Back-to-back Big East wins

USF has officially been a member of the Big East for five seasons, but for the most part, the Bulls have been little more than an easy win for other teams in perhaps the toughest men's basketball conference in the nation.

If the Bulls ever do climb to contender status in the rough-and-tumble Big East, they can look back at Thursday night as a step up the mountain.

USF (13-7, 3-5) defeated Seton Hall, 76-74, in overtime at the Sun Dome, winning back-to-back Big East games for the first time. For a program that has only 14 wins in 76 conference games the past five seasons, the milestone was reason enough for Coach Stan Heath and his players to return to the court after a brief trip to the locker room.

They wanted to share the experience with the student section that went crazy as soon as Seton Hall's Robert Mitchell dribbled the ball off his foot into the hands of Jarrid Famous, preventing the Pirates (12-7, 3-5) from launching a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Afterward, it even sounded like the Bulls finally belonged in the Big East.

In his postgame comments, Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez complained about the discrepancy in the free throws - USF shot 31, Seton Hall 19. He also was quoted earlier in the season about the lack of fear other Big East teams have when playing the Bulls.

When asked about the disparity in free-throw shooting, Heath fired a shot of his own.

"I don't blow the whistle," Heath said. "I thought we were attacking the basket pretty good. I probably wouldn't have felt so good if I lost, either."

Suddenly, after winning at Providence in overtime Saturday, and then knocking off Seton Hall for the first time in school history Thursday - USF was 0-7 against the Pirates - the Bulls are feeling pretty good about themselves.

Thursday's win was their 13th of the season, the most since Heath took over the program three seasons ago and four more victories than all of last season.

"It builds up our confidence as a team," said junior guard Dominique Jones. After scoring a school-record 46 points at Providence, Jones responded with 28 Thursday, including hitting 10 of 11 free throws.

"We just felt good about ourselves," Heath said. "I thought there was an extra pep in our step going into this game."

When the game was on the line in overtime, senior guard Chris Howard was the one with the extra bounce. With Jones calling for the ball, Howard waited as his teammate cleared to the wing heavily guarded, creating space for Howard to drive to the basket to break a tie at 73 with 38.6 seconds left.

"Nique was calling for the ball as usual," Howard said. "Once Nique cleared out to the wing ... I figured if I could get one step on him."

Howard finished with 12 points and Famous, who Seton Hall recruited heavily, finished with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Jeremy Hazell finished with a team-high 28 for Seton Hall, but the Pirates shot only 41.8 percent for the game and were outscored 25-11 from the foul line.

No matter what the rest of the Big East thinks, Heath likes the way the Bulls are playing right now.

"We think we've got a good basketball team," he said. "I think most people know that if they come to the Sun Dome and play us, they've got to be ready to play."