Bulls want win, respect from NIT appearance

Stan Heath finally called it a night around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning.

A few hours earlier, Heath had his University of South Florida Bulls over to his home for a cookout and to learn their postseason fate. Around 9 p.m., the Bulls found out they were hosting North Carolina State in the first round of the NIT tonight at the Sun Dome.

Heath and his staff immediately went to work trying to find out all they could about Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack team.

"This is like cramming for an exam," Heath said Monday.

While the attitude of some of the teams in the NIT is one of disappointment (i.e. Mississippi State, Virginia Tech) or grudging acceptance (i.e. North Carolina, Connecticut), USF (20-12) has embraced a postseason trip of any kind after an eight-year drought.

"I feel like if we win this, people will look at us like, 'I think we missed out on the South Florida team in being in the NCAA Tournament,'" junior guard Dominique Jones said Monday. "That was our goal. I hate the fact we're not in it, but you just have to take the cards that are given to you. We are just going to play this NIT out, and hopefully we'll do the things it takes to win."

Jones was a teenager in Lake Wales eight years ago when the Bulls made their last postseason appearance. Senior guard Chris Howard was in high school in Maryland. Heath was making a name for himself by leading Kent State to the 2002 Elite Eight.

In other words, it's been a while since USF last played a meaningful game this late in March. That's why the Bulls hope to extend their stay as long as possible.

"(This is) a step up for this program," Howard said. "Everyone's excited around here and looking forward to going out and winning a championship."

For the Bulls to beat N.C. State (19-15) tonight and make any kind of a run in the NIT, they must shoot better than they did in their last game - a 69-49 loss to Georgetown six days ago in the second round of the Big East Tournament.

USF shot a season-low 29.1 percent (16 of 55) and made only one of 19 3-pointers in their two games at Madison Square Garden. Jones missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts.

"My confidence is still there," Jones said. "If I'm open, I'm shooting it. I feel like if I can just make one, then I'm good.

"We've never been lights-out shooting, but in a couple games we hit a couple shots, so that opened up the lanes. There are some good teams in this NIT. We're going to have some tough ballgames, but we have to knock down open shots to open up the lane for our drives."

To help USF cure its shooting woes, Heath said he'll likely give freshman guards Shaun Noriega and Mike Burwell some playing time. Noriega's 3-pointer in the final minute of the Georgetown loss was the only one USF made in New York.

The Bulls took little time off once they returned from the Big East Tournament, knowing that for a change they still had a game to play.

Heath reminded them that they can still add to what has been a feel-good story this season by having a strong showing in the NIT.

"We've just talked about creating our own tradition, creating our own history, writing different chapters and doing some special things," Heath said of the NIT berth. "I told the guys this is something to be excited about."