Bulls have chance to become most-improved team in school history

Posted Mar 9, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Mar 9, 2010 at 07:43 AM

USF enters today’s game against DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament with a 19-11 record, one win away from only the third 20-win season in the program’s 39-year history.

The Bulls already have 10 more wins than last season’s 9-22 squad.

However, while USF is the most-improved team among the six major conferences, these Bulls rank only third in school history when it comes to one-season improvements.

Here is a glance at the biggest one-season turnarounds in USF history.

—13 wins (1989-90 team): This team is the first one in school history to make the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls went 7-21 the prior season under Coach Bobby Paschal, but Paschal’s group turned it around the following season, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title.

—12 wins (1980-81 team): This team is the first one in school history to make a postseason appearance, playing in the NIT under first-year coach Lee Rose. The Bulls were 6-21 the prior season under Chip Conner, but Rose arrived and turned the program’s fortunes around.

—10 wins (current team): If the Bulls can make a run at this week’s Big East Tournament in New York, they can quickly climb this list. In Stan Heath’s first two seasons at USF, the Bulls won 21 games combined. His third team has people in Tampa still talking college hoops in early March. That’s as much a sign of improvement as the won-loss record.

—9 wins (1997-98 team): In Seth Greenberg’s second season, USF finished 17-13. The Bulls were 8-19 in Greenberg’s first season. It was the largest turnaround in Greenberg’s seven seasons at USF.

—8 wins (1994-95 team): Paschal led the Bulls back to the postseason following a two-year drought. USF made the NIT and finished 18-12 following a 10-17 record the prior season.

—7 wins (2004-05 team): Robert McCullum didn’t have much success in his four seasons at USF, but his second team was much better than his first. In their final season in Conference USA, the Bulls finished 14-16; in McCullum’s first season USF managed only a 7-20 record.