Buffalo, N.Y. – March 19, 2026 – In the final hours leading into the NCAA Tournament East Region first-round game between the No. 11-seeded USF Bulls (25-8) and the No. 6-seeded Louisville Cardinals (23-10), here are some stats, notes, quotes, ironies and other interesting factors to help get you ready for the matchup at the KeyBank Center.
 
GAME PARTICULARS: Tip-off is 1:30 p.m. ET. Radio coverage in Tampa is provided by 1010-AM. On television, it's TNT.
 
BIG LOSS FOR CARDINALS: In the game's biggest news item, Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey said freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. (back injury) will not play. "He's just not ready,'' Kelsey said. Brown, who also missed the entire ACC Tournament, had 45 points on Feb. 9 against NC State, tying Louisville's single-game scoring record (Wes Unseld in 1967).
 
"Kel really wants to play bad, but he's just not there physically right now,'' Kelsey said. "We're going one game at a time. He's not playing (Thursday). Beyond that, I can't comment.
 
"It happens in sports and life. Injuries occur. When someone goes out of the lineup, no matter who it is, we have to adjust. We never will make any excuses or give any explanations. We have other guys who are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to play in the national tournament.''
 
Kelsey said Ryan Conwell and Adrian Wooley will likely share point-guard duties with Kobe Rodgers contributing off the bench.
 
HISTORY AT STAKE: With a victory, USF would set a program record for single-season wins (26). It would also be USF's 12th consecutive victory, tying the program record for a winning streak.
 
SIMILAR STYLES: USF leads the American Conference in scoring (87.7 points per game) and 3-point attempts (29.0). Louisville leads the ACC in scoring (84.8) and 3-point attempts (32.3).
 
Translation: It should be a track meet.
 
"Both teams like to get up and down the court,'' Bulls head coach Bryan Hodgson said. "Both teams like to score. It's going to be one of those games.''
 
"It's two teams with similar philosophies,'' Kelsey said. "Both value pace. They attack the basket. Similar to us, they value the 3-point shot. They value offensive rebounding. They do all of that very, very well. As do we.''
 
College basketball fans could be in for a big-time treat.
 
"The people here in the building and the people watching at home on television, they're going to be entertained,'' Kelsey said. "I think it's going to be a really, really fun game.''
 
You don't have to convince USF's Izaiyah Nelson, the American Conference Player of the Year.
 
"We play fast and we like to have fun,'' Nelson said. "We like to put on a show every time.''
 
WARY OF NELSON: Kelsey expressed great respect for Nelson, a 6-foot-10, 218-pound center who has become only the third USF player with a 500-point, 300-rebound season.
 
"Terrific player, terrific player,'' Kelsey said. "Extremely decorated. He was unanimous Player of the Year and unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in their conference for a reason … because he's an extremely dangerous, effective player. And we've got to be at our very best to deal with him because he's very good.''
 
FORMER CONFERENCE RIVALS: From 1991-2014, USF and Louisville shared a conference home in the Metro, Conference USA, Big East and American.
 
Louisville leads the all-time men's basketball series 29-4 (including a 68-61 win in the 1985 NIT). USF's last win against the Cardinals, a 58-51 decision at Louisville, was critical to the Bulls earning an NCAA Tournament at-large bid in 2012.
 
USF CONFIDENCE: Without a trace of arrogance or cockiness, Bulls guard Wes Enis expressed his confidence earlier in the week.
 
"I don't think it (would be) an upset,'' Enis said about a potential USF victory. "I think we're the better team. I don't really care what the (seeds) say. I think we're the better team, so I wouldn't really call it an upset.''
 
DESCRIBING HODGSON: USF players were asked to describe Hodgson.
 
Enis: "Competitor.''
 
Joseph Pinion: "I would say competitor, too.''
 
Nelson: "I would say he's a dawg. He doesn't like the soft stuff, so he's a dawg.''
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: USF has earned its fourth NCAA Tournament bid (along with 1990, 1992 and 2012). It was one-and-out with the first two bids. In 2012, the Bulls defeated California at the First Four, then Temple to pull within one game of the Sweet 16. But USF was defeated by Ohio University 62-56.
 
Louisville, meanwhile, has a sterling postseason reputation, having won national championships in 1980, 1986 and 2013. The Cardinals have made 41 NCAA Tournament appearances with 17 trips to the Sweet 16. As a higher seed, Louisville is 53-13 in NCAA Tournament games. As a No. 6 seed, Louisville has made the Sweet 16 (1996), Elite Eight (1997) and second round (2007).
 
Kelsey is 0-5 as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament, counting appearances with Winthrop, the College of Charleston and Louisville.
 
It's the initial NCAA Tournament game for Hodgson as a head coach. As an assistant coach with Buffalo and Alabama, Hodgson has participated in 12 NCAA Tournament games with four first-round victories and two appearances in the Sweet 16.
 
Hodgson's most memorable NCAA victory occurred in 2018, when the No. 13-seeded Buffalo Bulls stunned the No. 4-seeded Arizona Wildcats 89-68 in Boise, Idaho.
 
"You come in with a chip on your shoulder and an edge,'' Hodgson said. "When we beat Arizona, our guys left the Buffalo airport whole-heartedly believing we were going there to win the game. My guys in the (USF) locker room feel the same way. We know we're here because of the work we've put in. There's no luck. They're confident in their abilities because they work. Confidence comes from work.''
 
USF'S ACC VICTORIES: USF has four career victories against Louisville, but all of them occurred when Louisville was a member of other conferences (Metro, Conference USA, Big East).
 
Overall, USF men's basketball has 10 victories against true ACC teams (seven against Florida State, two against Wake Forest, one against Virginia).
 
THE FORMER BULLS: Former USF players Ryan Conwell (2022-23 with the Bulls) and Kasean Pryor (2023-24) are on Louisville's roster.
 
Conwell, on his fourth school in four seasons (following USF, he went to Indiana State and Xavier before landing at Louisville), has been magnificent for the Cardinals. Conwell, a 6-foot-4 guard, is an All-ACC second-team player who led Louisville in scoring (18.7 points per game), while registering 105 made field goals from 3-point range.
 
Conwell, who has 1,952 career points, averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds as a USF freshman in the final season for head coach Brian Gregory.
 
"Being at USF was a great experience for me,'' Conwell said. "I think I actually grew up as a man, just being far from home, coming from Indianapolis and being down in Tampa. I still catch their games from time to time. I'm thankful for everywhere I've been throughout my entire journey. I feel like it's a huge reason why I'm here today and why I've made it to this point.''
 
Pryor, meanwhile, averaged 13.0 points and 7.9 rebounds in 2023-24, providing an often-electric presence for Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim's Bulls. Pryor jumped to Louisville the next season and was "playing the best basketball of his career,'' according to Kelsey, before suffering a catastrophic torn ACL at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 
This season, after being cleared to play following extensive rehabilitation, Pryor has played in 22 games (starting none) while averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.
 
"Although the role that Kasean has hasn't been ideal from his standpoint, he has kept a good attitude and continued to be a good teammate,'' Kelsey said. "His name was called in the ACC Tournament and he played very well for us. I know in the South Florida area, he's going to be remembered and beloved for a long time.''
 
Pryor said he has happy memories at USF.
 
"Right away, I was absolutely stunned when I saw the name 'South Florida' next to Louisville in the bracket,'' Pryor said. "Obviously, I have a lot of history there. But it's an exciting opportunity, even though it is a bit weird because my career took off at USF with everything we had with Amir.
 
"Obviously, it's a different coaching staff and a whole new team. My time at USF was great and that team was legendary. I talked to Chris Youngblood (now with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers) just the other day. USF will always seem like home for me. Nothing but love.''
 
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.

Follow us:
Follow South Florida men's basketball on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
 
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 55^th 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 –