Bilas: ‘It’s not an unfair fight anymore’

Posted Feb 5, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Feb 5, 2010 at 08:17 AM

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas watched USF’s win at No. 7 Georgetown on Wednesday night and was thoroughly impressed.

“It’s not like they beat them on a 60-foot shot,’’ Bilas said. “They outplayed them.’‘

Bilas’ alma mater, Duke, lost at Georgetown a few days prior to USF’s upset of the Hoyas. Bilas was back on Duke’s campus Thursday night to call the Georgia Tech-Duke game from Cameron Indoor Arena.

However, before the game, he talked to The Tampa Tribune for a few minutes about USF’s sudden surge up the Big East standings and onto the national radar.

Bilas says college basketball fans shouldn’t be too surprised by what the Bulls are doing.

“I don’t know if it’s that unlikely,’’ he said. “I just don’t think there are that many great teams out there. Very few teams in the Big East at the very top are as good as they were last year.’’

“Stan [Heath] has done a good job of building the program. They were close so many times last year and didn’t get over the hump. They’ve got some pretty good darn players. Dominique Jones is a pro. Mike Mercer was a heck of a prospect when he at Georgia. Gus Gilchrist is a highly recruited player. Anthony Crater played at a high level at Ohio State.’‘

What about USF, 15-7 overall, 5-5 in the Big East, contending for a berth in the NCAA Tournament?

“They are in the conversation,’’ Bilas said. “It’s not an unfair fight anymore. It shouldn’t be a shock. They are very solid. I like their team. They play hard. Even in games they’ve lost, they have been really competitive.’’

Bilas says USF first caught his attention earlier this season when the Bulls defeated Davidson in an early season tournament. Since then, he has watched the team rebound from the loss of Gilchrist to an ankle injury and find a true identity.

“If they finish .500 in the league, they are a tournament team, or at least on the board.’’