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Struggling USF Bulls prepare for No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats

 
Orlando Antigua, a former assistant of Kentucky’s John Calipari, has three new starters.
Orlando Antigua, a former assistant of Kentucky’s John Calipari, has three new starters.
Published Nov. 27, 2015

The prevailing narrative is a no-brainer. Cal vs. Coach O. Chieftain of the Kentucky hoops juggernaut going head-to-head against his former first lieutenant.

It's a story line that has brought the top-ranked Wildcats (5-0) and struggling USF (1-4) together in downtown Miami, and ESPN's cameras are likely to milk it for every droplet possible. An encounter on Black Friday dramatized into a matchup worthy of Big Monday.

Cats coach John Calipari embracing Orlando Antigua — his assistant for a half-dozen years — before and after tipoff; then watching his long, sleek defenders trying to suffocate the Bulls in between.

"He wants to kick our tail. I do know that," Antigua said. "And we want to kick his. But afterwards, it will be all good."

And the Bulls — barring the biggest upset in program history — will be 1-5.

How did it come to this? While few believed Antigua would arrive in Miami with a club equipped to topple Calipari's latest assemblage of NBA employees-in-training, the widespread presumption was, USF would enter with more than one triumph.

Yet the Bulls have squandered leads of eight points or more in three of their four defeats, and have watched their RPI plummet to 326 out of 351 Division I teams. A roster overhauled in the offseason (three new starters, five total newcomers) to better suit Antigua's crisper style has struggled to find a second gear and second win.

So what's the diagnosis?

"I would say the biggest problem we've been having was just not paying attention to details and just being consistent with everything that coach wants us to do on both ends," said 6-foot-8 senior Angel Nunez, a Gonzaga transfer who had a game-high 16 points in Tuesday's 63-61 victory against Albany.

"That's probably what we've been working on trying to change the most."

Tuesday's win was the first in which the Bulls maintained defensive intensity and remained within their offensive framework all 40 minutes, Antigua suggested. Their 11 turnovers were a season-low, and Albany's 3-for-20 effort from long range (15 percent) was the worst of any USF opponent so far.

"I would say we've just got to learn to fight more," said 6-foot-11 senior Jaleel Cousins, who carries the weirdest vibes into today's contest as the younger brother of former Kentucky star Demarcus Cousins. "This (Albany) game was an eye-opener for us because we tried to fight the whole time and we saw where it got us."

A look at the stat sheet, however, indicates the problems transcend mental discipline and intensity. USF is shooting 24 percent (23-for-96) from 3-point range, and has been especially brutal (1-for-21) in its past two contests.

Aggravating the problem is the fact sophomore Troy Holston, one of the Bulls' best shooters, could miss the entire season while rehabbing a torn ACL. Additionally, senior Nehemias Morillo, the third-leading 3-point shooter last season, is 3-for-18.

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The frigidness isn't due to a lack of practice, Antigua insists. "Those guys are putting up tons of shots daily," he said.

"They lost some games, but if you watch the games, they're running good stuff," Calipari told reporters after Kentucky's 82-62 triumph Tuesday against Boston University.

"They're organized, they're getting the shots, they're missing a lot of shots. They're missing a lot of 3s. But they're trying, they're fighting, and it was a great win for them (Tuesday)."

Antigua, who still speaks with Calipari regularly, has stressed to his players that they're involved in a figurative marathon — a point Calipari corroborates. In Calipari's first two seasons at Massachusetts a generation ago, the Minutemen trudged through 10-18 and 14-17 seasons.

By Year 4, UMass made the first of five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

"(USF) is a very hard job, but (Antigua) is up for it," Calipari said. "I'm telling you, I've watched him, I've seen him.

"But it's just like anything else, those are the kind of jobs that it takes time. It takes one or two, three classes to come together and then you see it."

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