
Despite record, USF still has work to do
With a rough patch near the beginning of the season behind them, the USF Bulls are off to a red-hot start in Big East play. The team is sitting in first place in the Big East and is three wins away from their conference total last season.
While the Bulls have shown the focus and execution needed to win in conference play, their 10-2 conference record is juxtaposed by their 15-10 record outside of the Big East, with most of those losses coming at home. The Bulls have losses to North Florida, Bethune-Cookman, Eastern Illinois, Stetson and Lafayette on their resume.
Though the Bulls losses outside of Big East play havent yet hurt their postseason hopes, the mid-week losses to non-conference opponents could hold deeper meaning.
In their 12 conference games, the Bulls have played three games each against Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Georgetown. Of those teams, Notre Dame is the only one that has a .500 record in Big East play, at 6-6. All four teams are in the bottom half in the conference standings, including Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, who hold two of the bottom three spots. USF has a combined record of 5-1 against those two teams.
It can be said that the Bulls have taken advantage of a relatively easy Big East schedule to begin the season, boosting their record despite the poor showing outside of
the league. But given that the Bulls have struggled against non-Big East opponents all season, USFs stellar conference start could simply be a mirage.
The Bulls success in the Big East will be tested in the coming weeks, as the team will face the top tier teams of the conference before the season wraps up. In their final 18 regular season games the Bulls will play three games each against Louisville, St. Johns and Connecticut, the teams that sit directly beneath the Bulls in the standings.
The Bulls have some breathing room in hopes of qualifying for the Big East tournament after missing out last season. USF leads the conference and can slip all the way to eighth place and still earn a berth in the tournament in Clearwater.
Im proud of our guys, but I dont want them to get satisfied because the next three weeks we play some great teams, coach Lelo Prado said. We better pitch better, we better hit the ball better and we better play better defense.
USF will get an opportunity to improve its out-of-conference schedule tonight in a rematch with Bethune-Cookman in Daytona. The Wildcats came to Tampa for a three-game series at the end of February and won the final two games. The game will mark the end of USFs season-long eight-game road trip, followed by a weekend home series against Louisville.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More usforacle News Articles
- Red-hot Bulls could take over first place in AAC over weekend
- Men's golf wins AAC for fourth consecutive season
- No. 24 USF baseball sweeps season series against Bethune-Cookman with 5-3 win
- USF wins series over UCF after back-to-back wins
Recent usforacle News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR USFORACLE

Red-hot Bulls could take over first place in AAC over weekend By Sam Newlon, Asst. Sports Editor

Student develops health care app By Matthew Cutillo, STAFF WRITER

SG awaits decision on budget from administration By Jesse Stokes, MANAGING EDITOR

We stand with #SaveStudentNewsrooms By EDITORIAL
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST USFORACLE NEWS
- USF must survive third-place UCF to maintain lead in AAC
- NFL Draft viewing guide for a USF fan
- Red-hot Bulls could take over first place in AAC over weekend
- Student develops health care app
- SG awaits decision on budget from administration
- We stand with #SaveStudentNewsrooms
- Starbucks needs more than implicit bias training
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- Sun Smart Schools: Teaching Student Sun Safety In Nevada
- Make Your Home A Safe Haven
- Twenty Ways To Cook Up Some Safety At Home
- To Raise Creative Kids—Let Them Play
- Lifesaving Ideas Rewarded
- Seeing Is Believing When It Comes To Road Safety
- Home-Brewed Coffee That's As Good As It Gets
- Stop What You're Doing And Download These Free...
- It's Good To Be Prepared For Bad Weather
- The ABCs Of IBD Treatments
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- A Primer for First-Time Homebuyers
- If You're Stuck at Sea, There's An App for That
- A Simple Test to See If You're Up to Installing Your Own...
- This Subscription Box Helps People Do Good and Feel Good
- MovoCash Embraces Culture of Community
- Gifts to Give on Administrative Professionals Day
- How to Defeat A Clog
- American Winemaking Family Continues with Next Generation
- Boat Insurance Basics May Help You Stay Afloat
- Life's Biggest Moments Take Center Stage in New UP TV Series
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Cengage Partners with Phi Theta Kappa Foundation to Offer Free Cengage Unlimited Subscriptions to College Students
- THE POPPY WAR
- Cosmopolitan Roots: Keynote and Q&A with Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah
- CENGAGE AND REDSHELF STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP WITH CENGAGE UNLIMITED, INCLUSIVE ACCESS
- 4 Reasons Why You Should be Working for Avid4 Adventure