Tampa, Fla. – March 17, 2026 – University of South Florida men's basketball staff member Tobin Anderson, special assistant to the head coach, will always remember St. Patrick's Day 2023. That's when his life changed forever.
A few hours after his No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights stunned the No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers — maybe the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history — Anderson was on hyper-drive.
Postgame interviews.
A live shot on ESPN's SportsCenter with Seth Greenberg (an FDU alumnus).
Then a postgame reception with the university president and FDU supporters to celebrate the school's historic moment.
It was after midnight when Anderson and his wife, Jodi, finally bowed out and walked back to the team hotel. It was just the two of them on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. There was a light snowfall. For the first time all night, Anderson could quietly reflect. After decades of anonymity while serving as head coach at college basketball's lower levels, Anderson struggled to find the right words. He turned to his wife.
"What just happened?''
March Madness just happened.
And now it's happening for the No. 11-seeded USF Bulls (25-8), champions of the American Conference Tournament, who earned a first-round game against the No. 6-seeded Louisville Cardinals (23-10) on Thursday at Buffalo, N.Y.
The Sights And Sounds
Josh Omojafo remembers the roar.
Omojafo, one of four USF men's basketball players to compete in an NCAA Tournament game at previous stops, said last season's experience still gives him chills. Playing for No. 15-seeded Robert Morris University, it was Omojafo's driving layup with about seven minutes remaining that gave the Colonials the lead against No. 2 Alabama.
Suddenly, Omojafo remembers a deafening sound inside Cleveland's Rocket Arena, where fans solidly backed the underdog. The memory still gives him chills. Omojafo had a game to remember, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the second half, but Alabama pulled away for a 90-81 opening-round victory.
"The atmosphere and intensity of the NCAA Tournament, it's just unbelievable,'' Omojafo said. "It was my first time last year, and I can't wait to experience it again. It's something you'll remember for the rest of your life. I can't wait for my teammates, the ones who have never been there, to see what the NCAAs are all about. If you're a college basketball player, this is the ultimate.''
Omojafo and the USF Bulls will get that opportunity.
Throughout the roster and coaching staff, there's a smattering of Bulls with NCAA Tournament experience.
Three other USF players — Isaiah Jones with Oakland, Daimion Collins with Kentucky, and Joseph Pinion with Arkansas — also have NCAA Tournament experience, although it is modest (five games, 22 combined minutes).
Head coach Bryan Hodgson has been an assistant coach in 12 NCAA Tournament games (five at Buffalo, seven at Alabama). He was part of four first-round victories and a pair of second-round triumphs, which resulted in Sweet 16 defeats (both at Alabama).
USF assistant coach Jamie Quarles was part of Buffalo's NCAA appearances, while assistants Derek Rongstad and Logan Ingram participated in seven NCAA games with Alabama (all along with Hodgson).
But Tobin Anderson, Hodgson's special assistant, has the best NCAA Tournament story of all.
The Magic Of March
On March 17, 2023, Anderson's FDU Knights made NCAA Tournament history by becoming the second No. 16-seeded team to win a first-round game, stunning No. 1 Purdue and 7-foot-3 center Zach Edey (Big Ten Conference and National Player of the Year), 63-58.
Since the NCAA Tournament went to its 64-team bracket in 1985, the No. 16 seeds had been 1-150 in games against No. 1 seeds (No. 16 Maryland-Baltimore County upset No. 1 Virginia in 2018).
"If we played Purdue 100 times, maybe we get them a couple of times,'' said Anderson, who will become head coach at Tennessee once USF's NCAA run has completed. "I mean, the odds wouldn't be very good. But we didn't have to beat them 98, 99, 100 times. We just had to beat them once. And on that night, we had enough to get it done.''
Growing up in a tiny Iowa town, Anderson dreamed of playing Division I basketball. He wasn't good enough. He eventually switched that desire to becoming a Division I head coach and participating in March Madness, maybe seeing himself as part of "One Shining Moment,'' the annual CBS-TV tournament-capping musical video highlight package.
Most would deem that pure fantasy, but it remained Anderson's driving force through the years when he ran programs at Hamilton College and Clarkson University, both NCAA Division III schools. He also had nine seasons at NCAA Division II powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas College, which won five conference championships and had seven straight trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, including an Elite Eight appearance.
In 2022-23, Anderson finally got his Division I shot with Northeast Conference lightweight FDU, coming off a 4-22 season. He guided the Knights to a second-place regular-season finish, then earned the automatic NCAA bid by winning the NEC Tournament.
FDU was sent to the First Four in Dayton, where it defeated Texas Southern 84-61 and earned a ticket to nearby Columbus. Mighty Purdue awaited.
In the compressed preparation for the Boilermakers, Anderson made a prophetic observation to his staff: "The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them.''
His reasoning? Anderson's unheralded Knights were quick and difficult to guard. Breaking down the film, there were actually reasons for optimism. The matchup was favorable. There were ways to attack and defend. Still, it was Purdue. It was Zach Edey.
With about 12 minutes to go, in a close game, reality hit Anderson and his assistants at about the same time. Purdue looked tentative, tight, unwilling to make plays. FDU, meanwhile, was playing free and easy. All the pressure was on the Boilermakers.
"This wasn't a best-of-seven series,'' Anderson said. "This was a 40-minute game. We went and took it. No matter who you are, it's survive and advance. We survived. We advanced. It's still basketball. Yeah, there are 20,000 fans in the arena and millions of people watching on television. But it's still basketball.''
It was still basketball the next day. FDU needed to prepare for a second-round game against Florida Atlantic University.
None of it seemed normal, though. During a break in FAU preparations, Anderson appeared on "Good Morning America'' and was interviewed by the CBS-TV studio crew. The next day, FAU beat FDU 78-70 and the Knights were done.
A few weeks later, when UConn dispatched San Diego State to win the 2023 national championship, Anderson stayed up late to watch "One Shining Moment.'' He made it (during the locker room celebration). But more memorably, there was a shot of Anderson's wife and their daughter, Alexa, shown in the stands, cheering, hugging, and crying.
"It was three years ago,'' said Anderson, who still participates in a group text chain with his former FDU players, a chat that always picks up speed in March. "I'm still reminded of that game — probably every single day.''
Three months ago, Anderson was at Tampa International Airport. A man walked up to him, stopped, and said, "The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them.'' Then the man walked away.
Anderson just shook his head.
"He repeated my speech back to me,'' Anderson said. "I have no idea who that guy was, but he recognized me. That's crazy. It was just a basketball game, but I guess it's going to last forever. And that's OK with me.''
The Madness Has Returned
Jones has a comparable NCAA Tournament tale. On March 21, 2024, Jones played for the No. 14-seeded Oakland University Golden Grizzlies, who upset the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats, 80-76 behind a barrage of 15 successful 3-pointers.
"What a night,'' Jones said. "It was so awesome to be a part of that. Honestly, I'm very excited being here at USF because I feel the same vibe I felt when my Oakland team beat Kentucky. Being a veteran player, I understand the type of connection you need to reach the NCAA Tournament and win games there. We have that at USF.
"We have a team that plays together and really enjoys each other. That's when it gets really fun, when you get to the NCAAs and play as one. I'm telling you, there's nothing like it.''
For the fourth time in program history, USF men's basketball has qualified for the NCAA's Big Dance. It's new to most of the Bulls players, but there's enough influence throughout the coaching staff and roster that fully understands what this actually means and how the program can benefit.
Hodgson is completing his 11th season as a Division I coach. This is his seventh NCAA Tournament (Alabama also was headed to the 2020 event, which was cancelled by COVID).
"It's the greatest feeling in the world,'' Hodgson said. "I'm so fired up that our (USF) guys can experience this. You're locked in, one game at a time, but you know that some truly incredible things are within reach.''
At Buffalo, where Hodgson was an assistant coach, his first NCAA appearance was clinched by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament as a No. 3 seed in 2016. Seven seasons later, Hodgson was part of an Alabama program that earned the NCAA Tournament's overall No. 1 seed.
"I've been fortunate to have seen all sides of it,'' Hodgson said. "But if you're in, you're in … and you just go. Sleeping is like an afterthought. That first time at Buffalo, after the selection show, we went right to the office and pulled scouting reports on all our potential matchups. We were there until 5 in the morning. No one was even yawning. It's pure adrenaline. We loved every second of it.''
The story of Hodgson's USF Bulls will be told — on college basketball's most prominent platform.
"It's the biggest stage with the brightest lights,'' Omojafo said.
"It's what you dream about as a kid,'' Jones said.
"How can you not get super excited?'' Anderson said. "How can you not love these teams that come out of nowhere and give us these great memories. It's the best sporting event in America. When you're actually a part of it, it's just so awesome. The memories are forever.''
The USF Bulls have put some Madness back into their March.
Buckle up, Bulls Nation. For the first time in 14 years, your team is dancing. These memories are forever. As Jones said, there's nothing like it.
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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.
– #GoBulls –
