TAMPA, Fla. – A year ago today, Bryan Hodgson, Izaiyah Nelson, Joseph Pinion and the Arkansas State Red Wolves lost to Troy in the Sun Belt championship game. While the trio hopes to take one more step with USF – and the three of them certainly understand they have to take it one step at a time – they go into the American tournament having their names stamped all over the conference awards.
Hodgson was named the American’s coach of the year and Nelson the player of the year, defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year. He is the first player in conference history to sweep the three top individual honors.
Wes Enis joined Nelson in earning First Team accolades, the first time the Bulls have had a pair of first teamers. Pinion received Third Team recognition.
Hodgson’s Bulls enter the tournament having won the program’s second regular season title thanks to a 15-3 mark that includes a nine-game win streak they take to Birmingham. The win total is second-most in league play for USF, which is 23-8 overall.
Nelson heads in the tourney averaging 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds. His 18 double-doubles are tied for the fourth-most in Division I. Pinion and Enis have both canned a school-record 100 three-pointers for a team that has made a program-record 300 shots from beyond the arc. The Bulls’ average of 9.7 per game is second in the conference.
While Pinion was held off the board at Memphis last Thursday night and then responded with 22 points versus Charlotte on Sunday afternoon, he otherwise has been a model of consistency. He entered conference play averaging 14.0 points and enters the tourney averaging 14.2.
Enis leads the Bulls in scoring (16.5) and has at least 20 points in 12 games. His season high is 36 against UAB on January 4. The Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) University transfer is averaging 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
Having earned the top seed in the American, the Bulls will commence tournament play in Saturday afternoon’s (3 p.m. ET/ESPN2) semifinal against the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between UAB and the winner of one of Thursday’s second-round games.
READ: How Much USF Will Pay Non-Conference Teams Visiting Raymond James In 2026
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