the games on GoUSFBulls.com.
The Bulls are 3-1 on the year after winning a pair of games last week, beating High Point, 59-46, last Tuesday, and Northeastern, 55-37, last Saturday. The 37 points allowed against Northeastern was the second lowest defensive effort in USF history. UAB enters the game 4-2 overall, while UCF is 3-3 on the year.
Dominique Jones led the way against Northeastern with 20 points, while Aris Williams chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds and Chris Howard seven assists. Against High Point, Howard had 14 points, Jesus Verdejo 12 and Williams 11. Freshman Eladio Espinosa pulled down 10 rebounds to go with nine points.
SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
Tip-off: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena (8,500)
Television: None
Webcast: GoUSFBulls.com (audio)
Radio: WHNZ 1250 AM will carry the game with Jim Lighthall handling play-by-play and Todd Kalas as color analyst.
USF's Last Time Out: Defeated Northeastern, 55-37, at home on Nov. 29.
UAB's Last Time Out: Lost, 83-77, to Boston College on Nov. 28 in third place game of Dick's Sporting Goods NIT season tip-off.
Series History: UAB leads 36-20
Last Meeting: USF won, 68-58, at home on Dec. 8, 2007.
websiteS: GoUSFBulls.com, UABSports.com
USF tickets: 1-800-GoBulls
LEADING THE BULLS
Jones leads USF at 16.3 points per game with Verdejo right behind him at 15.5 an outing. Junior center Alex Rivas and Espinoso lead the team at 5.8 rebounds per games and Jones leads in assists at 4.75 a game.
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 UAB
The Bulls head on the road for the first game of a two-game road trip when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., to face UAB on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 9 p.m. ET. UAB is 4-2 on the year after losing to Boston College 83-77 in the third place game of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT season tip-off. The Blazers are coached by Mike Davis who is in his third season at the helm. UAB returns four starters from last year's 23-11 team that played in the NIT. The Blazers are led by Robert Vaden at 19.2 points per game, Paul Delaney at 18.4 an outing and Lawrence Kinnard at 17.0 per game.
THE UAB SERIES
USF and UAB have met 56 times, which is the most USF has played any opponent all-time. UAB leads the series 36-20, but the Bulls defeated the Blazers 68-58 last season in Tampa.
UP NEXT: AT UCF
The Bulls wrap up a two-game road trip at UCF on Saturday night, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. UCF is 3-3 on the year after splitting a pair of games in Cancun, Mexico. The Knights are coached by Kirk Speraw who is in his 16th season at UCF. They return two starters from last year's team, including senior standout Jermaine Taylor who is averaging 18.2 points per game and 6.7 rebounds. USF and UCF have met 22 times all-time, with the Bulls leading the series 18-4, including nine straight wins in the series. The Bulls defeated the Knights, 75-67, last season in Tampa.
THE COUNTDOWN FOR MERCER AND GILCHRIST - TWO GAMES
USF will add two key members to its roster after the next two games are played for the Bulls. Junior guard Mike Mercer and forward/center Augustus Gilchrist will add some much needed experience, talent and depth to the team when they become eligible for the Dec. 14 Niagara game. Mercer averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 51 career games for Georgia, which included 27 starts. Glichrist was one of the top-rated post players in the country coming out of high school for the 2007 class.
USF GETS DEFENSIVE, DOWNS NORTHEASTERN 55-37
Dominique Jones scored 20 points to lead the University of South Florida past Northeastern 55-37 on Nov. 29 at the Sun Dome.
Aris Williams scored 11 points and Jesus Verdejo finished with 10 points for USF (3-1), who allowed the second lowest point total for a game in school history. The Bulls held Saint Peters to 34 points in 1985.
Northeastern (3-3) made four of its first 30 shots from the field, but the Huskies were able to claim a one-point lead. But the Bulls scored 16 unanswered points to pull ahead 26-11 early in the second half.
Manny Adako finished with 10 points for Northeastern, which had its worst offensive showing since a 36-34 victory at Colgate in 1982.
Matt Janning, who entered the game averaging 20 points, scored three points for the Huskies. Janning did not score in the first half for the first time this season and didn't score until hitting a free throw with 13:12 remaining in the second half. He tallied his lone field goal with 4:15 left in the game. Junior guard Chris Howard was the primary defender on Janning for most of the game.
Northeastern made one of nine attempts from 3-point range and shot 24.1 percent overall (13-for-54).
Williams led USF with seven rebounds and had five players with four or more rebounds. Howard dished out a game-high seven assists.
37 POINTS ALLOWED SECOND LOWEST IN USF HISTORY
The 37 points that USF held Northeastern to is the second lowest defensive performance in the 38-year Bulls history and only the fifth time in history holding an opponent to less than 40 points. The record is 34 in a 45-34 win over St. Peters on Dec. 4, 1985.
USF HOLDS NORTHEASTERN TO 11 HALFTIME POINTS
The 11 points that Northeastern scored in the first half is the lowest defensive half under Stan Heath. The previous low half was the last half USF played, the second against High Point where they gave up 18.
JONES HITS 20 AGAIN
Dominique Jones tallied a game-high 20 points vs. Northeastern. It was his 12th career game with 20 or more points in 35 career outings.
BULLS GO TO WORK ON JANNING
The Bulls defense also held Northeastern's leading scorer, Matt Janning, scoreless in the first half. It was the first half this season (5 previous games) that he has been held scoreless after coming into the game averaging 20 points per game. It took Janning 26:48 before finally scoring with 13:12 left in the game and he ended with three points, finally hitting his lone field goal with 4:15 left to play.
JONES PASSES TWO
Jones' 20 points against Northeastern moved him two spots into 52nd place on the USF all-time scoring list with 596 points. Jones also added six rebounds and four assists.
WILLIAMS MATCHES CAREER HIGH FOR SECOND STRAIGHT GAME
Aris Williams matched his career high with 11 points vs. Northeastern, which he set last game vs. High Point. He also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
VERDEJO HITS DOUBLE DIGITS AGAIN, ON 3-POINT STREAK
Jesus Verdejo pitched in with 10 points against Northeastern and has scored in double figures in all four games this season. Verdejo has also made 13 3-pointers through the first four games this season which is the best four-game stretch of his career.
HOWARD GIVETH AND TAKETH AWAY
Chris Howard, the player mostly responsible for harassing Matt Janning into a 1-11 shooting night, led the way with seven assists vs. the Huskies.
HOWARD MOVING UP ASSIST LADDER
With seven assists vs. Northeastern, Chris Howard has moved into a tie for 14th on the all-time USF assist list. He is tied with Lewis Card (1982-83) and just two behind Tony Armstrong (250, 1988-91) from moving into 13th all-time.
ANOTHER LOW IN HEATH ERA
USF's 24.1 percent field goal percentage defense vs. NU was the lowest in the Stan Heath era, besting the 27.7 against SMU in the season opener.
RIVAS MAKES FIRST CAREER START
Junior Alex Rivas made his first career start as a Bull vs. Northeastern.
TEAM DEFENSE FOR THE BULLS
The Bulls are getting after it defensively and are holding its opponents to 32.3 percent shooting from the field after holding Northeastern to 24.1 percent last game.
WILLIAMS NOTCHES CAREER HIGH
Senior forward Aris Williams posted a career high 11 points vs. High Point, including eight in a 10-2 USF run that gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 34-32, at the 14:14 mark of the second half. Williams also finished with six rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist and a steal.
HOWARD LEADS BULLS AGAINST HIGH POINT
Junior guard Chris Howard led USF with season high 14 points vs. High Point. He added four assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block.
ESPINOSA PULLS DOWNS 10 BOARDS
Freshman Eladio Espinosa grabbed a game and career high 10 rebounds vs. High Point and added nine points, just missing his first career double double.
KARDOK AND EMORY MAKE USF DEBUTS
Junior transfer walk-on Ryan Kardok made his regular season debut in the first half vs. High Point playing six minutes. Freshman walk-on Mitch Emory also made his USF debut.
VERDEJO NETS CAREER HIGH VS. VIRGINIA, POST BEST BACK-TO-BACK PERFORMANCES OF HIS CAREER
Senior guard Jesus Verdejo poured in a career-high 22 points at Virginia, going 9-15 from the field and 4-7 from 3-point range. His previous career high was 20, done twice before (11/24/07 vs. East Carolina and 12/17/06 vs. Norfolk State).
Verdejo totaled 40 points the first two games of the year, the best back-to-back scoring performances of his career. His previous high was 36, done twice over a three-game stretch last season when he scored 19 points, 17 and 19 in three consecutive games.
ZUES ALSO MATCHES CAREER HIGH FOR 3-POINTERS MADE
Verdejo also matched his career high for 3-pointers made with four for the second consecutive game at Virginia. It is his third time overall with four 3-pointers in a game and the eight made against SMU and UVa was the best two-game total of his career. He made seven over two games last year vs. East Carolina and FIU.
AND SOME MORE VERDEJO
With his 22 points vs. UVa, Verdejo eclipsed the 500 career point mark. After High Point, he now has 527 career points. He is also moving up the all-time 3-point made list. He has 68 career 3-pointers, good for 14th on the all-time list.
JONES TOP SCORER AT VIRGINIA
Dominique Jones tallied a game-high 23 points vs. Virginia.
TWO GO FOR OVER 20 AT UVA
USF had two 20-point scorers against Virginia, Jones with 23 and Verdejo with 22. The Bulls had three games last year with two players scoring 20 or more points in the same game (Kentrell Gransberry 21 and Aaron Holmes 20 vs. Winston-Salem State; Gransberry 20 and Jones 24 vs. Rutgers at home; and Gransberry 23 and Jones 29 vs. Syracuse at home).
AJAYI MATCHES CAREER HIGH FOR REBOUNDS AT UVA
Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led USF with 11 rebounds vs. SMU, matching his career high set last year vs. Seton Hall (2/26/08).
BULLS PUT FORTH TOP DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE IN HEATH ERA VS. SMU
The defensive effort against SMU was the best of the Stan Heath era. The Bulls held the Mustangs to 27.7 percent shooting from the field which was the lowest in the 32 games since Heath has been head coach. And only one opponent last season, Rutgers in the BIG EAST opener, scored fewer than SMU's 46 points scored.
MAKING THEIR USF DEBUTS VS. SMU
Freshman Eladio Espinosa made his first career start vs. SMU, while freshman Justin Leemow, Gaby Belardo and junior transfer Alex Rivas Sanchez made their first appearances in a Bull uniform against the Mustangs.
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.
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 WERE 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.
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.”
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.
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.
BULLS PICKED TO FINISH 16TH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Bulls were picked to finish 16th in the BIG EAST Preseason poll.
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.
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.
