Unlikely Bull run creating local, national buzz

TAMPA - Since becoming a prominent USF men's basketball booster in 1980, South Tampa resident Dick Wittcoff has probably seen more Bulls games than anyone.

He once traveled regularly with the team on the road and still attends nearly every home game. Wittcoff cares so deeply about the Bulls that he has donated money to USF for several full basketball scholarships over the years.

But in all this time, he can't recall as many people calling him at home asking for tickets the way a few folks did following USF's 72-64 win at No. 7 Georgetown on Wednesday night.

"I'm just thrilled beyond belief what has happened," Wittcoff said Thursday. "I can't believe it. When I think back to where [the program] was, and where it is, it is incredible to see the teams we're beating and playing."

USF had never beaten a team ranked as high as Georgetown or won back-to-back games against ranked opponents until Wednesday night. But after beating No. 17 Pittsburgh on Sunday and knocking off the Hoyas, USF has won four consecutive Big East games entering Sunday's game at Notre Dame.

Could an unprecedented spot in the Top 25 be next? Since the program's first game 39 years ago, USF has never cracked the Associated Press Top 25 poll, coming closest in December 1991 as the fourth team receiving votes.

"The win over Georgetown on the road was huge and should finally raise some eyebrows," longtime New York Daily News sportswriter and AP voter Dick Weiss said Thursday via e-mail. "It certainly raised mine. If they beat the Irish, I would seriously consider voting for them."

The Bulls' sudden charge up the standings - in five seasons in the Big East, USF had never won more than four conference games in a season - has created a buzz on campus and around town. On local sports-talk radio Thursday, USF's win at Georgetown was a hot topic despite coming in the middle of Super Bowl week.

"It's great for our program," said Ayo Taylor-Dixon, USF's assistant athletic director for marketing. "We hope to get people in Tampa Bay excited about college basketball. The phones have been ringing quite a bit."

USF entered the season expected to finish near the bottom of the Big East, where the Bulls have resided during their time in perhaps the nation's toughest conference. However, since New Year's, junior guard Dominique Jones leads the nation in scoring and the rest of the team has rallied around its star player.

In his third season, Coach Stan Heath spent much of Thursday doing national media interviews and talking about the upset of Georgetown, a win he called the most important in school history immediately afterward.

Heath experienced a similar situation in 2002 when his Kent State team became a national story by making an unexpected run to the Elite Eight. Heath doesn't know what's in store for this USF team, but the Bulls' recent play is what he envisioned when he took the job.

"This is what we want," Heath said Thursday. "It's not going to be easy in the Big East, but this is our goal."

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas expects to discuss the Bulls more than usual in the next few days leading up to Sunday's game at Notre Dame.

"They beat Georgetown on the road, something that Duke couldn't do," said Bilas, who played for Duke. "And it's not like they beat them on a 60-foot shot. They outplayed them. I like their team. They've got some darn good players.

"It shouldn't be a shock. Very few teams at the top of the Big East are as good as they were last year. It's not an unfair fight anymore."

Jones has played so well of late that he is beginning to garner attention as a possible All-American candidate if the Bulls can stay hot. USF has already begun work on developing a campaign to promote Jones, who was mostly overlooked coming out of Lake Wales High in 2007.

He recently broke Charlie Bradley's school record for points in a game by scoring 46 in USF's win at Providence Jan. 23. Bradley, like many who have followed the downtrodden program through the years, is enjoying every dribble of late.

"It's a great ride they're on right now and they don't want to jump off," Bradley said. "I'm definitely happy for those guys. That's all we're talking about [at work].

"It's good for the whole community."