After securing American title, Bulls turn focus to postseason tourney, NCAA bid
By Rick Mayer
March 9, 2026 at 12:44 AM EDT
Top-seeded South Florida enters the American Conference tournament on a nine-game winning streak, needing two wins in Birmingham to secure a spot in March Madness.
When Coach Bryan Hodgson took over the South Florida men’s basketball program a year ago, he promised a high-tempo, fast-paced team that would compete for an American Conference title.
Competitive? Absolutely. But few expected this level of “all gas, no brakes.”
ALSO READ: New coach, new roster, new season: Here comes the USF men's basketball team
The Bulls (23-8) won the American regular-season title with a 15-3 record, giving them the No. 1 seed for this week’s conference tournament, which opens Wednesday at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The trophy and banner – hung in the rafters at the Yuengling Center after Sunday’s 80-63 rout of Charlotte – comes with a bye until the semifinals, meaning they need only two wins to cut nets and earn an automatic path to the NCAA tournament.
South Florida men's basketball coach Bryan Hogdson speaks to the crowd at the Yuengling Center in Tampa on Senior Day before the Bulls played Charlotte in the regular-seasons closing game on March 8, 2026. (449x526, AR: 0.8536121673003803)
However, any loss places USF on the bubble for an at-large bid, although Hodgson is confident the Bulls have done more than enough.
“We’ve won nine games in a row, and we’ve done it in convincing fashion,” Hodgson said Sunday. “We’re doing all the things that you need to do to make sure you’re in that conversation.”
How we got here
Weeks after winning the Sun Belt Conference at Arkansas State, Hodgson came to Tampa and rebuilt nearly the entire USF roster – blending eight transfers from seven schools, three who followed him from Jonesboro.
Guard C.J. Brown is the lone holdover recruited by the late Amir Abdur Rahim, the revered coach who led USF to its only regular-season title in 2023-24.
“When I got here, I said it in my press conference. I said it to anybody that would listen, ‘We're going to win one of these this year.’ ” Hodgson said last week after clinching the title. “I told C.J., ‘If you stick around and you stay here with me and play for me, we're going to get one of these.’ “
One of those Arkansas State transfers, 6-foot-10 forward Izaiyah Nelson, is favored to win conference Player of the Year. He’s been a centerpiece on a roster of workhorses, averaging 15.8 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds, and he’s shooting nearly 60% from the floor.
Also fueling the offense are 3-point gunners Wes Enis (37% made) and Joseph Pinion (38%), both with 100 baskets beyond the arc to set the program record and rate in the top 25 nationally. South Florida also set a single-season record of 300 team 3-pointers.
https://twitter.com/USFMBB/status/2030746536011759710
The group gelled in February, and finished the schedule at 88.5 points per game, eighth best in Division I. That stat is helped by averaging 43 rebounds overall and 15 on the offensive boards, both third best nationally. The Bulls also lead Division I in free throws attempted (28 per game) and made (21).
“We’re top 50 in the country on both sides of the ball,” Hodgson said. “We’re the most efficient offense in the history of South Florida basketball.”
The coach said he emphasizes effort, defense and discipline.
“He just told us what it was. He told us to come in and work hard every single day and grind, grind, grind,” Nelson said Sunday to USF Athletics digital coordinator Caylee Cottrell. “So that's why we came in – all 15 guys came in – and grinded, put it in, all the work.”
South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson dunks in two points against Charlotte during the Bulls' 83-60 win over the 49ers at the Yuengling Center in Tampa on March 8, 2026. (550x587, AR: 0.9369676320272572)
Bubbles and NET rankings
While Hodgson believes the Bulls are penciled into the NCAAs, bracketology – the science of determining such things – tells you otherwise.
Their fate rests with something called the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking, which the tournament committee uses to decide the 37 at-large bids for the 68-team bracket.
The NET ranking reflects a team’s results against opponents’ strength, which is categorized by “quadrants.” There are four quadrants, with victories over Quad 1 teams deemed higher quality and those against Quad 4s of lower quality. Quad wins, conference strength and road performance are key factors.
USF has a NET ranking of 50, a 9-3 road record and a 2-2 mark against Quad 1 teams. That’s not terrible, considering the American is having a weak season. But expect an anxious Sunday evening on Fowler Avenue if the Bulls lose either game in Birmingham.
“The problem is, if they need an at-large bid, it means they will have taken at least one loss between now and Selection Sunday, so then we have to evaluate who that loss is to and how much it hurts them,” ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi said last week. "As we like to say in very sophisticated bracketology terms, 'You never know.' ”
This year, the American provided an assist, changing the postseason format to give weight to regular-season success. Only the 10 best teams in the 13-team league are invited, and the top two seeds advance directly to the semifinals. Wichita State (21–10, 13–5) is the No. 2 seed.
The South Florida men's basketball players celebrate their American Conference regular-season title by cutting down the nets at the Yuengling Center in Tampa after beating Charlotte on March 8, 2026. (937x527, AR: 1.777988614800759)
USF opens Saturday at 3 p.m. (ESPN2), with the championship game on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. (ESPN).
“We just got to get ready for the tournament. We’re not done yet,” Nelson said. “We just can't get complacent and keep grinding every day, because we got to turn around real quick for the tournament. We’re gonna come in that tournament still acting like we in last place or something, and we got something to play for.”
Two wins secure the Bulls’ first NCAA bid since 2012.
“We’re going there with a plan to win two games,” Hodgson said. “But we need to be in that conversation either way.”
USF women seeded third at American tourney
The USF women’s basketball team, no stranger to postseason play, will be seeded third for the American tournament and opens in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Thursday.
The Bulls (20-11, 13-5) picked up the 800th victory in program history on Saturday, closing out the regular season by beating Tulane, 58-49.
The Bulls were led this season by graduate student Edyn Battle (14.8 points per game), grad Katie Davidson (12.5 ppg), senior Carla Brito (9.7 ppg, 9.4 rebounds per game) and grad L’or Mputu (10.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg).
The experienced roster has played in a combined 1,015 games at the Division I level.
Under interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter, USF also secured its 13th 20-win season in program history. The previous dozen were under former coach Jose Fernandez, who jumped to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings after 25 seasons.
South Florida interim women's basketball coach Michelle Woods-Baxter celebrates with her team after closing the regular season with the 20th win over the season and 800th all-time victory on Saturday, March 7. (1666x937, AR: 1.7780149413020276)
USF is on a four-game winning streak heading into the tournament, which begins Tuesday and will also be played at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham.
Regular-season champion Rice (27-4, 17-1) is the No. 1 seed.
A tournament victory comes with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Anything short of a tournament trophy will probably send the Bulls to a consolation event. They have an NET ranking of 66, with a 5-5 road record and 1-5 record against Quad 1 opponents.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Competitive? Absolutely. But few expected this level of “all gas, no brakes.”
ALSO READ: New coach, new roster, new season: Here comes the USF men's basketball team
The Bulls (23-8) won the American regular-season title with a 15-3 record, giving them the No. 1 seed for this week’s conference tournament, which opens Wednesday at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The trophy and banner – hung in the rafters at the Yuengling Center after Sunday’s 80-63 rout of Charlotte – comes with a bye until the semifinals, meaning they need only two wins to cut nets and earn an automatic path to the NCAA tournament.
South Florida men's basketball coach Bryan Hogdson speaks to the crowd at the Yuengling Center in Tampa on Senior Day before the Bulls played Charlotte in the regular-seasons closing game on March 8, 2026. (449x526, AR: 0.8536121673003803)
However, any loss places USF on the bubble for an at-large bid, although Hodgson is confident the Bulls have done more than enough.
“We’ve won nine games in a row, and we’ve done it in convincing fashion,” Hodgson said Sunday. “We’re doing all the things that you need to do to make sure you’re in that conversation.”
How we got here
Weeks after winning the Sun Belt Conference at Arkansas State, Hodgson came to Tampa and rebuilt nearly the entire USF roster – blending eight transfers from seven schools, three who followed him from Jonesboro.
Guard C.J. Brown is the lone holdover recruited by the late Amir Abdur Rahim, the revered coach who led USF to its only regular-season title in 2023-24.
“When I got here, I said it in my press conference. I said it to anybody that would listen, ‘We're going to win one of these this year.’ ” Hodgson said last week after clinching the title. “I told C.J., ‘If you stick around and you stay here with me and play for me, we're going to get one of these.’ “
One of those Arkansas State transfers, 6-foot-10 forward Izaiyah Nelson, is favored to win conference Player of the Year. He’s been a centerpiece on a roster of workhorses, averaging 15.8 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds, and he’s shooting nearly 60% from the floor.
Also fueling the offense are 3-point gunners Wes Enis (37% made) and Joseph Pinion (38%), both with 100 baskets beyond the arc to set the program record and rate in the top 25 nationally. South Florida also set a single-season record of 300 team 3-pointers.
https://twitter.com/USFMBB/status/2030746536011759710
The group gelled in February, and finished the schedule at 88.5 points per game, eighth best in Division I. That stat is helped by averaging 43 rebounds overall and 15 on the offensive boards, both third best nationally. The Bulls also lead Division I in free throws attempted (28 per game) and made (21).
“We’re top 50 in the country on both sides of the ball,” Hodgson said. “We’re the most efficient offense in the history of South Florida basketball.”
The coach said he emphasizes effort, defense and discipline.
“He just told us what it was. He told us to come in and work hard every single day and grind, grind, grind,” Nelson said Sunday to USF Athletics digital coordinator Caylee Cottrell. “So that's why we came in – all 15 guys came in – and grinded, put it in, all the work.”
South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson dunks in two points against Charlotte during the Bulls' 83-60 win over the 49ers at the Yuengling Center in Tampa on March 8, 2026. (550x587, AR: 0.9369676320272572)
Bubbles and NET rankings
While Hodgson believes the Bulls are penciled into the NCAAs, bracketology – the science of determining such things – tells you otherwise.
Their fate rests with something called the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking, which the tournament committee uses to decide the 37 at-large bids for the 68-team bracket.
The NET ranking reflects a team’s results against opponents’ strength, which is categorized by “quadrants.” There are four quadrants, with victories over Quad 1 teams deemed higher quality and those against Quad 4s of lower quality. Quad wins, conference strength and road performance are key factors.
USF has a NET ranking of 50, a 9-3 road record and a 2-2 mark against Quad 1 teams. That’s not terrible, considering the American is having a weak season. But expect an anxious Sunday evening on Fowler Avenue if the Bulls lose either game in Birmingham.
“The problem is, if they need an at-large bid, it means they will have taken at least one loss between now and Selection Sunday, so then we have to evaluate who that loss is to and how much it hurts them,” ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi said last week. "As we like to say in very sophisticated bracketology terms, 'You never know.' ”
This year, the American provided an assist, changing the postseason format to give weight to regular-season success. Only the 10 best teams in the 13-team league are invited, and the top two seeds advance directly to the semifinals. Wichita State (21–10, 13–5) is the No. 2 seed.
The South Florida men's basketball players celebrate their American Conference regular-season title by cutting down the nets at the Yuengling Center in Tampa after beating Charlotte on March 8, 2026. (937x527, AR: 1.777988614800759)
USF opens Saturday at 3 p.m. (ESPN2), with the championship game on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. (ESPN).
“We just got to get ready for the tournament. We’re not done yet,” Nelson said. “We just can't get complacent and keep grinding every day, because we got to turn around real quick for the tournament. We’re gonna come in that tournament still acting like we in last place or something, and we got something to play for.”
Two wins secure the Bulls’ first NCAA bid since 2012.
“We’re going there with a plan to win two games,” Hodgson said. “But we need to be in that conversation either way.”
USF women seeded third at American tourney
The USF women’s basketball team, no stranger to postseason play, will be seeded third for the American tournament and opens in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Thursday.
The Bulls (20-11, 13-5) picked up the 800th victory in program history on Saturday, closing out the regular season by beating Tulane, 58-49.
The Bulls were led this season by graduate student Edyn Battle (14.8 points per game), grad Katie Davidson (12.5 ppg), senior Carla Brito (9.7 ppg, 9.4 rebounds per game) and grad L’or Mputu (10.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg).
The experienced roster has played in a combined 1,015 games at the Division I level.
Under interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter, USF also secured its 13th 20-win season in program history. The previous dozen were under former coach Jose Fernandez, who jumped to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings after 25 seasons.
South Florida interim women's basketball coach Michelle Woods-Baxter celebrates with her team after closing the regular season with the 20th win over the season and 800th all-time victory on Saturday, March 7. (1666x937, AR: 1.7780149413020276)
USF is on a four-game winning streak heading into the tournament, which begins Tuesday and will also be played at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham.
Regular-season champion Rice (27-4, 17-1) is the No. 1 seed.
A tournament victory comes with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Anything short of a tournament trophy will probably send the Bulls to a consolation event. They have an NET ranking of 66, with a 5-5 road record and 1-5 record against Quad 1 opponents.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.