Providence coach Tim Welsh questions a referee’s call during the first half of last night’s game against South Florida.

AP / Chris O’Meara

TAMPA, Fla. — The accolades for Herbert Hill have begun to spill in.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has announced its all-district teams. In the six-state New England region, PC’s Hill was voted to the first team along with Boston College’s Jared Dudley, Keith Simmons of Holy Cross and Massachusetts teammates Stephane Lasme and Rashaun Freeman. The second team includes PC’s Geoff McDermott, UConn’s Jeff Adrien, Vermont’s Mike Trimboli and BC’s Sean Marshall and Tyrese Rice.

A few omissions with local connections were a bit startling. PC’s Sharaud Curry certainly could’ve earned a spot among the top 10 players in the region and it’s a major surprise that neither Will Daniels nor Jimmy Baron from the University of Rhode Island made the cut.

The Big East and Atlantic 10 will announce their all-league teams next week. PC’s Hill is a certain first-team selection, while McDermott and Curry will be in the running for the second team. The Big East names 10 players to its first team and 10 more to the second. Entering last night’s games, Hill leads the Big East in scoring in conference games (18.9) and is second in all games (17.3) to Syracuse’s Demetris Nichols (19.0). Hill is second in rebounding (9.6) and third in field-goal percentage (57 percent) after 14 conference games.

Hill’s stats are actually very comparable to those of Ryan Gomes during his junior year when he was named first-team All-American. Gomes averaged 18.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in 2004. Hill is currently at 17.3 and 8.4 and his 74 blocks (before last night) are the seventh most by a Friar in a single season. Only Bob Cooper, Marcus Douthit and Marvin Barnes have blocked more.

USF coach under fire

The Tampa Tribune ran a column yesterday wondering how much longer South Florida coach Robert McCullum will remain as coach. McCullum has two years left on his contract and owns a 40-74 record in four seasons. The Bulls joined the Big East last season and, admittedly, weren’t ready talent-wise. McCullum has upgraded the program’s recruiting and landed some valued transfers, including starting center Kentrell Gransberry.

USF athletic director Doug Woolard declined to speculate on McCullum’s status and said he’d evaluate his coach at the end of the season. The Bulls season wraps up Saturday with a game at DePaul. For the second straight season, USF has not qualified for the Big East Tournament.

Bulls fail to draw

The University of South Florida and Providence College are the two most disparate schools in the Big East.

While PC is a 3,912-student, private college, South Florida has more than 43,000 students and offers nearly 200 degree programs. The school has more than 20,000 commuters and a sprawling campus that sits about five miles out of downtown Tampa. Fewer than 50 students were cheering on the basketball team last night. South Florida averages just 5,048 fans a game at the 10,000-seat Sun Dome.

The Bulls are struggling in basketball but own great promise in football. The football Bulls have qualified for bowl games in each of the last two seasons and are viewed as a potential power in the Big East.

PC’s Williams returns

Freshman guard Dwain Williams was back with the team and in the lineup last night. Williams missed PC’s last three games due to a sickness and some unknown disciplinary reasons. Without Williams, coach Tim Welsh has had to play Curry extended minutes and his production has suffered. Williams entered last night’s game at the 12:48 mark and drained a wing 3-pointer just seconds later.