Bulls' stingy defense was key

South Florida's reward for one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in Big East history is the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 20 years.

The Bulls (20-13) will meet California (24-9) in a first-round game in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday night. The winner advances as a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Regional, facing fifth-seeded Temple in Nashville, Tenn., in a second-round matchup on Friday.

"It means a lot," South Florida coach Stan Heath said. "It's been 20 years. I can't tell you how many alumni and former players have talked about it and wanted our program to get back there. . . . We still feel like we can play better basketball, and we're excited to have an opportunity to go forward."

USF won a program-best 12 games in the Big East this season, a year after going 3-15 in league play. The Bulls tied for fourth place in the conference standings, then beat Villanova to make the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, where an overtime loss to Notre Dame left them on the bubble with the NCAA selection committee.

The team practiced Sunday, ate dinner together, and remained at the school's new basketball practice facility to watch the NCAA selection show on television.

The field was announced region by region, and Heath conceded he and his players began to sweat a little when the South, West, and East bracket were revealed and USF still hadn't heard its name.

"It was a little nerve-racking, but it's worth the wait," Heath said.

"We got down to the last region, everybody kind of got on the edge their seats," senior forward Ron Anderson Jr., said. "It's a sigh of relief now."

The Bulls haven't played in the NCAA tournament since 1992, when they were members of the Metro Conference. They made their only other appearance in 1990.

"I think our wins down the stretch - winning at Louisville, winning against Cincinnati, two teams that played for the championship in the Big East tournament - were huge," Heath said, adding that a one-point home win over Seton Hall - another bubble team that did not receive a berth - may have been a factor, too.

"But just getting in isn't enough. We're excited, we've accomplished some goals, but we certainly want to advance," the coach added. "We've felt all along that the way we play is the way, in the NCAA tournament, that you can have success."

The Bulls orchestrated their surprising turnaround by playing tenacious defense. They were the lowest scoring team in the Big East, but counteracted that by allowing the fewest points in the league.