Bulls' NIT berth is cause for celebration

No one is more passionate and supportive of college basketball than Dick Vitale, so when he hung the University of South Florida with the negative label of "toughest coaching job in America" we can only guess how he really felt.

While it was harsh, it was also fair. He wasn't wrong.

So many things needed fixing at USF - facilities, coaching, recruiting - but it really came down to expectations. Did they really want to have a competitive program out on Fowler Avenue, or didn't they?

Turns out, they do.

So there it was Sunday night - after a drawn-out wait, the announcement finally came that USF will host North Carolina State in the National Invitation Tournament. It's not the Big Dance and there will be precious few NIT office pools around the country, but look at the history of this program and try to argue this isn't important.

The Bulls were 61-117 over the past six years and lost 20 or more three times, including 22 last season.

This year, they have 20 wins. They are a solid third seed in their bracket.

USF won 10 conference games combined in the previous three years. If you count the win against DePaul in the Big East Tournament last week, the Bulls won 10 this season alone.

That's why you celebrate an invite to the NIT. You dream of making a run to Madison Square Garden for the finals. You treat it like a springboard instead a consolation prize. You use it as validation that things have finally turned around.

Coach Stan Heath certainly does.

"It's a big step for our program," he said. "We haven't done anything over the years. We were an afterthought in basketball when we joined the Big East, but I think we changed some minds this year. We earned some respect. We far exceeded expectations.

"A season like this is going to be huge for us. I think it will allow us to get some consistency and turn the corner.

"It seemed a good idea at that point to ask Vitale if he thinks the Bulls really have turned the proverbial corner at the toughest coaching job in America.

"Absolutely," he said. "It's almost like the Rays did two years ago, but now they just have to capitalize on that. They've got to use that momentum.

"Any time you can win 50 percent of your games in a conference like the Big East, you're making incredible progress. That's the deepest, most-talented conference in the nation."

Even with that, USF didn't merit serious NCAA bubble talk because its nonconference schedule strength ranked 252nd in the nation. That's how the Bulls could rank 10 spots behind UConn in RPI despite beating the Huskies and having a better record.

Auburn and VCU are on the schedule for next year. The Bulls will be in a tournament with BYU and Texas Tech. They'll play a game at the Forum as part of USF's obligation as a first-round host next March for the NCAA Tournament. That'll be another opportunity to play a team that won't weigh them down this time of year.

Recently, USF broke ground on a dedicated practice gym and there are plans to upgrade the Sun Dome. And while Heath has two years remaining on his original contract, it's likely that he'll sit with Athletic Director Doug Woolard to talk about an extension when this season is over.

All that should help with recruiting. That's ultimately what makes the difference.

"I've learned the grass is not always greener somewhere else," said Heath, who was fired at Arkansas before coming here. "Everything is right here and this is where I want to be. I've been at that level they talk about. Now, we're at that level."

Right now, the NIT is where the Bulls belong. Expectations will be higher next year, but that's only because there finally are expectations.

"It's all positive over there," Vitale said. "I thought when Doug Woolard hired him, that Stan Heath was the perfect hire at the time. They've got some enthusiasm going now and they've just got to build on that with recruiting and all the other things that go with that.

"I really did think it was the toughest job in America. It's still a tough job, but they're making it a little more realistic now."