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© St. Petersburg Times, published March 2, 2002
USF at Southern Miss
WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m.; Reed Green Coliseum.
TV/RADIO: Ch. 32; WQYK-AM 1010.
RECORDS: USF 18-10, 8-7 C-USA; Southern Miss 9-17, 3-12.
COACHES: South Florida -- Seth Greenberg (92-83, sixth season; 197-153 overall); Southern Miss -- James Green (96-80, sixth season).
KEY PLAYERS: Southern Miss -- Elvin Mims, F, 6-5, Sr. (18.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg); Clement Carter, G/F, 6-5, So. (10.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg). South Florida -- Altron Jackson, G/F, 6-6, Sr. (19.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.1 spg); B.B. Waldon, PF, 6-8, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.1 spg); Will McDonald, C, 6-11, Jr. (12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg).
NOTES: This is the regular-season finale, and the Bulls are competing with Saint Louis and Houston, who also have 8-7 league records, for the No. 5 seed in the C-USA Tournament. Tuesday, in its second meeting with Houston, USF caught a team decimated by suspension and won 88-57 on Senior Night. In its second meeting against Southern Miss, the Bulls face a reinforced lineup. Star senior Mims was suspended when USF beat USM 74-54 on Jan. 8 in Tampa. The Golden Eagles lost 66-56 Tuesday at UAB, ending their hopes of qualifying for the C-USA tournament. Waldon and Jackson combined for 54 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 steals in the final home game of their careers against Houston. With a victory, USF would tie the school record for regular-season wins, bolster its NIT chances and bring a two-game win streak into the C-USA tournament, where it could make a last-ditch attempt to earn an NCAA bid. "The obituaries are premature. Let's wait until the last ball bounces and see where we stand," Greenberg said.
WHEN/WHERE: Noon; Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.
TV/RADIO: Sunshine; WLVU-AM 1470.
RECORDS: Georgia Tech (14-15, 6-9 ACC). FSU (11-15, 4-11).
COACHES: Georgia Tech -- Paul Hewitt (31-28, second season; 97-55, fifth overall). FSU -- Steve Robinson (63-84, fifth season; 109-102, seventh overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Georgia Tech -- Tony Akins, G, 5-11, Sr. (16.5 ppg, 5.6 apg); Marvin Lewis, G, 6-4, So. (11.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg). FSU -- Monte Cummings, G, 6-4, Sr. (15.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Delvon Arrington, PG, 5-11, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.2 spg).
NOTES: The Seminoles close the regular season and control their ACC tournament seeding. If they win, they earn the seventh seed -- and a quarterfinal date with Duke on Friday -- regardless of what North Carolina does Sunday at Duke. If they lose, they're in Thursday's play-in game against Clemson. (Even if UNC loses to Duke, it wins a three-team tiebreaker.) ... Senior Day should be an emotional buoy for Cummings, Arrington and F Antwuan Dixon (C David Anderson and F Adam Krieg are the other seniors who are expected to start) and the Seminoles need it. They have lost two straight and 10 of 13. ... The Yellow Jackets, once 0-7 in the ACC before beating FSU by 31 points, have gone in the opposite direction. Beginning with the FSU win on Jan. 30, they have won seven of nine. With a win today and one in the ACC tournament, they would be eligible for the NIT.
WHEN/WHERE: Noon; Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
TV/RADIO: Ch. 10; WFLA-AM 970.
RECORDS: Florida (21-6, 10-5 SEC). Kentucky (19-8, 9-6).
COACHES: UF -- Billy Donovan (123-62, sixth season; 158-82, eighth overall). UK -- Tubby Smith (129-41, fifth season; 253-103, 11th overall).
KEY PLAYERS: UF -- Matt Bonner, F, 6-10, Jr. (16.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg); Udonis Haslem, C, 6-9, Sr. (16.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg). UK -- Tayshaun Prince, F, 6-9, Sr. (17.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg); Keith Bogans, G, 6-5, Jr. (11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
NOTES: Since its last-second loss at Rupp to end the season last year, Florida has won 17 of 22 SEC games. The Gators are coming off a huge win over Tennessee in which they hit 13 3-pointers. Kentucky is coming off a disappointing loss at Vanderbilt, with the Commodores ending an 18-game losing streak against the Wildcats. This is Senior Day for Prince, the Compton, Calif., native who has carried the Wildcats despite a down season by last year's standards. Florida is looking to earn its third straight SEC championship and fourth in school history. The teams have split the series the past four seasons. The Gators last won at Rupp Arena in 1998.