TAMPA, Fla. (November 4, 2024) – When the USF Bulls open the men's basketball season Monday night against the No. 21-ranked Florida Gators, it's obviously a big-time occasion.
 
The Bulls must manage their emotions after the October 24 sudden passing of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. As difficult as it might be, interim head coach Ben Fletcher said the players intend to make it business as usual, mostly because Coach Amir wouldn't have it any other way.
 
It's usually notable when the Bulls and Gators compete in any sport — and it's always extra sweet when USF can grab a victory against UF.
 
Given the circumstances, a USF victory could be one of the most unforgettable moments in athletic department history.
 
Here are our choices for the top 10 USF contests — nine victories and one women's soccer draw — against the Florida Gators in all sports (presented in chronological order):
 
Men's Basketball
USF 58, Florida 56
Dec. 4, 1981
 
It was the semifinals of the inaugural Florida Four Tournament, bringing together USF, Florida, Florida State, and Jacksonville for a showcase event to highlight men's basketball in the state of Florida. The first Florida Four was held at the USF Sun Dome. Coach Lee Rose's Bulls earned their first victory against the Gators with a thriller. Tony Grier, who had 26 points, iced it on two free throws with 20 seconds remaining.
 
Men's Basketball
USF 77, Florida 73
Dec. 11, 1982
 
Coach Lee Rose's Bulls can always say they have the only two championships in the Florida Four (unless the event returns). This one was a pulsating back-and-forth championship game victory at UF's O'Connell Center. Sophomore Charlie Bradley (30 points), who would become the nation's leading scorer for 11 consecutive weeks that season, iced it by hitting both ends of a one-and-one opportunity with 13 seconds remaining. Bulls center Jim Grandholm contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Men's Basketball
USF 73, Florida 71
Dec. 15, 1991
 
Radenko Dobras couldn't be stopped for Coach Bobby Paschal's Bulls. He had 29 points on 11-for-15 shooting — including 5-for-5 from 3-point range. The Gators, playing before a rabid O'Connell Center crowd, took a 69-68 lead on Craig Brown's jumper with 2:16 remaining. USF regained the advantage when Dobras rolled one in after driving to the basket, then converted a pair of free throws. USF would earn the second NCAA Tournament bid in program history. The Gators made the NIT Final Four.
 
Men's Basketball
USF 73, Florida 58
Nov. 28, 1995
 
USF senior guard Chucky Atkins said he was "so hyped up in the pregame warmups, I was nearly in tears.'' Before a Sun Dome crowd of 8,197, Atkins used that emotion in the right manner. He had 24 points for Coach Bobby Paschal's Bulls and fueled a decisive 18-1 USF run.
 
Women's Basketball
USF 61, Florida 56
March 17, 2005
 
Coach Jose Fernandez's Bulls rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to defeat the Gators in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at the Sun Dome. Fernandez's first postseason victory ended a 14-game losing streak against UF that spanned 17 years. Anedra Gilmore had 19 points, while Jessica Dickson added 12. Ezria Parsons had seven points and 13 rebounds.
 
Softball
USF 1, Florida 0
May 20, 2012
 
Bulls left-hander Sara Nevins (complete game, 12 strikeouts) escaped from a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth inning as USF won the NCAA Gainesville Regional. "I got this,'' Nevins said to Coach Ken Eriksen as he went to the mound for a pitching change. Sure enough, Nevins answered with a pair of strikeouts and a ground-out to keep the Bulls afloat. USF scored its lone run in the fourth when Stephanie Medina doubled, then pinch-runner Stephanie Juergens was bunted to third, then driven home on Kenshyra Jackson's infield single. The Bulls bested Hofstra in the best-of-three NCAA Super Regional at USF and advanced to the program's first Women's College World Series.
 
Women's Soccer
USF 1, Florida 1 (2OT)
Sept. 15, 2013
 
Before a then-record home crowd of 1,204 fans, Coach Denise Schilte-Brown's Bulls preserved a 1-1 draw against the No. 9-ranked Gators behind the stellar play of goalkeeper Christiane Endler, who thwarted UF's scoring efforts through two overtime periods. USF opened the scoring in the seventh minute on a goal by Sharla Passariello, who was assisted by Sarah Miller.
 
Baseball
USF 15, Florida 10
May 9, 2017
 
Coach Mark Kingston's Bulls went into Gainesville for a mid-week game and defeated a No. 5-ranked Gator team that would ultimately travel to the College World Series and win a national championship. Joe Genord went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. Meanwhile, freshman pitcher D.J. Roberts set a nice tone for what became a slugfest by allowing just two earned runs over seven innings.
 
Baseball
USF 5, Florida 3
June 4, 2021

Coach Billy Mohl's upstart Bulls, who ended the regular season at 24-26 before winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament, defeated the Gators (the national No. 15-seed) in the Gainesville Regional's first-round behind home runs from Riley Hogan and Carmine Lane. USF went on to capture the regional and play in the program's first NCAA Super Regional (a two-game loss at Texas).
 
Volleyball
USF 3, Florida 2
Sept. 6, 2024
 
When Coach Jolene Shepardson's Bulls upset the No. 10-ranked Gators at the University of Florida Invitational in Gainesville — winning 15-25, 25-22, 12-25, 25-23, 15-10 — there were a lot of historic accomplishments to organize. It was USF's first win against a nationally ranked opponent since 1997 (a sweep of No. 11 Michigan State). It was also USF's first volleyball win against the Gators since 1990. And it was the first time the Bulls defeated a Mary Wise-coached UF team (Wise had been 18-0 against the Bulls). "All of it was just so huge, huge, huge,'' Shepardson said.
 
About USF Men's Basketball
The University of South Florida men's basketball, led by interim head coach Ben Fletcher, is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls enter their 2024-25 campaign, presented by Tampa General Hospital, on the heels of their best season in program history, in which they claimed their first-ever regular season conference title, won a record 25 games and earned a Top 25 ranking for the first time in program history. A presence on the college basketball scene for more than five decades, South Florida has earned two conference titles and three NCAA tournament bids (1990, 1992, and 2012), appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational. 
 
South Florida is wearing patches with the initials AAR this season in memory of their head coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away in October 2024.
 
The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center, located on South Florida's Tampa campus. 
 
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
 
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