Bulls hope Cal beefs up their basketball schedule

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 17, 2000

TAMPA -- In an effort to avoid a repeat of last season's woeful RPI rating, South Florida hopes to add the University of California to its men's basketball schedule for the upcoming season.

The Bulls plan to play at Cal on Jan. 20, with a return game set for the next year. As of Friday, the Bulls had not received a signed contract.

USF also will play non-conference games against Final Four team Wisconsin and NCAA Tournament participant Texas. The Bulls also could face Auburn or Utah State, which also played in the NCAA Tournament.

Although the Conference USA schedule is not set for this season, the Bulls know their non-conference opponents. They will play at the Top of the World Classic on Nov. 16019 in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Alaska-Fairbanks, Auburn, Austin Peay, Colorado, Davidson, Utah State and Santa Clara.

Tentatively, the Bulls have home games against George Washington (Nov. 28), Texas (Dec. 9) and Central Florida (Dec. 15). They will host Alcorn State, Eastern Illinois and Buffalo in a their holiday tournament (Dec. 21-22), and they play DePaul on Jan. 25, the Thursday before the Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

The road schedule includes games at Florida State (Dec. 7 or Dec. 28), Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 17) and Wisconsin (Dec. 30).

The Bulls still are looking for an opponent to fill the void created when Florida backed out of a game scheduled for this season. The game is scheduled for either Nov. 30, Dec. 2 or Dec. 5.

More basketball

GEORGIA: Sophomore guard D.A. Layne withdrew his name from the NBA draft, the school said.

Layne was the SEC's second-leading scorer last season, averaging 18.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

OREGON STATE: School officials said they have settled a contract dispute with former coach Eddie Payne for $195,000.

UCLA: Jason Kapono, the school's leading scorer as a freshman, has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to the team.

Kapono averaged 16 points for the Bruins last season, the highest by a freshman in the Pac-10.

Football

GEORGIA: School officials are worried that the continuing drought could kill the turf that soon will be planted at problem-plagued Sanford Stadium.

Earlier this year workers ripped up the field to repair a mysterious drainage problem. Now they are ready to begin laying sod, possibly this weekend, to complete the final phase of a $750,000 field restoration.

But water levels in northeast Georgia have reached near-record lows, and officials fear the school could be faced with a ban on outdoor watering.

MINNESOTA: Coach Glen Mason signed his contract extension, more than six months after negotiations began. The seven-year deal essentially doubles his salary to about $1-million a year.

Mason said basketball coach Clem Haskins' buyout last summer in the wake of an academic fraud scandal loomed over his contract talks.

NEW MEXICO: Quarterback Sean Stein, told by his coach he did not fit into the Lobos' plans this season, quit the team.

WASHINGTON: The career of tailback Maurice Shaw is over because of a recurring back injury, coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Also

FIU: Rick Mello, athletic director for the past five years at Arkansas-Little Rock, accepted the same job for the Golden Panthers.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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