BUFFALO, N.Y. — The East Region’s No. 11 seed South Florida Bulls and No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals clash on Thursday in the KeyBank Center during the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Bulls are looking to capitalize on their first March Madness bid since 2012, but face a tall task against the ACC’s top-scoring Cardinals.
“With Louisville, they are a great team,” USF guard Wes Enis said during media availability Wednesday. “They got a great coach and great players, but we are really excited to be here. We are going to come up with a great game plan that we have been working on and get out there and execute it.”
If USF wins in Buffalo on Thursday, it will mark the school’s second trip to the round of 32 and its first win against a former national champion. The East region features 31 total national titles, with six schools (including Louisville) having multiple championships.
Brown’s absence
The biggest story coming into the matchup is the absence of Cardinals point guard Mikel Brown. Louisville’s second-leading scorer and a projected top 10-pick in the 2026 NBA draft is out for the trip to Buffalo.
“Our medical people did everything in their power over the last couple weeks with the hope of [Brown] playing this weekend, but we are just not there,” Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey said during media availability Wednesday. “During the recruiting process, this is one of the things [Brown] talked about all the time. The opportunity to play in March Madness under these really big lights and he wants to play really bad.”
Without Brown this season, the Cardinals are 7-5 and average 6.4 fewer points. Former USF Bull and the Cardinals’ leading scorer Ryan Conwell will have to lead the Louisville offense in Brown’s absence.
“[Being at USF] was a great experience for me,” Conwell said during Wednesday’s media availability. “I actually just grew up a lot as a man. I am thankful for everywhere I have been throughout my whole journey.”
Overpowering offense
USF averages the eighth-most points per game nationally (87.7 PPG) coming into the tournament, powered by AAC Tournament MVP Wes Enis’ 16.8 PPG. Four other Bulls (Izaiyah Nelson, Joseph Pinion, Josh Omojafo, and CJ Brown) also average 10+ points per game.
Meanwhile, Louisville’s offense ranked 20th nationally and was the best in the ACC. Four Cardinals (Brown, Conwell, J’Vonne Hadley, and Isaac McKneely) scored 10+ points on the season.
Both teams rank in the top 20 in scoring margin, with the final score expected to be high in their contest, currently boasting a 163.5 over/under.
Performance under pressure
In the regular season, USF went 2-3 in Quad 1 games while Louisville went 8-10 in its Quad 1 matchups. The Bulls come into the tournament on an 11-game winning streak, while the Cardinals are 4-4 in their last eight contests.
All 10 of Louisville’s losses on the season have been Quad 1, while USF has two Quad 2 and three Quad 3 losses. The Quad 1 matchup in Buffalo will test both teams, with the winner facing either No. 3 Michigan State or No. 14 North Dakota State.
Tip-off against the Cardinals is set for 1:30 p.m. on March 19, with the game airing on TNT.