South Florida's defense allowed the Bulls to dominate from three-point range and in the paint, controlling the pace of the game throughout the afternoon. Charlotte struggled to find an offensive rhythm as the Bulls controlled the glass and dictated the tempo.
Saturday, March 14
Birmingham, Ala.
3 p.m. ET
University of South Florida
24-8,15-3American
86
vs
64
Charlotte
17-17,9-9American
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 33 | 31 | 64 |
| South Fla. | 40 | 46 | 86 |
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
Photo by: Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics
USF Men's Basketball Advances to American Conference Championship with 86โ64 Win over Charlotte
March 14, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Pinion and Enis combine for 48 points as South Florida earns first conference title game appearance since 1990.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 14, 2026 โ The University of South Florida men's basketball team delivered another dominant performance Saturday afternoon, defeating Charlotte 86โ64 to advance to the American Conference Championship game at Legacy Arena.
South Florida extended their winning streak to 10 games and improved to 24โ8 on the season, tying the second-most wins in program history and moving within one of the program record of 25 set in 2023โ24. The Bulls also advanced to their first conference championship game since 1990, which came in the same arena.
Head coach Bryan Hodgson became just the fourth head coach in NCAA history to reach the conference championship game in each of his first three seasons as a head coach, joining Mark Few, Brad Stevens, and Fran McCaffery.
Joseph Pinion finished with 24 points and six three-pointers, recording his ninth game this season with at least five made threes and his sixth game with six or more -ย a new program record that surpasses Reggie Kohn's previous mark of five. Pinion also reached the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career during the second half. He entered USF with 539 career points after scoring 432 points in one season at Arkansas State and 107 points across two seasons at Arkansas.
Wes Enis also scored 24 points while knocking down four three-pointers and adding five assists and three rebounds. Enis and Pinion combined for 48 points and 10 three-pointers, continuing to establish themselves as one of the nation's top perimeter shooting duos.
Izaiyah Nelson added 16 points and eight rebounds, continuing his dominant season after sweeping the American Conference's top individual honors - Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.ย
Josh Omojafo anchored the Bulls on the glass with 10 rebounds while adding six points and two assists.
South Florida set the tone early as Izaiyah Nelson scored the first four points of the game, and the Bulls never relinquished the lead.ย Defensive plays from Daimion Collins and Pinion helped support theย early momentum.
ย
Gavin Hightower scored at the buzzer to cap the half and send South Florida into the break with a 40โ33 lead. Enis and Pinion combined for 18 of the Bulls' 40 first-half points, while Josh Omojafo made his presence felt on the glass.
ย
The Bulls wasted no time building on the momentum after the break. Pinion opened the second half with a three-pointer, followed immediately by another deep three from Enis to push the lead back into double figures. Pinion continued his strong afternoon with two more 3-pointers early in the second half, giving him five made threes in the game for the ninth time this season. His 3-pointer at the 11:50 mark also marked the 1,000th point of his collegiate career.
A 17โ1 South Florida run midway through the second half put the game out of reach. The stretch was highlighted by Nelson's finishes at the rim and a transition dunk from Pinion after another Bulls takeaway.
ย
Freshman Tristan Beckford added a highlight late in the game with an alley-oop dunk with 1:38 remaining, punctuating another high-scoring performance for the Bulls.
South Florida will face the winner of Tulsa and Wichita State in the American Conference Championship game Sunday at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
ย
Note-a-Bulls:
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visitingย USFBullsTix.com.
Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball onย Facebook,ย X, andย Instagram.
ย
About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball namedย 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.
ย
The program, amidst its 55thย season in 2025-26, captured its second regular season American Conference Championship in program history this season, finishing 23-8. Embarking on its 14th postseason appearance, South Florida has a chance for its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. ย The Bulls have also made nine NITs and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls โ Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras โ have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame.ย The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.
โย #GoBullsย โ
South Florida extended their winning streak to 10 games and improved to 24โ8 on the season, tying the second-most wins in program history and moving within one of the program record of 25 set in 2023โ24. The Bulls also advanced to their first conference championship game since 1990, which came in the same arena.
Head coach Bryan Hodgson became just the fourth head coach in NCAA history to reach the conference championship game in each of his first three seasons as a head coach, joining Mark Few, Brad Stevens, and Fran McCaffery.
Joseph Pinion finished with 24 points and six three-pointers, recording his ninth game this season with at least five made threes and his sixth game with six or more -ย a new program record that surpasses Reggie Kohn's previous mark of five. Pinion also reached the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career during the second half. He entered USF with 539 career points after scoring 432 points in one season at Arkansas State and 107 points across two seasons at Arkansas.
Wes Enis also scored 24 points while knocking down four three-pointers and adding five assists and three rebounds. Enis and Pinion combined for 48 points and 10 three-pointers, continuing to establish themselves as one of the nation's top perimeter shooting duos.
Izaiyah Nelson added 16 points and eight rebounds, continuing his dominant season after sweeping the American Conference's top individual honors - Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.ย
Josh Omojafo anchored the Bulls on the glass with 10 rebounds while adding six points and two assists.
South Florida set the tone early as Izaiyah Nelson scored the first four points of the game, and the Bulls never relinquished the lead.ย Defensive plays from Daimion Collins and Pinion helped support theย early momentum.
Charlotte attempted to match South Florida's pace, but the strategy ultimately backfired. The Bulls' defense dictated the tempo, allowing the nation's highest-scoring offense to control the game through pressure, rebounding and ball movement.
The three-point barrage started midway through the first half. Three straight made 3-pointers from the 6:56 mark to the 4:08 mark helped the Bulls build an 11-point lead, their largest of the half to that point. Pinion knocked down a deep three, Enis followed with another, and Pinion connected again from 31 feet as the Bulls began to separate.ย
GRAB AN UMBRELLA CAUSE IT'S RAINING THREES IN BIRMINGHAM ???pic.twitter.com/GzRSEQtVwT
โ USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) March 14, 2026
Gavin Hightower scored at the buzzer to cap the half and send South Florida into the break with a 40โ33 lead. Enis and Pinion combined for 18 of the Bulls' 40 first-half points, while Josh Omojafo made his presence felt on the glass.
ย
RUN, GAVIN, RUN ???????pic.twitter.com/9ZPFOc7aZ5
โ USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) March 14, 2026
The Bulls wasted no time building on the momentum after the break. Pinion opened the second half with a three-pointer, followed immediately by another deep three from Enis to push the lead back into double figures. Pinion continued his strong afternoon with two more 3-pointers early in the second half, giving him five made threes in the game for the ninth time this season. His 3-pointer at the 11:50 mark also marked the 1,000th point of his collegiate career.
A 17โ1 South Florida run midway through the second half put the game out of reach. The stretch was highlighted by Nelson's finishes at the rim and a transition dunk from Pinion after another Bulls takeaway.
ย
ZAI DOING ZAI THINGS ??pic.twitter.com/1N0c8yWv85
โ USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) March 14, 2026
The victory also marked another historic milestone for the program as South Florida set the single-season record for total points scored, surpassing the previous mark of 2,752 set by the 2018โ19 team.
ย
Note-a-Bulls:
- Championship Bound โ South Florida advanced to their first conference championship game since 1990 and extended their winning streak to 10 games.
- Elite Perimeter Duo โ Joseph Pinion and Wes Enis combined for 48 points and 10 3-pointers. Pinion recorded his ninth game this season with five or more made threes and his sixth game with six or more, setting a program record.
- Perimeter Production โ Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion each reached 100 made three-pointers this season, making South Florida just the 12th team in NCAA Division I history with two players to reach the mark in the same season.
- Career Milestone โ Pinion reached 1,000 collegiate career points. He entered USF with 539 career points, including 432 at Arkansas State and 107 at Arkansas.
What can't he do?!pic.twitter.com/2WsZnthD3k
โ USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) March 14, 2026
- Historic Coaching Start โ Bryan Hodgson became just the fourth head coach in NCAA history to reach the conference championship game in each of his first three seasons as a head coach.
- Historic Offense โ South Florida set a new program record for single-season points scored, surpassing the previous mark of 2,752 points set by the 2018โ19 team.
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visitingย USFBullsTix.com.
Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball onย Facebook,ย X, andย Instagram.
ย
About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball namedย 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.
ย
The program, amidst its 55thย season in 2025-26, captured its second regular season American Conference Championship in program history this season, finishing 23-8. Embarking on its 14th postseason appearance, South Florida has a chance for its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. ย The Bulls have also made nine NITs and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls โ Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras โ have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame.ย The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.
โย #GoBullsย โ
Team Stats
CLT
USF
FG%
.339
.464
3FG%
.241
.414
FT%
.679
.769
RB
36
42
TO
14
11
STL
9
12
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
24
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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