| South Florida Bulls men's basketball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 | ||||
| University | University of South Florida | |||
| First season | 1971–72; 54 years ago | |||
| Athletic director | Michael Kelly | |||
| Head coach | Bryan Hodgson (1st season) | |||
| Conference | The American | |||
| Location | Tampa, Florida | |||
| Arena | Yuengling Center (capacity: 10,411) | |||
| Nickname | Bulls | |||
| Student section | So Flo Rodeo | |||
| Colors | Green and gold[1] | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
| 1990, 1992, 2012 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| 1990 | ||||
| Conference regular-season champions | ||||
| 2024 | ||||
TheSouth Florida Bulls men's basketball team represents theUniversity of South Florida inNCAA Division I basketball competition, where they are currently a member of theAmerican Conference.Bryan Hodgson is the head coach afterAmir Abdur-Rahim died unexpectedly.[2][3][4] TheBulls play their home games at the 10,500 seatYuengling Center on USF's campus inTampa,Florida. USF has won two conference championships and has reached theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 3 times in their history (1990,1992, and2012), with their best finish coming in 2012 when they made the round of 32.
Before men's basketball became an official sport at USF, Athletic DirectorDick Bowers and PresidentJohn S. Allen approved of a freshman only squad to test the feasibility of bringing men's basketball to the University of South Florida. They played against freshman teams from other universities in the state as well as junior colleges. The team was a roaring success and won in their first game on December 4, 1970, against the University of Florida. The 1970–71 team finished with a 19–4 record and their popularity led to the approval of the varsity team. The 1970 USF basketball team is not listed the team media guide and 1971 is listed as the official founding of USF basketball, but this team was an integral part in helping the team that exists today come to be.[5]
The University of South Florida's official basketball team first tipped off as theGolden Brahmans on December 1, 1971, with a 74–73 win atStetson University.[6] The Brahmans played their first season as a member of the NCAA College Division (nowNCAA Division II). Their first home game was marked by a 98–77 loss toFlorida atCurtis Hixon Hall indowntown Tampa, which would serve as USF's primary arena of the seven courts the team would call home before the opening of the on campusSun Dome for the 1980–81 season, and was the only arena USF used every season through 1980. South Florida's first home win would come on December 18 againstBaldwin Wallace. The Brahmans topped 100 points for the first time in just their tenth game, beatingFlorida A&M 103–102. USF only played one game at their other home for the 1971–72 season, beatingMissouri-St. Louis 85–82 atFort Homer W. Hesterly Armory inWest Tampa. The Golden Brahmans would finish their inaugural season with a record of 8–17, but recorded their first winning season the next year going 14–11.
For the 1973–74 season USF made the jump toNCAA Division I, where they remain today. That year would see the Brahmans split time in 3 arenas, the aforementioned Curtis Hixon Hall and Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, as well as theBayfront Center inSt. Petersburg, Florida. The Bayfront Center was nearly 40 miles from USF's main campus in Tampa, but sat across the street from theUSF St. Petersburg campus.[6] Games were played there in the coming years to give the students at the St. Petersburg campus the rare opportunity to watch their school play a few times per year. They posted a 10–3 combined record at their 3 home courts, but were only 1–13 in road and neutral site games, and for that reason USF fired their first coach Don Williams. The Golden Brahmans recorded their first 15 win season in 1974–75 under first year coachBill Gibson. Gibson died of a heart attack in the summer of 1975 at the age of 47.[7]
Under new coach Chip Conner, USF finally recorded their first win at the Bayfront Center on senior night of their 1975–76 campaign. That season also brought the Brahmans their fourth home in theLakeland Civic Center (now known as the RP Funding Center) inLakeland, Florida, and gave South Florida its best win percentage for a men's basketball season until 2023–24 at .704 with a 19–8 record.
The next year, the Golden Brahmans joined theSun Belt Conference, but took a big step backwards compared to the previous year going just 9–18 overall and 2–4 in conference games. The Brahmans found yet another building to call home in 1977–78, playing 2 games atHillsborough Community College. They played their first game on their own campus on opening night of the 1978–79 season, beatingEckerd College 90–70 at theUSF Gymnasium, which still stands today adjacent to the Yuengling Center as the Campus Recreation Center.[8] USF went undefeated in their 3 on campus games that season, much to the delight of the students who could now attend games more easily. However, USF decided not to play any games on campus for the 1979–80 season, instead opting to play home games at their seventh and final arena before moving on campus full time withExpo Hall at theFlorida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. South Florida fittingly closed out this era with an 81–72 victory at Curtis Hixon Hall against Stetson, the team the Brahmans defeated in their first game.[6]
USF opened the 1980–81 season with three new things: a new nickname, changing from the Golden Brahmans to theBulls; a new on-campus arena called theSun Dome; and a new head coach inLee Rose. Rose was a close personal friend of USF Athletic DirectorDick Bowers and was coming fresh off a Final Four appearance withPurdue theyear prior, as well as having anotherFinal Four appearance with USF's fellowSun Belt memberCharlotte in1977.[9][10] Rose's Bulls recorded their first win in the Sun Dome on December 6, 1980, againstUNC Greensboro after dropping their first two games toFlorida A&M andDuke. Led by All-American candidate and all-time leading scorer to that point Tony Grier, the Bulls would not lose another regular season home game for over a year, with the next loss coming after a school record 21 game home winning streak that stands to this day.[6][11] South Florida ended the regular season 17–9, including their first win against a ranked opponent when they beat No. 18 South Alabama on February 12. The Bulls also made their first postseason tournament, going to the1981 National Invitation Tournament. Home attendance jumped 256% in the 80–81 season with the new on campus arena, which was soon nicknamed the "Rose Garden" after coach Rose.[12] The Sun Dome also brought another thing: better recruiting. The university's former gym situation was described as "disastrous for recruiting", but the 1981–82 season saw the arrival of highly touted freshman and Tampa nativeCharlie Bradley. Bradley is widely regarded as the greatest player in USF history and is the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,319 points, despite playing only 1 season with the adoption of the 3 point line.[12][13] USF finished the 81–82 season with a solid 17–11 showing and a 14–2 record at home. South Florida also won the inaugural Florida Four tournament in December 1981 overFlorida,Florida State, and conference foeJacksonville.[14]
1982–83 was by far the young program's most successful season at the time. The Bulls won the second Florida Four, which was discontinued after the season.[15] The 82–83 squad recorded the first 20 win season in team history, going 22–10. Rose's 82–83 team also finished as runners up in theSun Belt Conference tournament and won the program's first postseason game, defeatingFordham in the first round of the1983 National Invitation Tournament.[16] Finally, Charlie Bradley was named Sun Belt Player of the Year for the 1982–83 season.[13] USF followed up their historic season with another 17–11 record in 1983–84, then went 18–12 in 1984–85 with another second round exit in theNIT after upsettingWake Forest in the first round.
1985–86 was the final year with Lee Rose at the helm for the Bulls, who posted a 14–14 record. Rose would leave the Bulls to become an assistant coach for theSan Antonio Spurs. South Florida would finish the 6 season Rose era with an overall record of 106–69.[17]
The Bulls first three years under new head coachBobby Paschal were not good, going an overall 21–63 and all 3 seasons coming with at least 20 losses.[18] Many Bulls fans were calling for Paschal to be fired prior to the1989–90 season. But the Bulls turned it around, becoming one of the only teams in NCAA men's basketball history to go from 20 losses to 20 wins in a single season. USF made its firstNCAA tournament, claiming the Sun Belt'sautobid to the Big Dance after winning theconference tournament behind futureUSF Athletic Hall of Fame inducteeRadenko Dobraš's Sun Belt Tournament MVP showing.[19] USF's dream season ended with a hard-fought 79–67 loss to 2nd seedArizona. South Florida nearly eclipsed the 20 win mark again the next season, winning 19 games and securing their fourth NIT berth in 11 years.
In 1991–92, the Bulls left the Sun Belt for theMetro Conference and won 19 games for the second straight year, securing an at-large berth in the1992 NCAA tournament. This stretch is the only time in program history where the Bulls have made a postseason tournament in three consecutive years. The departure of Radenko Dobraš after 1992 brought the arrival of another USF Hall of Fame member in freshmanChucky Atkins, but the Bulls struggled in 1992–93 and 93–94, going 8–19 and 10–17 respectively.[20] USF turned it around in 1994–95, going 18–12 and making the quarterfinals of the1995 NIT.
USF had another new conference for the 1995–96 season after the Metro Conference merged with theGreat Midwest Conference to formConference USA. The Bulls finished just 2–12 in their new conference and 12–16 overall in what would be Bobby Paschal's last year as head coach. Paschal retired from his position, but stayed with the team in an advisory role for another 8 years, and would later be inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame.[21] In Paschal's 10 years as head coach, South Florida went 127–159, the most wins all time by any USF men's basketball coach.[22]
After Paschal stepped down, the Bulls poachedLong Beach State head coachSeth Greenberg. Greenberg had made two NCAA tournaments in the previous four years with LBSU and was coming off aBig West Conference regular season title.[23] It was believed Greenberg would keep both his and the program's momentum going with USF. In Greenberg's first year as coach however, the Bulls finished just 8–19. 1997–98 was a turnaround though, and South Florida picked up a 17–13 record. After an even 14–14 campaign in 1998–99, USF won another 17 games and a regular season Conference USA Red Division title at the turn of the millennium, and qualified for theNIT for the first time in five years. The Bulls were ousted in the first round atNew Mexico.[24] USF improved even further the next two years, going 18–13 and 19–13 respectively. Greenberg's squad would only see one postseason game out of these seasons though, a loss toBall State in the first round of the2002 NIT.
After a 15–14 season in 2002–03 with two starters out due to injuries, Greenberg left Tampa to become the head coach atVirginia Tech, citing his desire to coach in theBig East.[25][26] His teams had a total record of 108–100, making him one of three USF head coaches to eclipse 100 wins (Rose and Paschall) and one of three to post an overall winning record at the school (Gibson and Rose).[27]
USF's second to last year in Conference USA and first under new coachRobert McCullum would give them 20 losses for the first time since 1988–89, a streak that lasted 15 years. Their last year before joining theBig East was somewhat better at 14–16.[6]
The University of South Florida received an invitation to join the Big East to counteractBoston College,Miami, and ironically for former Bulls coach Seth Greenberg,Virginia Tech leaving for theAtlantic Coast Conference.[28] The basketball team's first season in the new conference was marked by their second 20 loss season in three years, going 7–22. They went an abysmal 1–15 against Big East foes, last place in the conference. In what would be McCullum's last year as head coach, the Bulls went 12–18 in 2006–07 and nearly finished last in the conference again. Athletic DirectorLee Roy Selmon fired McCullum, whose four teams went a total of 40–76 and 10–54 in conference games.[29] In 2007, former player Tony Grier authored "A Raging Bull" Chasing the Big Time, the only comprehensive overview of the rapid rise of the basketball program and sports in general at USF.
The Bulls would go on to hire formerArkansas coachStan Heath, and yet again came dangerously close to losing 20 games in 2007–08.[30] The next year USF picked up a third 20 loss season in six years with a 9–22 record. The lone bright spot of the year was their first win against a top 10 opponent, defeating No. 8 Marquette by one point on February 6, 2009.[31] Coach Heath shined on the hot seatthe next season, bringing the school its first 20 win season in 20 years, receiving votes in the AP Poll for the first time in team history,[32] and making the2010 NIT, though they lost in the first round of their first postseason appearance since 2002 toNC State. It was the second time the Bulls had gone from 20 losses to 20 wins in a single season, and they would do it again two years later.[33]
After a 10–23 showing in their2010–11 campaign, the Bulls turned it around yet again in2011–12, playing without their usual home court as the Sun Dome was undergoing renovations. TheTampa Bay Times Forum proved to be good luck for the Bulls as their main home, going 10–2 in those games. They also played some home games at theBob Martinez Sports Center on theUniversity of Tampa's campus (where they went 3–0) and at one at their former home Lakeland Civic Center, which was now called theLakeland Center (1–0).[6] Despite being selected on media day to finish 14th in the Big East, the Bulls had a winning record in conference games for the first time since leaving Conference USA, going 12–6 which put them tied for 4th.[34] After a 20-year drought, their 20–13 record onSelection Sunday earned USF their third ever bid to theNCAA tournament. As a No. 12 seed, they would have to faceCalifornia in theFirst Four play in game. There, South Florida won their first NCAA tournament game in school history 65–54 and advanced to play No. 5 seedTemple. The Bulls shocked the world again by upsetting the Owls 58–44 to move on to the round of 32 for the first time ever. This win tied the school record for wins in a season at 22.[35] The Cinderella story would end in the next round though, as the Bulls fell to theOhio Bobcats 62–56. The Bulls received one vote in the final Coaches Poll of the season, their first in team history. After the season, Stan Heath was named Big East Coach of the Year.[36]
Looking to show that 2011–12 was not a fluke, USF started the2012–13 season at a respectable 10–3. But it would only go downhill from there, as the Bulls went just 3–15 against Big East opponents for a final record of 12–19.[37] This would be the Bulls last season in the Big East asthe conference would split prior to the2013–14 season, where South Florida went 12–20 overall and 3–15 in the newAmerican Athletic Conference (now the American Conference).[38][39] After the season, Stan Heath was fired by USF.[40] His teams went a total of 97–130.[41]
Dominican National Team Head Coach andKentucky Wildcats assistantOrlando Antigua was hired to replace Heath and turn the program around. Antigua was an assistant at Kentucky for five years with two Final Fours under his belt and had won a national championship with the Wildcats in 2012. Antigua went 9–23 and 7–24 in his first two seasons respectively, and was fired midway through the2016–17 season.[42] Assistant CoachMurry Bartow served as interim coach for the remainder of the year.
The Bulls then hiredBrian Gregory, a consultant atMichigan State underTom Izzo to become the tenth coach in program history.[43] After a fifth straight 20 loss season in2017–18, South Florida bounced back more than many Bulls fans could have ever hoped in2018–19. The Bulls won 24 games for the first time in school history, and won theCollege Basketball Invitational against former Big East rivalDePaulWith the help of freshman Scott Moore Jr.[44] Coming in red hot off a senior night comeback victory after being down by 7 with 24 seconds to play, capped off by a buzzer beater from senior Laquincy Rideau, the Bulls2019–20 season was cut short less than an hour before they were set to play rivalCentral Florida in round one of theconference tournament due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, ending their season at 14–17.[45][46] After disappointing campaigns in his following three seasons, Gregory was fired by the Bulls.[47]
USF hired formerKennesaw State head coachAmir Abdur-Rahim as Gregory's replacement.[48] Abdur-Rahim had just led Kennesaw State to their first Division I NCAA Tournament the prior season. During the2023–24 season, USF defeated a top-10 opponent for the second time in team history, erasing a 20-point deficit on the road against No. 10 Memphis.[49] On February 12, the Bulls received votes in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, their second time receiving votes in each poll, and first time receiving votes in both polls in the same week. The Bulls clinched a share of their first regular season conference title in team history on February 25, the same day they set a new team record with 13 consecutive wins.[50] On February 26, 2024, USF was ranked No. 25 in both the AP and Coaches polls, marking the first time in school history that the team was officially ranked in either poll.[51] The Bulls clinched the conference title outright after defeating Charlotte away on March 2.[52] Amir Abdur-Rahim was unanimously named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and Chris Youngblood was named the AAC Player of the Year.[53] The Bulls reached theNIT and defeated rival Central Florida in the first round before losing to VCU in the second round. Their 25–8 record was the best in program history.
Abdur-Rahim died unexpectedly on October 24, 2024 at the age of 43 from complications related to a medical procedure.[54] Following Abdur-Rahim's death, the student section in the Yuengling Center was renamed in his honor and all of USF's sports teams wore green and gold patches with the initials "AAR" for the remainder of the school year.[55] The conference also introduced the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award, which is presented to the men’s basketball student-athlete who, as determined by the league's head coaches, "best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership".[56] Ben Fletcher was named USF's interim coach for the2024–25 season.[3]
On March 24, 2025, USF announced their hiring ofArkansas State head coachBryan Hodgson as their new head coach to replaceAmir Abdur-Rahim.[57]
| Year | Conference | Games played | Record | Win percentage | Conference record | Head coach | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–72 | Independent (College Division) | 25 | 8–17 | .320 | N/A | Don Williams | |
| 1972–73 | 25 | 14–11 | .560 | ||||
| 1973–74 | Independent (Division I) | 25 | 11–14 | .440 | |||
| 1974–75 | 25 | 15–10 | .600 | Bill Gibson | |||
| 1975–76 | 27 | 19–8 | .704 | Chip Conner | |||
| 1976–77 | Sun Belt Conference | 27 | 9–18 | .333 | 2–4 | ||
| 1977–78 | 27 | 13–14 | .481 | 2–8 | |||
| 1978–79 | 28 | 14–14 | .500 | 6–4 | |||
| 1979–80 | 27 | 6–21 | .222 | 1–13 | Chip Conner/Gordon Gibbons (interim) | ||
| 1980–81 | 29 | 18–11 | .621 | 7–5 | Lee Rose | NIT (first round) | |
| 1981–82 | 28 | 17–11 | .607 | 4–6 | |||
| 1982–83 | 32 | 22–10 | .688 | 8–6 | NIT (second round) | ||
| 1983–84 | 28 | 17–11 | .607 | 9–5 | |||
| 1984–85 | 30 | 18–12 | .600 | 6–8 | NIT (second round) | ||
| 1985–86 | 28 | 14–14 | .500 | 5–9 | |||
| 1986–87 | 28 | 8–20 | .286 | 3–11 | Bobby Paschal | ||
| 1987–88 | 28 | 6–22 | .214 | 3–11 | |||
| 1988–89 | 28 | 7–21 | .250 | 2–12 | |||
| 1989–90 | 31 | 20–11 | .645 | 9–5 (Won conference tournament) | NCAA (round of 64) | ||
| 1990–91 | 30 | 19–11 | .633 | 8–6 | NIT (first round) | ||
| 1991–92 | Metro Conference | 29 | 19–10 | .655 | 7–5 | NCAA (round of 64) | |
| 1992–93 | 27 | 8–19 | .296 | 2–10 | |||
| 1993–94 | 27 | 10–17 | .370 | 2–10 | |||
| 1994–95 | 30 | 18–12 | .600 | 5–7 | NIT (quarterfinals) | ||
| 1995–96 | Conference USA | 28 | 12–16 | .429 | 2–12 | ||
| 1996–97 | 27 | 8–19 | .296 | 2–12 | Seth Greenberg | ||
| 1997–98 | 30 | 17–13 | .567 | 7–9 | |||
| 1998–99 | 28 | 14–14 | .500 | 6–10 | |||
| 1999–00 | 31 | 17–14 | .548 | 8–8 | NIT (first round) | ||
| 2000–01 | 31 | 18–13 | .581 | 9–7 | |||
| 2001–02 | 32 | 19–13 | .594 | 8–8 | NIT (first round) | ||
| 2002–03 | 29 | 15–14 | .517 | 7–9 | |||
| 2003–04 | 27 | 7–20 | .259 | 1–15 | Robert McCullum | ||
| 2004–05 | 30 | 14–16 | .467 | 5–11 | |||
| 2005–06 | Big East | 29 | 7–22 | .241 | 1–15 | ||
| 2006–07 | 30 | 12–18 | .400 | 3–13 | |||
| 2007–08 | 31 | 12–19 | .387 | 3–15 | Stan Heath | ||
| 2008–09 | 31 | 9–22 | .290 | 4–14 | |||
| 2009–10 | 33 | 20–13 | .606 | 9–9 | NIT (first round) | ||
| 2010–11 | 33 | 10–23 | .303 | 3–15 | |||
| 2011–12 | 36 | 22–14 | .611 | 12–6 | NCAA (round of 32) | ||
| 2012–13 | 31 | 12–19 | .387 | 3–15 | |||
| 2013–14 | American Conference | 32 | 12–20 | .375 | 3–15 | ||
| 2014–15 | 32 | 9–23 | .281 | 3–15 | Orlando Antigua | ||
| 2015–16 | 31 | 7–24 | .226 | 4–14 | |||
| 2016–17 | 30 | 7–23 | .233 | 1–17 | Orlando Antigua/Murry Bartow (interim) | ||
| 2017–18 | 32 | 10–22 | .313 | 3–15 | Brian Gregory | ||
| 2018–19 | 38 | 24–14 | .631 | 8–10 | CBI (champions) | ||
| 2019–20 | 31 | 14–17 | .452 | 7–11 | Postseason not played due toCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 9–13 | .409 | 4–10 | |||
| 2021–22 | 31 | 8–23 | .258 | 3–15 | |||
| 2022–23 | 32 | 14–18 | .438 | 7–11 | |||
| 2023–24 | 33 | 25–8 | .758 | 16–2 | Amir Abdur-Rahim | NIT (second round) | |
| 2024–25 | 32 | 13–19 | .406 | 6–12 | Ben Fletcher (interim) | ||
| Total | 1617 | 728–889 | .450 | 250–485 | 13 Appearances (12–13 record) | ||
| Bold indicates tournament won Italics indicate Conference Championship | |||||||
The Bulls have appeared in theNCAA tournament 3 times. Their combined record is 2–3.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | #15 | First Round | #2 Arizona | L 67–79 |
| 1992 | #11 | First Round | #6 Georgetown | L 60–75 |
| 2012 | #12 | First Four | #12 California | W 65–54 |
| First Round | #5 Temple | W 58–44 | ||
| Second Round | #13 Ohio | L 56–62 |
The Bulls have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament 9 times. Their combined record is 5–9.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | First Round | Connecticut | L 55–65 |
| 1983 | First Round | Fordham | W 81–69 |
| Second Round | Ole Miss | L 57–65 | |
| 1985 | First Round | Wake Forest | W 77–66 |
| Second Round | Louisville | L 61–68 | |
| 1991 | First Round | Fordham | L 66–76 |
| 1995 | First Round | St. John's | W 74–68 |
| Second Round | Coppin State | W 75–59 | |
| Quarterfinal | Marquette | L 60–67 | |
| 2000 | First Round | New Mexico | L 58–64 |
| 2002 | First Round | Ball State | L 92–98 |
| 2010 | First Round | NC State | L 57–58 |
| 2024 | First Round | UCF | W 83–77 |
| Second Round | VCU | L 65–70 |
The Bulls have appeared in theCollege Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament one time. Their record is 5–1 and were champions in 2019.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | First Round | Stony Brook | W 82–79OT |
| Quarterfinal | Utah Valley | W 66–57 | |
| Semifinal | Loyola-Marymount | W 56–47 | |
| Finals Game 1 | DePaul | W 63–61 | |
| Finals Game 2 | L 96–100OT | ||
| Finals Game 3 | W 77–65 |
USF has retired three jerseys in program history.[58]
South Florida Bulls retired numbers | |||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Chucky Atkins | PG | 1992–1996 |
| 30 | Charlie Bradley | SF | 1981–1985 |
| 31 | Radenko Dobraš | G | 1988–1992 |
All 3, along with former coachBobby Paschal are members of theUSF Athletic Hall of Fame.[59]
Under the current American Conference TV deal, all home and in-conference away men's basketball games are shown on one of the variousESPN networks or streamed live onESPN+.[61] Live radio broadcasts of games are featured onWRBQ 104.7 FM in the Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida media markets and are also available worldwide for free on theBulls Unlimited digital radio station onTuneIn.[62][63]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)American Conference men's basketball | ||
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