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Bulls Beat: USF Looking At Moving Some Games To Forum

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2007

TAMPA - When the University of South Florida's Big East men's basketball schedule begins in January, expect the Bulls to play an undetermined number of games in downtown Tampa.

There are five games on USF's Big East schedule that don't conflict with events scheduled at the Forum: Pittsburgh (Wednesday, Jan. 9), West Virginia (Sunday, Jan. 20), Louisville (Wednesday, Jan. 23), Syracuse (Wednesday, Feb. 13) and Notre Dame (Saturday, March 8).

While a final decision on which games will be moved hasn't been reached, Bulls coach Stan Heath said he is in favor of playing some games at the Forum.

"For the same reason it's attractive for our football team playing at Raymond James - it's a pro environment," Heath said. "It draws a different crowd - fans from South Tampa and other areas that don't get to the Sun Dome. On the weekends, a lot of our students are down there anyway.

"It's a good change of pace. When we play in arenas like that on the road, other pro arenas, it gives us a sense of what it is like to play on the Big East road."

Of the league's other 15 teams, five play their home games in NBA arenas. Last season, the Bulls played one game in downtown Tampa, defeating Wake Forest 75-67 on Dec. 29.

"It would be good to play down there," sophomore G Solomon Bozeman said. "Everyone in the whole city can see us. We're 1-0 down there, so hopefully we can continue to win games down there."

MISSING KG: Friday against Cleveland State, the men's basketball team will be without senior C Kentrell Gransberry, who is serving a one-game suspension for participating in a non-NCAA sanctioned summer tournament.

"We'll learn a lot about our team, how we can function for long junctures without Kentrell," Heath said. "It won't take one or two guys, but a team effort."

Heath said in recent practices, it has been difficult for USF's starters going against Gransberry, the nation's leading returning rebounder (11.4).

"It seems like his team always wins," Heath said.

"This certainly will be a challenge."

PADDED NUMBERS: Without question, this has been USF's most impressive football season attendance-wise. However, the numbers are a little bloated compared to the actual attendance.

USF's home attendance numbers this season are inflated 17 percent over the actual attendance, according to figures released by the Tampa Sports Authority.

Here are USF's attendance numbers - announced (tickets sold/given away) and actual (number of people in Raymond James Stadium) for USF's five home games: Elon (33,639 announced; 28,706 actual); North Carolina (37,753; 30,435); West Virginia (67,012; 62,004); UCF (65,948; 56,683); and Cincinnati (57,379; 45,538).

ODDS AND ENDS: Starting next season, all 16 Big East teams will qualify for the men's and women's basketball tournaments. Heath said he's "absolutely" in favor of every league team playing in the Big East Tournament. However, this year only the top 12 teams will qualify for the Big East's men's and women's tournaments in March. ... Good thing new men's basketball play-by-play radio announcer Jim Lighthall has experience as an analyst, he might need it. That's because former men's basketball assistant David Zimroth and former USF guard Tony Grier (1979-82) rejected offers to be Lighthall's analyst. USFs' latest target is Rays TV reporter Todd Kalas.. ... The volleyball team closes the regular season at home Friday against UConn and Sunday against No. 21 St. John's. It will be the final home game for senior Kristina Fabris, who is sixth on the school's all-time kills list.

Listen to reporter Brett McMurphy discuss the USF-Syracuse game on "Hot Lunch with JP Peterson" on WHBO, 1470 AM, today between noon and 2 p.m.

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