TAMPA, Fla. – A win at Charlotte on Saturday afternoon would clinch an outright conference title for the Bulls. Their victory over SMU at the Yuengling Center last Sunday guaranteed at least a share of regular season supremacy. No USF men’s hoops team had even done that in 52 previous seasons.
Indeed, this has been a season of firsts. The Bulls had never been ranked prior to this week when they checked in at No. 25 in the AP and coaches’ polls.
That’s what winning a program-record 13 straight has done for them. That’s what going 14-1 in the American has done for them. That’s what winning 19 of their last 20 has done for them.
Read: 2024 USF Bulls Football Schedule Released
None of the above guarantees an NCAA tournament bid. The Bulls may have to run the table and advance to the Big Dance with the automatic bid that comes from winning the conference tourney, which gets underway in Fort Worth on March 13. Can they win their three remaining regular season games and advance to the conference championship game before losing, and still get in? Maybe. Maybe not.
Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who took Kennesaw State to the NCAAs last year, would like to think his team’s work in conference play would speak for itself.
“I get the conference tournaments, the money it generates and all that great stuff,” he said. “But to go through this league for 18 games and you are telling me that the regular season champion shouldn’t get the automatic bid?”
Abdur-Rahim left his question hang in the Muma Center air Thursday afternoon while fully respecting Charlotte (4 p.m., ESPN+), Tulane (the final home game next Tuesday) and Tulsa remain on the schedule. He also has full respect for what his team has accomplished to this point and, more importantly, how they have done it.
Read: USF Men’s Basketball Sets Program Record With 13th Straight Win
“For 15 guys to be able to put aside individual wants or needs or goals for the common goal of the team, it is the only way something like this happens,” he said.
A team with 12 newcomers and three holdovers – Corey Walker, Jr., Sam Hines, Selton Miguel – has ample experience in handling success. After all, five players have advanced to the NCAA tourney, including Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings, each of whom followed Abdur-Rahim to Tampa from Kennesaw State. (A foot injury led Jennings to redshirt this season.)
“They know not to get too high, not to get too low, stay connected and rally together,” said Abdur-Rahim. “They know if they do that, there is more to come. It has been really cool to see this become a player-driven program. That’s when special things will happen.”
Read: USF Holds Off No. 24 FAU In Front Of Record-Breaking Crowd At Yuengling Center
It has been a special season to this point for long-starved USF fans. Alas, it’s one day at time as there is much work to be done.
“Let’s take care of today,” said Abdur-Rahim. “If we do the best job at being the best versions of ourselves today, the results will be what they are supposed to be. That’s what we need to stay focused on.”
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