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USF coach Seth Greenberg feels worst for his seniors after the Bulls failed to reach the post-season.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 13, 2001
TAMPA -- In the back of his mind, South Florida men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg knew there was a chance his Bulls wouldn't be invited to the NIT.
"There's always a thought that you won't (get invited) because there are so many variables in the selection committee," Greenberg said Monday afternoon. "There are a lot of politics that play a part in it. I don't take a lot of things for granted, but in the back of my mind, I thought there was a chance we wouldn't get in."
But with a season that included the most wins in Greenberg's tenure (18) and victories over nationally ranked Texas and two other NCAA Tournament-bound teams, most observers, including Conference USA officials, thought the chance was slim.
That's why the Bulls' omission from the NIT field Sunday night was a shock for the players and coaches. Ninety-seven teams are in post-season play (65 in the NCAA Tournament, 32 in the NIT), but South Florida is not among them.
The abrupt end to the season was a painful end to the careers of seniors Cedric Smith, Chonsey Asbury and Artha Reeves, as well as transfer Sam Sanders.
And that, Greenberg said, may have been most painful.
"The first person I called was Cedric," Greenberg said. "I told him I was sorry. I said we had chances to get it done and we didn't. I felt for him and all the seniors. It was so sudden. The reality of it all, not being able to go to practice and to not put that uniform on one more time. It's tough. It's very tough."
The Bulls lost six of their last nine regular-season games, then went 1-1 in the Conference USA Tournament. They finished with a 103 RPI ranking. But it wasn't just the late collapse that hurt South Florida. The perception of the conference contributed to its undoing.
With Cincinnati struggling early, there was no marquee team to carry the conference's banner. Had Charlotte not upset the Bearcats in the C-USA tournament championship, the conference likely would have sent one team to the NCAA Tournament.
"Without a doubt (perception was an issue)," Greenberg said. "There's no doubt in my mind. The Big East can get as many teams as they got (12 of the Big East's 14 teams are in post-season play, seven in the NIT), and they had as much parity or "mediocrity' as we did. That's the perception, and unfortunately perception becomes reality."