2011–12 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team

The 2011–12 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represented the University of South Florida Bulls during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the 41st season of basketball for USF and its 7th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Stan Heath in his fifth year at the school. USF played its home games at Bob Martinez Sports Center, Lakeland Center, and Tampa Bay Times Forum (formerly St. Pete Times Forum prior to January 1, 2012) this season as their regular home venue, the USF Sun Dome, was under extensive renovations.

2011–12 South Florida Bulls men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Round of 32
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	22–14 (12–6 Big East)
Head coach	Stan Heath
Assistant coaches	Andy Hipsher Steve Roccaforte Eric Skeeters
Home arena	Tampa Bay Times Forum Bob Martinez Sports Center Lakeland Center

2011–12 Big East men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 11 Marquette	14	–	4		.778			27	–	8		.771
Notre Dame	13	–	5		.722			22	–	12		.647
Cincinnati	12	–	6		.667			26	–	11		.703
No. 15 Georgetown	12	–	6		.667			24	–	9		.727
South Florida	12	–	6		.667			22	–	14		.611
West Virginia	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
Connecticut	8	–	10		.444			20	–	14		.588
Seton Hall	8	–	10		.444			21	–	13		.618
Rutgers	6	–	12		.333			14	–	18		.438
St. John's	6	–	12		.333			13	–	19		.406
Pittsburgh	5	–	13		.278			22	–	17		.564
Villanova	5	–	13		.278			13	–	19		.406
Providence	4	–	14		.222			15	–	17		.469
DePaul	3	–	15		.167			12	–	19		.387
*No. 2 Syracuse	0	–	1		.000			0	–	3		.000
**No. 17 Louisville†	0	–	8		.000			0	–	10		.000
† 2012 Big East tournament winner As of March 31, 2012 *Syracuse: 30 reg. season games, 4 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(34–3)(17–1) **Louisville: 25 reg. season games, 5 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Louisville–(30-10)(10-8) Rankings from AP Poll

Off season

In June, USF received approval to begin a $35.6 million renovation on the USF Sun Dome, which was completed in April 2012.

In September, the Muma Basketball Center was officially opened, giving the basketball programs at USF a state of the art training facility.

At Big East Media day, USF was selected to finish in 14th place in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll. Augustus Gilchrist was selected as a 2011–12 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.

Season Highlights

During the season, three USF players were honored by the Big East for their play. Jawanza Poland was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on January 23, and Hugh Robertson received the same honor on February 13. Freshman Point Guard Anthony Collins was named the Big East Rookie of the Week on February 20, and a week later was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on February 27.

At the conclusion of the regular season, Head Coach Stan Heath was named the Big East Coach of the Year. This was the first individual post-season award USF has received in the Big East. Anthony Collins was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team.

USF finished the regular season with a 19–12 overall record, and a 12–6 conference record. Their conference performance was the best in school history and resulted in being tied for 4th in the conference standings and receiving the #6 seed in the Big East Tournament.

After a 20-year drought, USF was selected to the 2012 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992. USF defeated California in the "First Four" in Dayton, Ohio, giving the school its first win in the NCAA Tournament. USF advanced to the main bracket as a #12 seed and played in Nashville, Tennessee. In the 2nd round, USF upset 5th seeded Temple, and fell in the 3rd round to 13th seeded Ohio.

USF finished the season with a final record of 22–14. This season set some historical records for the program; a tie for the most wins in a season (22, matching the total in 1982–83), most regular-season conference wins in a season (12 – it was the first time USF had ever had double-digit conference wins), and the first NCAA tournament win. In the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, USF received a single vote, their first vote in the Coaches Poll in team history and only vote until the 2023–24 season.

Roster

#	Name	Position	Height	Weight	Year	Former school	Hometown
1	Ron Anderson	Forward	6–8	237	RS Senior	Kansas State / McCallie School	Upper Marlboro, MD
2	Victor Rudd	Forward	6–7	221	RS Sophomore	Arizona State / Findlay Prep	Los Angeles, CA
5	Jawanza Poland	Guard	6–4	200	Junior	Hutchinson CC / Wichita East	Wichita, KS
10	Mike McCloskey	Guard	5–11	170	Junior	Lake Brantley HS	Orlando, FL
11	Anthony Collins	Guard	6–1	180	Freshman	Westbury Christian School	Houston, TX
15	Blake Nash	Guard	6–0	190	Sophomore	Williston State / Fairfax HS	Casa Grande, AZ
22	Shaun Noriega	Guard	6–4	197	Junior	North Port HS	North Port, FL
24	Augustus Gilchrist	Forward	6–10	235	Senior	Maryland / Progressive Christian Academy	Clinton, MD
25	Alberto Damour	Forward	6–5	216	Senior	Poinciana HS	Poinciana, FL
32	Toarlyn Fitzpatrick	Forward	6–8	243	Junior	King HS	Tampa, FL
34	Hugh Robertson	Guard	6–6	200	Senior	Tallahassee CC / Northeast HS	Macon, GA
*	Martino Brock	Guard	6–5	190	Junior	South Alabama / Maine Central Institute	Memphis, TN
**	Jordan Omogbehin	Center	7–3	291	Freshman	Atlantic Shores Christian Academy	Lagos, Nigeria

* Will sit out season due to NCAA transfer rules.

** Will sit out season due to NCAA eligibility rules.

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Exhibition
November 5, 2011* 7:30pm		at Tampa (DII)	W 75–43		Bob Martinez Sports Center  Tampa, FL
Regular Season
November 12, 2011* 7:00pm		Vermont Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff	W 61–59	1–0	Bob Martinez Sports Center  Tampa, FL
November 14* 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Marist Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff	W 81–67	2–0	St. Pete Times Forum  Tampa, FL
November 16* 7:00pm		at Florida Southern (DII)	W 73–43	3–0	Lakeland Center  Lakeland, FL
November 19* 2:00pm, ESPN3		vs. Old Dominion Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff	L 66–68 OT	3–1	Mohegan Sun Arena  Uncasville, CT
November 20* 2:00pm, ESPN3		vs. Penn State Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff	L 49–53	3–2	Mohegan Sun Arena  Uncasville, CT
November 23* 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Georgia Southern	W 66–46	4–2	St. Pete Times Forum  Tampa, FL
November 26* 7:00pm		Florida Atlantic	W 68–55	5–2	Bob Martinez Sports Center  Tampa, FL
November 30* 7:30pm		at VCU	L 46–69	5–3	Stuart C. Siegel Center  Richmond, VA
December 3* 5:15pm, ESPN2		at No. 15 Kansas	L 42–70	5–4	Allen Fieldhouse  Lawrence, KS
December 11* 2:00pm, BHSN		Florida A&M	W 83–59	6–4	Bob Martinez Sports Center  Tampa, FL
December 14* 9:00pm, BHSN		at Auburn	L 40–52	6–5	Auburn Arena  Auburn, AL
December 19* 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Cleveland State	W 70–55	7–5	St. Pete Times Forum  Tampa, FL
December 22* 8:00pm		at Southern Miss	L 51–53	7–6	Reed Green Coliseum  Hattiesburg, MS
December 28 9:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		No. 9 Connecticut	L 57–60	7–7 (0–1)	St. Pete Times Forum  Tampa, FL
January 1, 2012 12:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Rutgers	W 67–65	8–7 (1–1)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
January 5 8:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		at Villanova	W 74–57	9–7 (2–1)	The Pavilion  Villanova, PA
January 10 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		at Notre Dame	L 49–60	9–8 (2–2)	Edmund P. Joyce Center  Notre Dame, IN
January 13 7:00pm, ESPN3		No. 24 Seton Hall	W 56–55	10–8 (3–2)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
January 18 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		St. John's	W 64–49	11–8 (4–2)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
January 22 2:00pm, ESPN3		at DePaul	W 75–59	12–8 (5–2)	Allstate Arena  Rosemont, IL
January 24 8:00pm, ESPN3		at No. 17 Marquette	L 47–67	12–9 (5–3)	Bradley Center  Milwaukee, WI
January 29 2:00pm, ESPN3		Providence	W 81–78	13–9 (6–3)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
February 4 11:00am, ESPNU		at No. 9 Georgetown	L 45–75	13–10 (6–4)	Verizon Center  Washington, D.C.
February 8 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Pittsburgh	W 63–51	14–10 (7–4)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
February 11 4:00pm, ESPN3		at Providence	W 55–48	15–10 (8–4)	Dunkin' Donuts Center  Providence, RI
February 15 7:00pm, ESPN2/ESPN3		Villanova	W 65–51	16–10 (9–4)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
February 19 7:00pm, ESPN2		at Pittsburgh	W 56–47	17–10 (10–4)	Petersen Events Center  Pittsburgh, PA
February 22 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		at No. 2 Syracuse	L 48–56	17–11 (10–5)	Carrier Dome  Syracuse, NY
February 26 12:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		Cincinnati	W 46–45	18–11 (11–5)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
February 29 7:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		at No. 19 Louisville	W 58–51	19–11 (12–5)	KFC Yum! Center  Louisville, KY
March 3 12:00pm, BHSN/ESPN3		West Virginia	L 44–50	19–12 (12–6)	Tampa Bay Times Forum  Tampa, FL
2012 Big East men's basketball tournament
March 7 9:00pm, ESPN		vs. Villanova Second Round	W 56–47	20–12	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
March 8 9:00pm, ESPN		vs. No. 23 Notre Dame Quarterfinals	L 53–57 OT	20–13	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
March 14* 9:00pm, truTV	No. (MW-12)	vs. No. (MW-12) California First Four	W 65–54	21–13	University of Dayton Arena  Dayton, OH
March 16* 9:50pm, TNT	No. (MW-12)	vs. No. (MW-5) Temple Second Round	W 58–44	22–13	Bridgestone Arena  Nashville, TN
March 18* 7:10pm, TBS	No. (MW-12)	vs. No. (MW-13) Ohio Third Round	L 56–62	22–14	Bridgestone Arena  Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV