TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 22, 2026 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team (19–8, 11-3) travels to Houston, Texas to take on Rice University (11-16, 5-9) on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. E.T.
Program Comparison
The Bulls enter this game with a KenPom rating of 55, BPI of 65, and NET ranking of 52. The Owls have a KenPom rating of 236, BPI of 198, and NET ranking of 248.
South Florida is currently in first-place in the American Conference standings with a 1.5 game lead over Tulsa and Wichita State. The Bulls became the first American Conference team to clinch a spot in the Conference Championship Tournament, following their win over Memphis. Rice sits in eleventh place, at risking of missing the conference tournament, one game behind tenth-place North Texas for the final seed.
South Florida ranks first in the American in points per game (88.7), while Rice ranks sixth (74.7).
South Florida also leads the conference in rebounds per game (43.0), offensive rebounds (15.5), assists (17.1), three-point field goals attempted (29.2), free throw attempts (28.4), and free throws made (20.9).
Series History
Wednesday marks the 5th all-time meeting between South Florida and Rice. The teams last met on January 28, 2025, in Tampa, where the Bulls won 69-64. The Bulls lead the series four games to nothing all-time.
Last Time Out
The Bulls extended their win streak to five games with an 87–66 win over Memphis, becoming the first American Conference team to clinch a conference tournament berth.
South Florida's NET ranking now sits at 52, the highest in program history.
Click the links to read about the 109-88 win over
UTSA, 80-74 win over
Tulsa, 66-58 win over
Wichita State, 83-81 OT win over
FAU and 87-66 win over
Memphis.
Up Next:
The Bulls continue their 2025–26 season on Sunday, March 1, returning home to the Yeungling Center to host Tulane at Noon. Fans can watch the game on ESPN2/U (network designation pending) or listen live on Bulls Unlimited.
Tickets:
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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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 55th 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.
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