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Win or lose, scrappy USF Bulls battle

 
Such is the Bulls' 2014-15 tagline: Every game can be a battle, but only if they battle every game. [AP photo]
Such is the Bulls' 2014-15 tagline: Every game can be a battle, but only if they battle every game. [AP photo]
Published Dec. 18, 2014

TAMPA — The first four of what could be a procession of lumps for USF men's basketball have arrived. In a recent 10-day span, they came in triplicate, courtesy of Alabama, Detroit and Georgia Southern.

In this season of transition, when depth is scarce and greenness is at a surplus, first-year coach Orlando Antigua knows the Bulls (5-4) will sustain their share. Only three guys on the roster had played in a Division I game before this season. Welts were inevitable.

Antigua's lone request is that his team deliver some scars in exchange.

Even on nights when they struggle to shoot and rebound, the Bulls always can scratch and claw. Such is the personality Antigua is trying to forge in Year One.

"We don't have a whole lot of room for error, and (effort) is how we're gauging ourselves anyway," said Antigua, whose team hosts Big East mainstay Seton Hall tonight.

"We want teams to fear coming into the Sun Dome because of how hard we're going to compete every possession. We're doing it at spurts, and that's not enough."

It wasn't sufficient in Monday night's 68-63 loss to Georgia Southern, when the Bulls sank 2 of 20 3-point tries.

Trailing by four at halftime, the Bulls opened the second half with two missed jumpers. When the Eagles converted both into layups, including a traditional three-point play, Antigua called a 30-second timeout and replaced all five starters.

Less than a minute later, they were re-inserted, but the Eagles were well on their way to a 12-0 run. For this USF club, that would prove insurmountable, even against a Sun Belt Conference team that hadn't defeated the Bulls in four previous tries and hasn't reached an NCAA Tournament in 22 years.

"We have to fight relentlessly every night because we don't have the best talent in the world," said sophomore forward Chris Perry, acknowledging his team's mental lapses Monday. "We have to work with what we've got, and Coach tells us that every day."

When brandishing their collective scrappiness, the Bulls have shown they're capable of defeating anyone on their schedule.

In last month's 68-65 loss at N.C. State, they nearly erased an 11-point deficit in the last three minutes, falling a halfcourt Hail Mary from forcing overtime. Two nights later, they rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit for a 71-70 home victory against Hofstra, which hasn't lost since.

The first road win of the Antigua era, 73-71 at UAB, came in overtime. Such is the Bulls' 2014-15 tagline: Every game can be a battle, but only if they battle every game.

"They do it in spurts," Antigua said. "Right now the team is being driven by the staff. … We're trying to teach them how it is that you need to compete, and then they have to own it. Once they own it, it's theirs for good."

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Antigua would prefer his players assume ownership sooner — as in tonight's tip-off — rather than later. Against 8-1 Seton Hall, improved shot selection, ball security and low-post assertiveness would be nice. Forty minutes of maximum effort is a necessity.

This team can afford no less.

"Fighting back at the end is not enough," Perry said. "We need more at the end of the day."

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

. TONIGHT

USF vs. Seton Hall

When/where: 7; Sun Dome TV/radio: CBS Sports Network; 1010-AM

Records: Seton Hall 8-1, USF 5-4

Notable: The Bulls try to snap a three-game skid against a foe on whom they should have inside knowledge. First-year assistant Oliver Antigua spent last season on the Pirates staff, helping assemble a 2014 recruiting class ranked first in the Big East. … Bulls coach Orlando Antigua has used a different starting lineup in three straight games and five of nine. Look for him to insist on more prudent shot selection after watching the Bulls go 7-of-39 (18 percent) from 3-point range in their past two outings. … Seton Hall's only loss was by nine at No. 11 Wichita State on Dec. 9. Lanky G Isaiah Whitehead, the two-time defending Big East rookie of the week, had 23 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes against the Shockers. … Whitehead (12.9 ppg) is complemented on the perimeter by junior PG Sterling Gibbs (16.9 ppg), who is 23-of-41 from 3-point range.

Joey Knight, Times staff writer