ORLANDO, Fla. – Who would have guessed that USF would set a school mark for wins in a season by defeating UCF. Alas, that is what happened inside Addition Financial Arena in Orlando on Tuesday evening.
The way things played out with testiness and technicals in an 83-77 victory, one would not have known that 12 Bulls were never a part of the rivalry. Frankly, Tuesday evening showed why USF (25-7) and UCF need to meet annually during the non-conference slate.
For now, much praise is due a USF team that had to settle for an NIT bid after winning the American Athletic Conference regular season title, and having to drive to Orlando three days after being ousted in a conference semifinal matchup with UAB in Fort Worth.
Read: USF Bulls Defeat Tulane In Front Of Another Sellout Crowd, Celebrate Conference Title
Instead of slogging through what could have been a final evening of basketball, which to a degree would have been understandable given the quick turnaround after returning from the Lone Star State, the Bulls showed much vigor in taking a 15-point lead early in the second half before holding off the Knights of the Big 12 in front of 4,164.
It was USF’s first NIT game since 2010 and first win since 1995, when they defeated St. John’s and Coppin State before losing to Marquette in overtime. The Bulls are 5-8 in the NIT.
The Bulls advance to the second round where they will face the winner of Wednesday evening’s matchup between Villanova and VCU, both also former conference foes of USF.
The 25th win of this 2023-24 season topped the mark of 24 by Brian Gregory’s 2018-19 squad, which lost twice to UCF. That team finished 24-14 with five wins coming in the College Basketball Invitational tournament, which concluded by taking two of three from DePaul to win the title.
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