With the USF Sun Dome undergoing renovation, our intrepid basketball reporter will follow the South Florida basketball team around the USF campus this season, as the team plays its games in different buildings across the campus. Check back after each home game for updates.

Tampa - South Florida had four scorers in double figures as they defeated the Villanova Wildcats 65-51 at the Campus Recreation Center Wednesday night.

"We've fought through a lot of adversity this year, playing in all kinds of venues, so for the guys to get to play in a real gym, it's a treat," said USF coach Stan Heath.

Hugh Robertson and Victor Rudd led the Bulls with 14 points each.

"When coach told us where we'd get to play this game," said Robertson. "I said 'We get to play in a real gym? On a real court?' We were all psyched for pre-game warm-ups, never mind the actual game."

The game stayed close with the game tied at halftime. Nova then faded away in the second half, getting outscored by the Bulls 45-30. However, the second half of the game was actually the third half of basketball Villanova had played.

"We got to the rec center a bit early, and saw a team in the gym wearing white and green USF uniforms warming up, so we went through the normal pre-game routine," said Villanova coach Jay Wright. "The refs were there too. Turns out we were playing in an intramural game."

"Man, we were killing those guys," said Villanova guard Darrun Hilliard. "Then we looked at the halftime score sheet, and saw we were playing some team called Edible UnderArmour."

"I couldn't believe how good those guys were," said USF junior Blanthony Durant, who plays for Edible UnderArmour. "I mean, I'm six-feet tall, playing center, and I must have had my shot blocked eight or nine times."

Nova went on to shoot only 30% in the actual game. Guard JayVaughn Pinkston hit only one of his 13 shots in the actual game.

"Guess I used up all my good shots in the intramural," said Pinkston. "We were gassed by halftime."

A worse fate befell Nova leading scorer Maalik Wayns, who re-injured his knee during the intramural. Wayns was a late scratch for the game.

USF again used a short bench, with seven players playing between 23 and 34 minutes each. Guards Blake Nash, Mike McCloskey, and Shaun Noriega, and forward Alberto Damour all played four minutes or less.

"Coach told us before the game that we weren't going to get much (playing time)," said McCloskey. "He said we had plenty of options to stay warm and fresh.

"I went to the track upstairs, and got some jogging in. I even got to check out the game!"

"Me and Blake (Nash) took in a yoga class," said Noriega. "Not only were we able to stay limber in case we had to go into the game, those classes are mostly chicks so we got thing going on that front, too."

Damour worked out on an elliptical machine, and would have gotten more playing time had he not been listening to his iPod.

"Apparently they sent a message over the intercom from coach telling me to get into the game, but I was so into the new Selena Gomez album I missed the call," said Damour.

If you aren't at the Forum for tonight's game, why not spend it with us?

Game is at 7:00 and will be on ESPN2, ESPN3, and 620 WDAE.

Hope to see you guys then.

GO BULLS!

Welcome to a special edition of Bulls Recon! Before tonight's big game against Villanova, ESPN analyst Tim Welsh was nice enough to answer a few questions about the USF program before the game against the Wildcats tonight. Tim has called a few USF games this season, and gives us his thoughts on Anthony Collins, what it will take for USF to make the NCAA Tournament, and of course Big East expansion.

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1. How surprised are you that USF is sitting tied for 5th after this weekend's slate of games?

USF’s success is not surprising at all. Most people in college basketball felt that Stan Heath had his program on the right path as he is a proven winner. His recruiting has been consistent and usually it takes five seasons to build a program the right way, which Stan is doing.

2. Anthony Collins has been one of the big surprises in the conference with his ability to step in and excel in the Big East. What's impressed you the most about Collins from watching him this year?

Anthony Collins has without a doubt been a big factor in USF's success because of his decision making and ability to run a team, which has been a weakness for them in past seasons.

He doesn't attempt to do too much but is just solid and heady on both ends of the floor. The most impressive part of Collins’ game may be his maturity as he plays the game with tremendous poise for a freshman.

3. At 15-10, the Bulls seem to be working themselves on the bubble. How many wins will it take for the Bulls to sneak in and grab one of the last at large spots?

They are moving and trending to the positive side of the bubble . The BIG EAST is not as strong as a year ago so getting to 12 BIG EAST wins would put them in a great spot. Eleven wins in the league would be close, but they might need a win in the BIG EAST Tournament to feel comfortable. A win over Syracuse in their upcoming game clearly slides everything in their favor.

4. What are your thoughts on the new Big East from a basketball perspective? Memphis should be able to slide in and compete immediately, but I fear that UCF, SMU, and Houston will struggle to adjust when they join in 2013.

The new BIG EAST will be fine. It was a great move to bring Memphis along with the others. UCF, SMU and Houston all have terrific coaches that will continue to move their programs forward and make great strides as they recruit with the BIG EAST name.

5. What are your thoughts on the future of the program? With the new facilities and one of the best recruiting classes USF has had in a long time, can the Bulls sustain this type of success over the next few years?

USF is making all the right moves. From supporting and staying with Stan Heath to all they have done facilities wise, this program will continue to grow into a national power. The administration should be applauded for investing in the program while being patient and doing things the correct way.

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Thanks again to Tim for taking time out of his busy schedule for answering our questions.

(NOTE FROM JAMIE: I was going to do riot juice in honor of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia." But that's straight grain alcohol and blue drank. It is highly dangerous stuff and not recommended for casual sipping during basketball games.)

In a previous episode of Mixology 2012, we learned that Washington D.C. has an official city cocktail: the Rickey.

Noting that their city lacked a definitive cocktail, Philadelphia Magazine staged a contest to create one. The main requirement was that the drink be "something that just screams Philly with the force of a thousand cheesesteaks." Also, that the defining drink of Philadelphia not be an appletini. Which you'd think would go without saying, but apparently the organizers felt there was some risk of the appletini winning.

The submissions were narrowed to six worthy finalists, which were sampled at a public event. (The link includes all six recipes, so you could evaluate the Philly-ness of them all yourself, if you like.)

The winning entry was submitted by a Mr. Rick Fitzgerald, who describes the concoction as "a bittersweet cocktail in honor of everything that is bitter and sweet about this tremendous town." He based it on an old-timey cocktail called the Aviation, which he chose "in honor of Philly's high-flying sports teams." We'll assume he includes Villanova in that group; certainly the Wildcats' existence has been both high-flying and bittersweet at times.

The recipe (from the "finalists" link above):

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Philly Flyer

2 oz Bluecoat gin (made in Philadephia; available at Sweetbay)
1/3 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz creme de cassis

Combine in a shaker, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. No garnish, please.

Hopefully you read our FanShot last night about J.D. Alexander's disgrace of a budget, which called for USF to have its state-provided funding cut by up to 72% when all the reductions and funneling of money to Alexander's pet project at USF Polytechnic were added up. First, you need to read Mike's post at The Bull Rush and follow up with your state legislator to make sure they do the right thing and stand up to this pathetic bullying tactic. Times are still tough in Florida, but there's tightening the belt, and then there's being reckless and vindictive.

And then let's mock him!

Most of you speak Internet meme. In the comments, we'd like you to use your favorite meme to make whatever point you want to make about Alexander. Example:

Use whatever meme you want. Get creative and mean, too. (Although you probably shouldn't be profane -- who knows where these might end up before this saga is over.) The best one, as decided by the staff, will receive a prize of some sort, like a Bulls Heaven gift card or something out of our prize closet.

Get to it!

Every year that my wife and I have been together, we've watched the classic "I Love Lisa" episode of The Simpsons on Valentine's Day. This is about the only tradition that has survived from the very beginning of our relationship, and since the episode somehow gets funnier every year, I don't think we'll end this one any time soon.

So with today being February 14, and with us owing you some links, let's use a few of the many fantastic quotes from this episode to get you caught up on the latest USF athletics news:

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1. "I Choo-Choo-Choose You." The first two verbal commits of the Bulls' 2013 recruiting class are a pair of wide receivers from Immokalee High School -- Tshumbi Johnson and Xavier Richardson. Greg Auman has a couple of stories about them, one from Sunday and another from Monday, including some other Immokalee players who are looking at USF. (The most memorable player from Immokalee to play for USF was Louis Gachette.)

2. "So... you like... stuff?" USF held its Junior Day this past weekend on campus, and many of the area's top 2013 recruits were in attendance. Even if the Bulls can just pick up a few of them, it would help them continue to establish themselves locally -- and most importantly, keep the out-of-state vultures from picking off players that could easily stay home.

3. "HEY FROSTY! YOU WANT SOME SNOW... MAN???" Joey Johnston chipped in a story for the Tribune about the potential for USF to play at Boise State if they are able to join the Big East a year early. The Bulls were scheduled to play in Morgantown this season, but if the Broncos simply replace West Virginia in the conference schedule, USF would visit the blue turf instead.

4. "Can you believe Flanders threw out a perfectly good toothbrush?" Another story from Greg about now-former Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien, who is the latest player to run screaming from the tyranny of Randy Edsall. (Seriously. #RandyE is going to happen sooner rather than later.) There's a lot going for USF as a potential transfer destination, including the depth chart and Skip Holtz's recruiting history with O'Brien.

5. "Thanks for coming - and don't forget to pick up some orange drink for the long ride home." Women's basketball ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 54-39 win over Villanova on campus. Andrell Smith scored 22 points for USF, while Tiffany Conner had 10 rebounds and the defense limited the Wildcats to 28.8% shooting. The Bulls are in Milwaukee tonight to meet Marquette, and with the team at 13-13 on the season, they could use this win to stay on schedule to finish over .500.