USF is rolling into the AAC Tournament on the heels of a historic regular season.
Not only did the Bulls put together a 23-6 season, including a program record 16 conference wins — they cracked the AP poll for the first time in school history after beating SMU on February 25th.
After a dominant road win over Charlotte, USF clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, winning the AAC for the first time since its formation in 2013.
The list of accolades doesn’t stop there.
Head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was unanimously named as the AAC Coach of the Year. The Bulls dynamic guard duo — Chris Youngblood and Selton Miguel — took home a bunch of hardware as well. Youngblood was named Co-AAC Player of the Year while Miguel won both Most Improved Player and Sixth Man awards.
Here’s how thing are shaping up for the Bulls in Fort Worth
All Roads Go Through South Florida
For the first time in history, USF is the team to beat in the AAC.
The Bulls will not play until Day 3 of the tournament, facing off on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. They will only have to win two games to reach the conference championship, automatically placed in the quarterfinal round.
USF will face No. 8 East Carolina after the Pirates’ 84-79 win on Thursday.
The two teams previously faced off on January 31st, with the Bulls winning 71-60. USF is 15-12 all-time against East Carolina.
A Title To Go Dancing
The Bulls’ regular season heroics may not be enough.
Despite wins over two ranked conference opponents – Memphis and FAU — a deep conference tournament run may be needed to secure a bid to the ‘Big Dance.’
This is a team that started 2-4, after all.
There are mixed opinions on USF’s tournament viability. Some analysts — like ESPN’s Joe Lunardi — have the Bulls as an automatic qualifier and No. 12 seed.
Lunardi also has the Bulls’ out of the tournament with the loss on Friday — according to his latest Bracketology.
With No. 5 Memphis suffering a shocking loss to No. 12 Wichita State Thursday night, the Bulls’ road to the tournament may of gotten easier. A rematch with the Tigers almost seemed inevitable.
What to Watch For
The Bulls previously boasted an NCAA-best 15-game win streak before being halted in a season-finale loss to Tulsa.
Forward Kasean Pryor put up a career high 29 points against Tulsa, also recording his ninth double-double of the season. His unique ability to space the floor, as well as force the action in the post will be paramount
Youngblood is also averaging a team high 15.7 points per game in conference play. He’s the top marksman 
in the AAC, shooting a conference-best 45% from three.