2024 NIT Tournament: USF Basketball To Host VCU In the Second Round on Sunday Night at Yuengling Center. A win and the Bulls are in the ‘Elite Eight.’

0
489
South Florida Bulls during a men's basketball game against the University of Central Florida Knights on March 19, 2024. (Mary Holt/South Florida Basketball)

TAMPA (March 21, 2024) – Head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and the South Florida men’s basketball team will look to extend their program-record 25 wins on the season Sunday when the Bulls host their first postseason game at Yuengling Center since 2010.
 
USF will take on VCU in a second-round National Invitation Tournament (NIT) game on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Yuengling Center. The game will be televised on ESPNU and can be heard on 102.5 FM The Bone and Bulls Unlimited.
 
Tickets for the Sunday night contest start at $20. USF men’s basketball season ticket members will have first priority to secure their tickets. The general public may reserve tickets starting at 2 p.m. on Thursday at this LINK. USF students will receive information on tickets to the game in their USF e-mail.
 
USF (25-7; 16-2 AAC) downed UCF, 83-77, on Tuesday in Orlando to post the program’s first postseason victory since 2012 and first win in the NIT since a 75-59 victory against Coppin State in 1995. The Bulls will be looking to advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT for the second time in program history and first since winning a pair of games in the 1995 NIT. The Bulls have hosted five NIT games, going 2-3 in those contests.

THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRINTED FROM THE USF BULLS WEBSITE. FOR THE BEST BULLS COVERAGE GO TO GOUSFBULLS.COM
 

The Bulls have set a program record with 25 wins and claimed the program’s first regular-season conference title in their first season under Abdur-Rahim, who was named the AAC Coach of the Year and the NABC District 24 Coach of the Year.
 
VCU (23-13; 11-7 A-10) won at No. 1-seed Villanova, 70-61, Wednesday night in their first-round NIT game. The Bulls and the Rams have met 38 times previously with VCU holding a 26-12 lead in the series. This will be the first meeting for the former Sun Belt and Metro conference foes since a 69-46 VCU victory in Richmond, Va. In 2011.
  
Next Up
The winner of Sunday’s game will face the winner of a Sunday night (9 p.m.) match-up between No. 2-seed Utah (19-14) and No. 3-seed Iowa (18-14). That game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
 
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
About USF Men’s Basketball
The South Florida men’s basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim’s Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
 
USF has retired three numbers in its history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30), and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
 
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to 
USFBullsTix.com. Season tickets for the 2023-24 USF men’s basketball slate are on sale now. To purchase season tickets, click here.