For the first time in over a decade, the South Florida Bulls are headed to the Big Dance. In a dominant Sunday performance at Legacy Arena, the Bulls dismantled Wichita State 70-55 to capture the American Athletic Conference Championship, officially ending a tournament drought that stretched back to 2012.
The victory marks a historic “double” for the program. By pairing the tournament trophy with their regular-season title, the Bulls have reached heights never seen in school history. The win also extends their current winning streak to 11 games as they prepare for the national stage.
Tournament MVP Wes Enis provided the offensive spark, leading all scorers with 19 points while adding three steals. Enis, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, was flanked by a physical interior performance from Izaiyah Nelson. Nelson finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, while Josh Omojafo chipped in 10 points to help South Florida control the paint.
The Bulls set a defensive tone early. Joseph Pinion opened the scoring with a driving layup, and the USF pressure never relented.
While the first half remained a gritty defensive struggle, Nelson broke a long perimeter drought with a three-pointer at the 8:33 mark to give the Bulls breathing room. A late 33-26 lead at the break was punctuated by an Omojafo dunk, leaving the Shockers searching for answers after shooting just 1-for-8 from deep in the opening period.
READ: USF Ends 14-Year Dance Drought With Buffalo Trip Against Louisville
Wichita State threatened briefly in the second half, cutting the lead to a single point. However, USF responded with a barrage from distance. Back-to-back triples from Isaiah Jones and Enis pushed the lead to double digits, and a subsequent 6-0 run effectively iced the game.
The defensive statistics told the story of the afternoon. The Bulls held the Shockers to 34% shooting from the field and a dismal 4-for-19 from three-point range. Most notably, Enis spearheaded a defensive effort that limited Wichita State star Kenyon Giles to only five points—a sharp contrast to the 22 and 24 points he dropped on the Bulls during the regular season.
“It’s just a testament to these guys and how hard they’ve worked,” head coach Bryan Hodgson said following the trophy presentation.
With the win, Hodgson enters the record books as only the fourth coach in NCAA history to reach a conference title game in each of his first three seasons, joining the likes of Mark Few and Brad Stevens. The Bulls also set a new program record for total points in a season (surpassing the 2018-19 mark of 2,752) and tied the school record for total wins in a single year.
South Florida has been awarded a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament—tying the highest seed in program history. They are scheduled to face the No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals on March 19 in Buffalo, New York.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
