USF Sports Information Department – Today on ESPN at high noon the South Florida Bulls will play the biggest regular season game in the program’s history. The first-place Bulls are ready for their AAC showdown against the No. 24-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls before a sold-out Yuengling Center crowd, they have the full attention of the national media.
USF men’s basketball — on a record-setting 18-5 pace and standing atop the American Athletic Conference at 11-1 in league play — has energized the student body. It has captured the imagination of the Tampa Bay area sports fans.
“USF is one of the hidden-gem stories of the season,’’ said Andy Katz, a college basketball correspondent for the NCAA and a Big Ten Network analyst.
“There’s nothing wrong with being ‘ahead of schedule’ in rebuilding a program,’’ said Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s resident “bracketologist.’’
“I think USF is going into every game now with the belief that it can win that game,’’ said Mike DeCourcy, a columnist with The Sporting News who also serves as a Big Ten Network analyst. “When I have watched the Bulls play, I’ve seen excellent execution in pressure situations. That’s the sign of a program that’s connected with its coach and connected with one another.’’
ESPN college basketball studio analyst Seth Greenberg, who was USF’s head coach from 1996-2003, said the Bulls’ unexpected rise has been “incredibly impressive’’ and praised Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
“I think he has done an incredible job,’’ Greenberg said. “He has brought energy and ownership while connecting with the campus community and the students. They see it as their team. That’s a big part of the process and when you get ownership, you can play off that in so many ways.
“Winning obviously helps and it’s the most important thing. But they play a fun style of basketball. Their late-game execution is really good and the stuff they’re doing really fits their personnel. I see a focus, a sense of purpose, and an attention to detail that’s extremely impressive. This isn’t a one-hit wonder. USF is building something.’’
Jon Rothstein, a college basketball insider for CBS Sports, said he remembers USF’s last big postseason run in 2012.
“Twelve years ago, Stan Heath nearly took South Florida to the (NCAA Tournament) Sweet 16, but he was in the Big East,’’ Rothstein said. “Amir Abdur-Rahim is not. The AAC lost Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF (to the Big 12), but the Bulls are a factor because of their coach. Whatever ‘it’ is, Abdur-Rahim possesses (it).’’
Or as Lunardi put it, “USF’s success shows just how important it is to get the right guy as coach.’’
USF began 2-4 and brought a three-game losing streak into a Dec. 9 neutral-site game against Florida State, which it won handily, 88-72. That began a six-game winning streak.
Following Wednesday night’s 69-50 home victory against Tulsa, the Bulls have captured 16 of their last 17 contests, including an ongoing 10-game winning streak, which ranks as the second-longest in program history.
Abdur-Rahim appreciates the winning streak — along with the accompanying national attention — but is keeping the big picture in mind.
“Our goal isn’t to have a 10-game winning streak or to be in first place in our conference in the middle of February,’’ Abdur-Rahim said. “We want to be in that four-letter tournament (NCAA). Florida Atlantic is a big game because it’s our next game. We’re always focused on the next game. You keep doing that — not looking back and not looking far ahead — and you’re going to end up where you want to go. Growth and humility … those are the two things we’re shooting for at this point of the season.’’
Still, Katz said USF’s current accomplishments deserve some national notice.
“They are getting NO love or national respect,’’ Katz said. “I ranked them in my latest Power 36 because how can you ignore what they are doing atop the American?
“The storylines all season have been about FAU and Memphis in the American. And all USF has done is quietly improve and race to the top of the standings. I don’t think it’s out of reach to say the Bulls could be considered a potential favorite to get an NCAA bid.’’
In ESPN’s most recent Bracketology, Lunardi has USF as the AAC’s automatic qualifier and a No. 13 seed facing No. 4 Baylor in a first-round game. Lunardi is quick to point out that he feels the Bulls must win the AAC Tournament and earning an at-large bid is currently unlikely.
“The Bulls’ appearance in recent brackets is a function of leading the conference rather than their standing among potential NCAA at-large candidates,’’ Lunardi said. “USF doesn’t have the metrics (NET and non-conference strength of schedule) to move ahead of all the teams in their way. That doesn’t take away from their season at all. It’s just the reality of the situation.’’
Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post listed USF as one of the nation’s primary “bid-stealers,’’ meaning a team that captures its league tournament and knocks out another team that was in line for an at-large bid. Greenberg’s advice is for USF to keep focusing on the task at hand.
“As we see almost every night, not every team wins the games they are supposed to win,’’ Greenberg said. “You know what? It’s hard to do. I see USF keeping its feet on the ground and I see the coach (Abdur-Rahim) getting them to understand that it’s not who they play against, but rather getting better at what they do and how they do it. They’re ready each and every night. They compete and deal with what’s right in front of them. To me, that has been incredibly impressive.’’
“I was introduced to Amir last year at the NCAA Tournament and I watched his Kennesaw State team nearly take out Xavier,’’ DeCourcy said. “They had Xavier on the ropes. So now to come to USF and take over a program that hasn’t had any recent history and get them this good this fast, it’s astounding. It really says a lot about those USF players and what Amir is doing as a basketball coach.’’
After returning from the NCAA Convention on Jan. 12, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde said he stumbled upon USF-Rice while utilizing the quad box (watching four games at once) through YouTube TV.
“I found myself transfixed with Kasean Pryor and his unorthodox game (which produced 29 points, five blocks, five steals, four rebounds, two assists, and 15-for-16 from the free-throw line),’’ Forde said. “Then I caught the Bulls again a couple of games later against Wichita State. I was hooked on tracking their progress.
“Their progress has been spectacular. Amir Abdur-Rahim should be on every National Coach of the Year list at this point. What he did at Kennesaw State was amazing, but this is every bit as impressive. Maybe they (USF) found the right coach to unlock all that potential. … This is a major step forward for the Bulls.’’
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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.
