How the USF Bulls turned around a season that was teetering on the brink of going South.
The Bulls are currently 23-5 and the 24th-ranked team in the country.
They own the longest win streak in the country at 15 consecutive wins.
The Bulls celebrated their first AAC regular season championship, the first conference championship in the program’s history.
If only it had been that easy all season for this USF Bulls team.
There was a point this season where USF’s fortunes could have gone either way.
The team was struggling. There were trust issues. They lacked consistency and did not play hard for 60 minutes.
Despite a smattering of NCAA tournament appearances, the Bulls had a losing pedigree. A 127-217 record since the 2012-2013 season.
This is the culture that Amir Abdur-Rahim walked into last spring when he took the rein of the USF basketball program and vowed to someday “cut down the nets.” He admonished AD Michael Kelly, “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
He indicated that someday, Kelly would be on the ladder helping to cut down the nets.
There were some bad losses early on. After an opening night 96-52 win over South Carolina State, the Bulls lost to a Central Michigan team 68-63.
USF would then beat Northern Iowa 68-63 before losing three in a row, dropping games to Maine, Hofstra, and Massachusetts to sit at 2-4.
A Loss To Hofstra Was The Season Low Point
After the loss to Hofstra, the players would hold a players-only meeting. They talked about the things that Abdur-Rahim had asked them to do, yet they could not commit.
Abdur-Rahim talked about what those issues were. “They didn’t always play with the right energy and effort. We can learn from losses, but not if the energy and effort aren’t there. So let there not be another day, another practice or game, where we don’t play with energy, effort, enthusiasm.”
That was his challenge to the team.
Although the Bulls would go on to lose the next game in Amherst against the Minutemen 66-56, Abdur-Rahim could see and sense a different focus and commitment from this Bulls team.
A Win Against FSU Would Start The Turnaround
The biggest game of the season up to this point in the season in Miami awaited in the Orange Bowl Classic against an in-state opponent, Florida State.
The Bulls would shock the world and win that game 88-72 in dominating fashion.
This was the first game where we saw what this Bulls team would become. They forced FSU to shoot outside, the threes rained down for USF all night, and the Bulls demonstrated their ability to get to the free-throw line.
The Bulls would shoot 52 percent from the three-point stripe against an FSU defense ranked 5th at the time and holding opponents to 25 percent from three-point range.
The Bulls were just 3-4 at this point in the season. But coach Abdur-Rahim credits this game as the one game he can point to that helped the Bulls turn the corner and become a Top 25 team.
The Bulls would win five in a row, including an impressive 77-72 win at home against Loyola of Chicago.
USF would open AAC play with a win against Temple, but then lost to UAB on the road 75-71.
The Bulls were 8-5 on January 7th. Little did anyone know they were about to go one of the most incredible runs in college basketball this season.
USF would have another marquee win, and Abdur-Rahim referenced this game when things started to click and take hold for the Bulls.
A Trip To Memphis Was Just What The Bulls Needed
It was a dark, dreary night in Memphis, TN, and for most of the first half, the Bulls looked as if they would rather be anywhere but on a basketball court.
A season was on the brink.
Would the Bulls fold like we had seen so many USF teams do in the past? Or would the Bulls reach down inside their collective souls and slowly start the comeback, defining their season?
At one point in the game, they trailed by 20. Yet, here they were with four seconds to play and Kasean Pryor at the line for two free throws and a chance to win the game.
Pryor would hit both free throws to ice the game for USF 74-73. The Bulls had just upset the number ten team in the country.
What A Long Strange Trip It Has Been… And It Ain’t Over
From Charlotte to San Antonio to Houston, this USF team has been on a mission since the calendar flipped to 2024, and no one has been able to handle these stampeding Bulls.
There is still a lot of basketball left. The AAC Tournament follows the regular season finale at Tulsa.
Then there is the NCAA tournament, which the Bulls should be a part of regardless of winning the AAC postseason tournament.
From a season on the brink to a possible NCAA Tournament bid, it has been remarkable for the USF Bulls.