TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 17, 2026 – It has been a season-long joyride. As USF men's basketball reaches the final turn of what could become a championship stretch run — the next step is Thursday night's nationally televised American Conference showdown at the Yuengling Center, when the Bulls (18-8, 10-3 American Conference) take on the Memphis Tigers (12-13, 7-5) — it has been one exclamation point after another.
 
For stragglers recently joining USF's bandwagon, we pose one lingering question.
 
Are you not entertained?
 
Before the season, head coach Bryan Hodgson, fresh from two breakneck seasons at Arkansas State, said USF wasn't rebuilding, despite a completely new staff and 13 new players (from 12 different destinations). Sure enough, when "Tampa Bay's Home For Hoops'' rolls out the welcome mat, the guests are treated to a cavalcade of non-stop action, insane effort, quick hands, elite rim protection, an assault on the free-throw line, 3-pointers, dunks … and victories.
 
"Coach (Hodgson) runs this like an NBA team,'' said Bulls senior center Izaiyah Nelson, a frontrunner for American Conference Player of the Year while averaging 16.0 points and 9.8 rebounds. "If you don't like our style of play, you don't like basketball. As players, we dream about playing this style. Other teams probably don't like preparing for us because we're looking to run you into the ground.''
 
USF leads the American in seven team categories — average points (88.8), rebounds (42.7), offensive rebounds (15.3), assists, free-throw attempts (28.1), free throws made (20.6) and 3-point attempts (29.1). Nelson is the American pace-setter in rebounds (9.8), field-goal percentage (.592), and double-doubles (16).
 
Sophomore point guard CJ Brown leads in assists (5.1), while junior Wes Enis has the league's most 3-point makes per game (3.5) and overall 3-point attempts (13.5).
 
By slightly picking up the pace, USF could become the state of Florida's 11th NCAA Division I team ever to average 90 points per game.


 
"It's great to score up in triple digits, but honestly, we focus more on our offensive efficiency numbers and getting lots of possessions,'' Hodgson said. "The No. 1 thing is winning basketball games. The way we recruit, we have an offensive-heavy mindset, but we look to teach them to be great defenders. Scoring is great. We want to be great at defense, too.''
 
USF's defensive numbers are improving. The Bulls have held three conference opponents under 40-percent shooting, including notable road efforts at UAB (29.3) and Wichita State (31.7), while winning rebounding duels in nine of 11 league games (two were even).
 
"Ideally, we're scoring a lot of points while playing great defense,'' senior guard Joseph Pinion said. "We get super fired up stopping the other team. As long as it adds up to victories, that's what we're after. But I definitely think we're fun to watch. From the feedback I've gotten, our fans think so, too.''
 
Here are the areas where the 2025-26 Bulls make a strong argument for being the most entertaining team in the program's 55 seasons of men's basketball.
 
PROLIFIC SCORING
Defense wins championships, right? It surely did in 2011-12, the last time USF qualified for the NCAA Tournament, when the Bulls set a Big East Conference record for defense (allowing 56.6 points per game). But Coach Stan Heath was often put on the defensive for his offensive strategy, which had the Bulls controlling the pace, grinding out possessions, and milking the shot clock en route to a 59.3-point average (fifth lowest in USF history). It was also the only time USF failed to produce any players with double-digit scoring averages.
 
Nationally, USF was often panned. Words such as "eyesore'' and "ugly'' crept into news stories. An ESPN writer said USF's offense was like watching a chess match with "players standing around like statues.''
 
Harsh? Perhaps.
 
These days, there's no question about how players and fans want their servings of offensive basketball.
 
"The way we score is attractive to fans and attractive to recruits, whether it be high schoolers or the transfer portal,'' assistant coach Derek Rongstad said. "Everybody says they want to play fast. But when you actually have the numbers and film to back it up, everybody perks up. Everybody can see the numbers.''
 
The Bulls are solidly on pace to become the highest-scoring team in program history.
 
USF Average Points Per Game
88.8 — 2025-26 (26 games so far)
83.8 — 1971-72 (25 games)
81.4 — 1973-74 (25 games)
78.7 — 1982-83 (32 games)
77.1 — 2001-02 (32 games)
 
Additionally, the Bulls already have set single-season program records for the most 100-point games (six) and 90-point games (13 plus FAU).
 
USF 100-Point Games
6 — 2025-26
3 — 1971-72; 1982-83
2 — 1972-73; 1973-74; 1974-75; 1983-84; 1988-89; 2001-02
 
USF 90-Point Games
13 — 2025-26
9 — 1982-83
7 — 1973-74; 1991-92
6 — 1975-76; 1989-90; 1999-00
5 — 1971-72; 1972-73
 
The 1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins, who reached the NCAA championship game behind 7-foot-2 center Artis Gilmore, hold the single-season state of Florida records for 100-point games (18) and 90-point games (21).


 
"I'm grateful any time we can score 100 points,'' Nelson said. "Fans love it. It's cool. It's exciting. But it's only good if we get the dub.''
 
"When you break the scoreboard like that (scoring 100 points), it makes you feel like you achieved a big goal,'' Brown said. "I don't think we ever hit 100 points at my high school. You hit that (100), and the crowd is locked in and engaged, stomping their feet, clapping. It's fun more than anything.''
 
PACE OF PLAY
Brown, one of two holdover players from last season (De'Ante Green is redshirting while rehabilitating an injury), remained with the Bulls because he was excited about the style of play promised by Hodgson. Fun-loving action during American Conference games is one thing. The work put in last summer was quite another.
 
"What was promised has been delivered — the reality is we're a fast-paced, hard-nosed playing team,'' Brown said. "But people don't see the work behind the scenes, the practices where we're running two hours straight. No stops, very few breaks, nothing. It was a hard time, but I adjusted to it, and now it's my way of life.
 
"It's so second-nature now that it feels kind of weird to walk the ball up the court at the end of a half, getting a good shot. You're used to go, go, go.''
 
Brown said the Bulls have a plan called "Race-27.'' Meaning: When USF regains possession and the 30-second shot clock resets, the goal is to be in the front-court at the 27-second mark, ready to attack.
 
"You've got to really get down the court,'' Brown said. "That's how we play. The more possessions, the more shots you get. The more shots, the more points. That's how we want to roll.''
 
When training began, assistant coach Jamie Quarles said the plan was explained in simple terms.
 
Pace and space.
 


"We want great pace and great space,'' Quarles said. "We play fast, and we want our guys to have room to operate by giving them the freedom, within constraints, and letting them play to their skill. When they learn these rules and get put in positions to be successful, it takes off. Everybody loves seeing that ball go through the hoop.''
 
USF leads the nation in possessions per game (78.5) — a full four ahead of the nearest American Conference team in UAB (74.4). That's a meaningful statistic for a USF staff that studies analytics and seeks every edge possible by methodically charting all movements in games and practices.
 
Another principle: Shot geography.
 
"That one is huge,'' Quarles said. "We want high (volume of) 3's, high layups, high free throws … and not a lot of mid-range 2's. That formula turns into a lot of points and being as efficient as we can be.
 
"It gets ingrained in their minds, and they automatically avoid these shots that are not high-quality attempts and won't allow our offense to succeed.''
 
The Bulls have mostly thrived from long range, getting double-digit made 3-pointers in 15 of 26 games.
 
3-POINT SHOOTING
Joseph Pinion and Wes Enis.
 
Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion.
 
Very few teams have such a lethal tandem from 3-point range.
 
"Having them both is obviously a huge factor for our team,'' Hodgson said. "If you hear that either one of them hit eight or nine 3's in a game, you're not even going to blink or be very surprised. When you're chasing around two guys who can shoot like that, it makes life tough for opposing defenses. And they help to open up the floor for everyone else.''
 
Pinion and Enis already have decisively become USF's most productive single-season 3-point tandem since the NCAA formally adopted the long-range shot in 1986-87.
 
USF 3-Point Tandems
171 — Joseph Pinion (86), Wes Enis (85), 2025-26
145 — Derrick Sharp (88), Radenko Dobras (57), 1991-92
140 — Selton Miguel (71), Chris Youngblood (69), 2023-24
139 — Melvin Buckley (71), James Holmes (68), 2005-06
133 — Reggie Kohn (75), Altron Jackson (58), 2001-02
 
National 3-Point Tandems in 2025-26
181 — Kent Jackson (96), Kamrin Oriol (85), North Florida
174 — Donovan Atwell (90), Christian Anderson (84), Texas Tech
171 — Joseph Pinion (86), Wes Enis (85), USF
158 — Chris Ashby (83), Carson Schwieger (75), Queens (NC)
156 — Brett Decker Jr. (86), Kaden Metheny (70), Liberty
155 — Lamar Wllkerson (86), Tucker DeVries (69), Indiana
151 — Ryan Conwell (82), Isaac McKneely (69), Louisville
 
"It's the perfect scenario, having two guys (to shoot 3-pointers at a high level),'' Enis said. "Whenever Joe gets the ball and squares up, I always think it's going in. Always.''


 
"To tell you the truth, I'm not even aware of the numbers,'' Pinion said. "But obviously, having another elite shooter like Wes out there, it makes it easier for me to get shots. They really can't focus on just one of us. I definitely get more open shots because Wes is on the floor and all of the weapons we have, really.''
 
BALANCE
All five of USF's regular starters have led the Bulls in scoring multiple times. Twelve different players have scored in double digits, and six different players have hit for 20 or more points.
 
"It's to the point now where we're all connected, and we all understand that it could be anybody's night,'' Nelson said. "If I'm hot, I'm getting the ball. If Wes is hot or Joe is hot or JoMo (Omojafo) or CJ, same thing. We have multiple guys who can spark up the game.''
 
But this season, no one has done it better than Nelson, a 6-foot-10, 218-pound transfer from Arkansas State who's on pace for one of the game's true badges of honor — 1,000 career points (he has 1,262) and 1,000 career rebounds (977).
 
"He deserves everything that he's getting right now,'' Hodgson said. "When I inherited him at Arkansas State, he was like a baby deer. He couldn't he couldn't do two things at once, right? He couldn't run and dunk. Everything was like a stop-and-think moment. Man, he has just grown so much in the last two years."
 
"He studies film. He's constantly in the gym. He brings energy every day. We haven't played a game this year where somebody had an answer for Izaiyah Nelson. And we haven't had a game this year where Izaiyah Nelson wasn't the best (player) on the floor.''
 
Nelson brings the interior power (team-leading 65 dunks, while bidding to become only the seventh USF player ever to average 10 or more rebounds in a season). The 3-pointers keep raining for Pinion and Enis. That gives choices to Brown (61-to-25 assist/turnover ratio in conference games), which might include Omojafo's slashes to the basket.
 
Off the bench, there's the stunning shot-blocking ability of 6-9 senior Daimion Collins, the former McDonald's All-American with a 44-inch vertical leap and 7-foot-4 wingspan.
 
There's the stability offered by veteran seniors Isaiah (Zurk) Jones and Devin Haid, the 26-year-old who has seen his role expand.
 
There's the promise of freshmen Adriel Nyorha, Tristan Beckford, and Gavin Hightower, the L.A.-bred point guard who recently became the first USF freshman with a 20-point game since Ryan Conwell in 2023.
 
Hodgson said he felt the Bulls had postseason potential, so he was aggressive in seeking non-conference opponents (ESPN said USF had the nation's 37th most difficult non-league schedule).
 
"I'm extremely confident I could have scheduled 13 wins,'' Hodgson said. "We had the budget to do it. We could've gone to a much easier (tournament) than the Battle For Atlantis. We could've walked into American Conference play at 13-0, 12-1, 11-2 minimum (the Bulls were 8-5) and felt like we had things figured out.
 
"But that's not how you learn. If you don't hit adversity, you don't know what you have in that locker room or how you might respond. I think our schedule put us in a place where we could win some tough road games.''
 
Hodgson said he and his staff called every power-conference team, looking for games. The only takers were the Big 12's Oklahoma State Cowboys and the SEC's Alabama Crimson Tide (where Hodgson's former boss, Nate Oats, was cooperative). The Houston Cougars, last season's national runner-up, were also willing, but there wasn't a compatible date.
 
Meanwhile, USF registered victories against other teams that are near the top of their league's standings — Utah State (22-3, Mountain West), College of Charleston (17-10, Coastal Athletic) and Maryland-Baltimore County (16-8, America East) — while also competing against NCAA Tournament at-large bubble team VCU (20-6, Atlantic 10).
 
"I think we're going to be a tough team down the stretch,'' Enis said. "We've had our ups and downs, but I see it really coming together. We have the right pieces to make some special things happen.''
 
USF is coming off back-to-back road victories at Wichita State and Florida Atlantic. Both games featured second-half deficits. The Bulls now have seven road wins (one off the program record, set by Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim's American regular-season champions in 2023-24).
 
The next order of business: Memphis at USF. Five games remain in the regular season. It's another opportunity for the Bulls to make their point — with a team that gets their points from almost anywhere. All aboard for the latest stop on this season-long joyride.


 
"I remember when Coach (Hodgson) first got to Arkansas State and we were learning about his style of play,'' Nelson said. "OK, he came from Alabama (as an assistant) and it sounded good, but was it really going to work with us?
 
"Well, dang, we started winning multiple games, putting up all these points. Then we played Alabama in the non-conference and we're hanging with them, making it a good game. Then we were like, 'OK, he knows what he's doing. This is real.' It's just as real here at USF.''
 
Are you not entertained?

Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
 
Can't Make a Game? Don't Let Your Tickets Go Unused:
Season Ticket Members who are unable to attend a game have options to ensure their tickets are put to good use. Tickets can be easily transferred to friends or family, or donated to a fan in need. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to transfer your tickets, or Click here for instructions on how to donate them.
 
Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
 
About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball named Bryan Hodgson, 37, as the program's 12th head coach on March 24, 2025. Hodgson came to Tampa from Arkansas State, where he led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons and its first postseason appearance since 1999 in his two seasons at the helm.
 
The program, entering its 55^th season in 2025-26, most recently won the American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2023-24 and has made 13 postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournaments, nine NITs, and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls – Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras – have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame. The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.

– #GoBulls –