It's Been Night and Day For South Florida in Comparison to Last Year

By Paul Seaver
Kim Klement-USA Today Sports

A season ago, South Florida qualified for the NCAA Tournament. A stout defensive squad, the Bulls carried that pressure and intensity to their first berth in the Big Dance since 1992.

Fast-forward to this season. The Bulls are struggling, and the aspirations of making back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament are nearly non-existent.

At 9-7 on the season, the bumpy Big East schedule has been costly for the Bulls already. An 0-4 start within the conference has put the Bulls back in the basement of the conference with expectations rapidly declining.

The Bulls quickly became a great story a season ago, as the fire on head coach Stan Heath was doused by their run to the NCAA Tournament. The lights are already off at USF this season, and that very well could put Heath’s job security in jeopardy yet again.

Point guard Anthony Collins continues to a bright spot this season, averaging 7.1 assists per game. Victor Rudd Jr., who made a name for himself a year ago with a number of highlight reel-worthy dunks, leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game. However, the struggles overall have pulled South Florida away from a spotlight that they worked so hard to move into a season ago.

The Bulls will take a trip to Georgetown on Saturday for a 6:00pm (EST) tip-off, but each opponent that lines up against South Florida on the schedule is looking at a must-win situation, given their advantage.

Sure, South Florida will eventually find a way to win within the Big East this season, but the quick decline is nothing but a disappointment. Their program appeared to be taking multiple steps forward a season ago, but the retraction is obvious here in 2013.

 

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS

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