TAMPA, Fla., March. 17, 2026 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team (25–8, 15–3) has arrived in Buffalo, N.Y., to begin their NCAA Tournament run this Thursday vs. No. 6 seed Louisville (23–10, 11–7) at KeyBank Center. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on TNT.
South Florida earned the No. 11 seed after capturing both the American Conference regular-season and tournament championships, becoming the first team in program history to win both titles in the same season. The Bulls enter the NCAA Tournament riding the nation's fourth-longest winning streak at 11 games and tied for the most wins in a single season in program history.
Program Comparison
The Bulls enter the matchup with a KenPom rating of 47, BPI of 51, and program record NET ranking of 45. The Cardinals have a KenPom rating of 19, BPI of 11, and NET ranking of 17.
South Florida enters the matchup with one of the nation's most productive offenses, ranking No. 8 in the NCAA in scoring offense at a program record 87.7 points per game, while Louisville ranks No. 20 at 84.7 points per contest.
The Bulls also rank No. 24 nationally in assists per game (17.2), ahead of the Cardinals, who are tied for No. 25 at 17.1.
In transition, the Bulls rank No. 24 in the NCAA with 14.73 fast-break points per game. South Florida sits No. 41 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.54.
Individually,
Izaiyah Nelson has been a major force for South Florida, ranking No. 18 nationally in rebounds per game (9.6) while tying for No. 8 in the country with 18 double-doubles this season.
Series History
Thursday marks the 34th all-time meeting between South Florida and Louisville, the first matchup between the programs in more than a decade.
Louisville's roster includes two former Bulls - Kasean Pryor, who spent the 2023–24 season at South Florida under head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, and Ryan Conwell, who began his collegiate career with the Bulls during the 2022–23 season.
Last Time Out
South Florida captured the American Conference Championship with a 70–55 win over Wichita State on Sunday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011–12 season.
Wes Enis led the Bulls with 19 points and three steals, earning Most Outstanding Player honors and a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Izaiyah Nelson added 13 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks to also earn All-Tournament recognition.
The victory also tied the program record for single-season wins and broke South Florida's single-season record for field goals made.
Click to read about the win over
Wichita State.
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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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