Tampa, Fla. – March 17, 2026 – USF men's basketball has reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the program's 55-season history.
The No. 11-seeded Bulls (25-8) will face the No. 6-seeded Louisville Cardinals (23-10) in Thursday's first round at Buffalo, N.Y.
If the three previous trips are any indication, nothing will come easily for the Bulls.
In 1990, the Bulls earned an automatic NCAA bid by winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. But on Selection Sunday, a gathering of USF supporters was still sweating it out. Sixty-two of the 64 teams had been announced, but there was still no USF.
"We
do have an automatic bid, don't we?'' wondered a mystified USF cheerleader.
"They know they have to put us in, right?'' said a nervous USF booster.
Then … finally … some relief on the CBS-TV screen.
2 Arizona
15 South Florida
Whew!
In 1992, after blowing an 11-point lead in the final minutes before losing in double overtime against Southern Miss in the Metro Conference Tournament quarterfinals, it was widely believed that USF's NCAA chances had evaporated. There was no formal on-campus Selection Sunday gathering, just a bunch of USF players crammed into an apartment, trailed by a lone television cameraman. When "South Florida'' appeared in the bracket, after the Bulls had earned a first-round date against Georgetown, USF players went into full-blown hysterics. Video of USF's wild player celebration led ESPN's SportsCenter that night.
In 2012, with USF's overall worthiness debated from coast-to-coast, even after 20 victories and a 12-6 finish in the Big East Conference, the Bulls didn't help themselves with an overtime defeat against Notre Dame in the league tournament quarterfinals. The Bulls found redemption by being selected for the NCAA Tournament's First Four (then winning twice to come within one game of the Sweet 16).
Two other times, USF came within one victory of clinching an automatic NCAA bid, only to fall in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game. In 1979, led by the fabled "Four Freshmen'' and senior guard Penny Greene, the Bulls were beaten 68-54 by Jacksonville University. In 1983, led by sophomore sensation Charlie Bradley (who was the nation's leading scorer for 11 weeks), the Bulls were drummed by UAB 64-47.
Making matters even more frustrating, USF had swept both of those teams in the regular season (JU in 1978-79, UAB in 1982-83), only to come up short when it mattered the most.
Although USF's NCAA Tournament memories haven't been voluminous, they are special nonetheless, an enduring salute to three exceptional teams that helped to shape the program's history and heritage. And now USF has earned a fourth NCAA bid.
Before the program's latest postseason chapter, here's a closer look at USF's three previous NCAA Tournament squads:
1990: THE FIRST TIME
The Record: 20-11 (9-5 Sun Belt Conference).
The Backdrop: After Coach Bobby Paschal endured three consecutive 20-loss seasons, there was optimism. But why not call on a higher power? "Lord, help us to get this thing turned around,'' Bulls captain Fred Lewis said during his prayer at the program's tip-off banquet. With Lewis (a University of Tampa transfer who paid his own way so he could become immediately eligible at USF), sharpshooting Radenko Dobras, point guard Marvin Taylor, rebounder extraordinaire Hakim Shahid, and the versatile Bobby Russell, the Bulls had the makings of a special team that could turn things around. But USF had to prove its worthiness.
The Season: There were a few indications that things would be different. In the pulsating Sun Belt opener, Taylor's 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining gave USF an 89-86 victory at Charlotte, ending a 10-game conference road losing streak. But the show-stopper was a 94-93 overtime home victory against Sun Belt preseason favorite Old Dominion, against whom the Bulls had dropped 11 of the previous 14 meetings. Trailing by one point with two seconds remaining in regulation and needing to navigate the length of the court, the Bulls tried a play designed to draw a foul … and it worked. Lewis ran the baseline as he attempted the inbounds pass. USF's Andre Crenshaw held his ground and ODU's Chris Kerwin ran into him. Foul! Crenshaw hit the front end of a one-and-one, forcing overtime, where the Bulls prevailed for a then-program-record fifth straight conference victory. Paschal, named Sun Belt Coach of the Year after the turnaround regular season, guided USF to an 81-74 victory against Charlotte in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game for one of the top moments in USF athletics history.
The NCAA Tournament: USF was given a No. 15 seed and sent to the West Region for a first-round date against the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats in Long Beach, Calif. USF was a 22-point underdog against Coach Lute Olson's Wildcats, but led 32-27 at halftime and trailed by five points with 1:19 remaining. Arizona's Brian Williams had 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, when the Wildcats shot 71.4-percent from the field and took control with an 11-0 run. Dobras had 22 points for USF, while Lewis added 13. Shahid closed his career with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort, making him the top career rebounder in Sun Belt history, eclipsing the mark of Charlotte legend Cedric "Cornbread'' Maxwell. "We didn't come into the game thinking we would just walk through them,'' Arizona's Jud Buechler said. "South Florida probably played as hard as maybe any team we've faced this year. They're a good team and deserve credit.''
1992: STATE'S BEST TEAM?
The Record: 19-10 (7-5 Metro Conference).
The Backdrop: With four solid seniors — Gary Alexander, Radenko Dobras, Fred Lewis and Bobby Russell — plus a deadly 3-point shooter from the junior-college ranks (Derrick Sharp), there was a buzz over USF having the best team in program history. Coming off an NCAA bid in 1990 and an NIT appearance in 1991, there were great expectations.
The Season: During a five-day December span, Coach Bobby Paschal's Bulls defeated the Florida Gators 73-71 in Gainesville (UF would make the National Invitation Tournament's Final Four) and the Florida State Seminoles 92-88 before a ravenous Sun Dome sellout crowd (FSU would make the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16). With one fell swoop, USF had legitimately stated its case for being Florida's best team.
As if that wasn't impressive enough, despite dropping to a 12-8 in February (a slump at least partially attributed to Dobras' ankle injury), the Bulls also defeated four other ranked teams (Iowa, Charlotte, Louisville, Tulane). They entered the Metro Conference Tournament on a seven-game winning streak. Losing against sub-.500 Southern Miss in the Metro Conference Tournament quarterfinals was damaging, but not enough to derail USF's NCAA at-large bid.
The NCAA Tournament: "Oh, Boise! USF Gets In,'' read the Tampa Tribune headline. USF, receiving an at-large bid and a No. 11 seed, was shipped to the West Region in Boise, Idaho, where the No. 6 Georgetown Hoyas (and All-American center) Alonzo Mourning awaited. In the afternoon's first game, USF had its hands full with Mourning, but was hurt even worse by Georgetown's 3-point shooting. The Hoyas, who prevailed 75-60, were 7-for-15 from 3-point range (after shooting just 31.2-percent from beyond the arc all season). They made six treys alone in the first half, leading to USF's 44-32 halftime deficit. The Bulls rallied in the second half, closing to within 61-58 with 4:11 remaining, but Georgetown iced it by going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line down the stretch. Mourning finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. For USF, Dobras had 16 points, while Alexander and Lewis chipped in with 14 each. "Georgetown was not better than us,'' Lewis said. "They just played their game perfectly and got some amazing 3-pointers from guys we didn't even know about. If we lined up and played again, it would be a different story. Unfortunately, we will never get that chance.''
2012: SOUR ENDING FOR SWEET SQUAD
The Record: 22-14 (12-6 Big East Conference).
The Backdrop: USF encountered rough turbulence in the six previous seasons since being added to the Big East Conference. Outside of an NIT appearance in 2009-10, when the Bulls were 9-9 in the league, the Bulls had a five-season mark of 14-72 in Big East play. But Coach Stan Heath said he believed the Bulls were ready for better results in 2011-12. It was Heath's kind of team — powerful post players in Augustus Gilchrist and Ron Anderson Jr., athletic length with Jawanza Poland and Hugh Robertson, an all-around leader in Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, a dynamic scorer in Victor Rudd Jr., and a smart point guard in freshman Anthony Collins.
The Season: With the Sun Dome being renovated, USF played most of its home games in downtown Tampa (at the building now known as Benchmark International Arena). The Bulls had an uninspiring start at 7-7, including non-conference defeats against Old Dominion, Penn State, Southern Miss and Auburn, then a 60-57 home loss against UConn in the Big East opener. When the Bulls rallied past No. 23-ranked Seton Hall 56-55, it began a modest three-game conference winning streak that inspired confidence. Down the stretch, while using a grinding methodical defensive style, the Bulls won six of seven. That included an improbable comeback at Providence (55-48) and a last-second home win against Cincinnati (46-45) on two Collins' free throws. When the Bulls won at No. 19 Louisville (58-51), serious NCAA Tournament talk began. After Heath was named Big East Conference Coach of the Year, the Bulls promptly dropped a 57-53 overtime decision against Notre Dame at the league tournament quarterfinals, again raising doubts. But the Bulls were rewarded with a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region and placed in the First Four at Dayton, Ohio (which had been instituted the previous season when the NCAA expanded its field from 65 to 68 teams), meaning USF was among the last teams selected for an at-large bid.
The NCAA Tournament: "This tournament can be one-and-done,'' Heath said. "We don't want to be done.'' USF's First Four opponent was the Pac-12 Conference's California Golden Bears (24-9). The Bulls took apart Cal 65-54, shooting 66.7-percent overall (71.4 in the first half) and building a 32-point lead with 8:53 remaining before the Bears made it respectable. "This is actually us playing up to our capabilities,'' Fitzpatrick said. After the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, the Bulls were sent to Nashville for a meeting with the No. 5-seeded Temple Owls … and one of the most bizarre games in USF hoops annals. Despite missing 22 consecutive field-goal attempts in the first half (3-for-27 overall) — you read that correctly — USF trailed only 19-15 at the break against Temple, which also struggled mightily. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing with my own eyes,'' Heath said. "How in the world were we down by just four points? We weren't going to play that poorly in the second half, so we had a legitimate chance to come back.'' The Bulls came out firing in the second half, hitting nine of their first 11 field-goal attempts, and soared to a 58-44 victory. With one game standing between USF and the NCAA's Sweet 16, the improbable opponent was No. 11 Ohio University, which had upset Michigan. The Bulls were beaten by the Bobcats 62-56, making the USF locker room a place of blank stares, teary-eyed faces and choked-up emotions. "This one will sting with me until I die,'' Heath said. At the 9:25 mark, Poland gave USF a 42-37 lead with a resounding dunk off an alley-oop pass from Collins. But Poland, thinking there were defenders nearby to impede his downward drop, hung on the rim and was assessed a technical foul. Ohio made two free throws and got possession, then promptly took control of the game. The Bulls led only briefly, 44-43, the rest of the way. "We're a team that feeds off momentum plays,'' Heath said. "After that play (technical), we just had to regroup.'' USF never did. "With the way we've been playing, you never imagine it's going to end.''
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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, amidst its 55th season in 2025-26, captured its second regular-season American Conference Championship in program history this season, finishing 23-8. In the postseason, South Florida captured its second postseason title in program history during its 14th postseason appearance, earning its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulls have also made 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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