TAMPA, Fla. — The South Florida Bulls men’s basketball team is officially flying higher than ever before.
Following a dominant road performance against a conference rival, the Bulls have surged 20 spots to No. 56 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings. The position marks the highest ranking in program history, eclipsing the team’s previous high-water mark set just last month.
The massive leap in the metrics comes immediately after South Florida’s 93-78 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The win at Tulsa wasn’t just a morale booster; it served as the Bulls’ second Quad-1 victory of the season. At the time of the matchup, Tulsa sat at No. 42 in the rankings, making the victory the fourth-highest NET-ranked win the Bulls have ever secured.
The fallout from the game saw the teams essentially swap momentum, with Tulsa sliding down to No. 55 while USF rocketed up the charts.
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This 2025-26 campaign has been a season of shattered ceilings for South Florida. The team previously set a program record on Dec. 4, 2025, reaching No. 60 after taking down Utah State, who was ranked No. 19 at the time. Prior to the current season, the program’s best showing in the NET era—which replaced the RPI system in 2018-19—was a No. 73 ranking achieved at the end of the 2023-24 season under former head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) is the primary sorting mechanism used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to evaluate Division I teams for postseason seeding and selection.
Looking to capitalize on their momentum, the Bulls return to the hardwood on Wednesday, Jan. 14. They will host East Carolina (ECU) at the Yuengling Center in Tampa. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., with coverage available on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.
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