South Florida vs Georgetown Basketball Recap

Things are getting very serious... seriously giddy, that is, for the South Florida Bulls.

A win at a not-so-super Providence club was unexpected, but hardly cause for a stop-the-presses reaction. An overtime victory over Seton Hall represented a step up the ladder, but still not the kind of win that sent shockwaves radiating across the country.

A home win over Pittsburgh this past Sunday turned some eyebrows, and began to create the sense that coach Stan Heath's ballclub could make some noise in the Big East in the final seven weeks of the season.

Now, though, it's time for a genuine reassessment of the big, bad, bold Bulls, who are balling better than any Big East teams not named Villanova or Syracuse.

A jolting of Georgetown would have merited considerable praise even if it had occurred in Tampa, but USF did the deed on the road in Washington, D.C. South Florida strolled into the Verizon Center and shocked the locals with an eight-point triumph that now has the Bulls very much in the NCAA Tournament conversation. If you were to compare just some of the resumes possessed by the many teams on the bubble, USF wouldn't be a slam-dunk choice for the field of 65, but it definitely wouldn't be on the bad side of the ledger, either. It would be fair to say that the Bulls - at 5-5 in the Big East and now owners of a high-value scalp - are in the middle of the bubble at worst, and likely sit on its good side. A loss to Central Michigan is canceled out by a solid win over a better-than-expected Virginia team. Wins over Pitt and Georgetown should give USF the schedule heft it needs to catapult itself past a lot of other bubble teams.

There's no question that South Florida is on the minds of college basketball's foremost pundits and commentators.

Just how did the Bulls break through against the eighth-ranked team in the country? Two reasons tell the tale: Dominique and defense.

> Find a great selection of USF hats & apparel and more online along with Big East football jerseys from Big East Fans partner sites.

Dominique, of course, refers to Dominique Jones, who is donning a cape, shouldering the scoring and ballhandling workloads for this team, and telling his mates to come along for the ride. Jones is carrying South Florida on his back, and this game was no exception. The sensational star - making his case for Player of the Year honors - earned 17 foul shots for the second consecutive game. He tallied 29 points on a night when only one other Bull - guard Mike Mercer - scored in double figures (with 12 points). Jones supplemented his scoring by snagging eight rebounds, handing out four assists, and snatching three steals in another jawdropping effort that left a prime Big East opponent flailing and failing. The awesome displays of excellence Jones is providing are amazing not just for their aesthetic quality or their numerical prominence, but because the gaudy totals are actually helping South Florida win games. Lots of times, superstars post numbers while the welfare of the team suffers; not in Jones's case. He's giving maximum value to his teammates by starring for South Florida.

The other reason why USF pulled off the huge upset was its defense. Precisely because Jones is doing everything at the offensive end, his teammates are able to mentally focus when playing defense. Everyone in a green jersey played hard and tough against a Hoya team that shot 72 percent on Saturday against Duke. Georgetown scored only nine points in the first nine minutes of the second half, as USF rolled to an eight-point lead and ultimately won by that same margin.

It's time to take South Florida very seriously. Georgetown got the memo a little too late on Wednesday night.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer