Instant Replay: USF-Seton Hall

Posted Jan 29, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jan 29, 2010 at 11:47 AM

Before we look ahead to Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, let’s take a quick look back at USF’s 76-74 overtime win against Seton Hall on Thursday night at the Sun Dome.

Here are five points worth talking about:

**  The season just got interesting: Prior to last night, I thought USF’s season highlight would probably be Dominique Jones’ school-record 46-point game at Providence on Saturday. But if the Bulls can somehow upset Pittsburgh on Sunday at the Sun Dome, and then get injured F Gus Gilchrist back in the rotation, maybe they can continue to surprise people. Any good college basketball team needs at least three players to build around, and with Jones, Jarrid Famous and Gilchrist, USF has three in place.

** Speaking of Famous, really thought his intensity level shot up last night compared to what it had been. He was outplayed in the first half by Seton Hall rebound machine Herb Pope. However, Famous had nine points and 12 rebounds after halftime and played a critical role for the Bulls down the stretch.

** After his school-record performance at Providence on Saturday, Jones didn’t try to do too much too early against Seton Hall. He got off to a slow start, hitting just one of his first four shots, but he allowed the game to come to him and finished with 28. He missed a good look at the end of regulation, but in overtime, Seton Hall paid so much attention to stopping Jones that it allowed Chris Howard to drive freely to the basket for what ended up as the decisive score with 38.6 seconds left.

** USF must do a better job on the boards, especially keeping teams off the offensive glass. Seton Hall had 20 offensive rebounds to USF’s 11. Pope, the Big East’s leading rebounder, had something to do with that by grabbing five offensive rebounds and a game-high 17. Lucky for the Bulls, Pope hit just 2 of 10 shots.

** The role players must continue to produce. In Thursday’s win, guards Anthony Crater and Ryan Kardok both hit 3-point shots, as did starting forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. It was the second consecutive game Fitzpatrick hit a 3-pointer, the most important one of course the game-tying shot to force overtime Saturday at Providence.

One final thought: Only 3,786 fans showed up at the Sun Dome Thursday; it will be interesting to see if the crowd swells for Sunday’s game against Pitt considering the Bulls will try to reach another milestone: win three consecutive regular-season conference games for the first time in the Big East, and first time overall since defeating Charlotte, TCU and St. Louis in 2003 when they still played in Conference-USA.