The Flame Begins to Die

The Big East conference, the toughest conference in America for college basketball, the Bulls know all too well about this and the conference once again has dimmed the flame that was burning brightly for USF basketball. Just two weeks ago, USF was the darling of the conference, rising to the middle of the pack, being a bubble team after two huge upsets and the amazing play of Jones. But as soon as the fame came, it has been taken away.

The Bulls lost to Notre Dame after a four game winning streak, then traveled to Marquette, another bubble team and were shot out of the building. The Bulls limped home and got Gilchrist back, who hadn't played since later December with a high ankle sprain. They defeated Cincinnati and everything seemed to alright, but a lose to lowly St. John's has all but doomed their hopes in the NCAA Tournament. They sit at 16-10 and 6-8 in conference, not in the top 8 anymore after being there for a short time.

Jones has cooled off, facing constant double teams and putting a body on him constantly has made his average drop and forcing him to find other options. Mercer and Crater are doing well, along with Howard, who is having a career year but each one has a good game then a quiet one, not consistent enough yet to carry the load. Fitzpatrick has found the bench recently as well. Famous has disappeared, limping with injury and being dominated inside, he can't handle the pressure and Rivas is not a scoring threat at all for the Bulls, looking lost in the paint. Then Gilchrist is just not the same all-star he was before the injury. Gilchrist is slow up court, shots are flat, and is still injured. When he was out, USF came together after Jones called them out and now they are falling again.

Now they must face an angry Villanova team that is trying to win the Big East and a possible 1 bid in the tournament. It would take a miracle for the Bulls to get to the dance but the season is still a success. The team is growing, young and has a winning record for once. So while the flame dies and the hopes of making the big dance begin to fade away with each lose, remember, this team is a good one and will be a force for years to come. Well done Stan Heath for getting us this far, what will you be able to accomplish next year?