TAMPA, Fla. – The Bulls won seven of eight against in-state schools during an 11-1 start to the 1990-91 season. They came back to earth a bit, splitting their next eight games to put them at 15-5. Bobby Paschall’s team finished 19-11 with an NIT berth.
That was the last time USF won 15 of its first 20 games. Thirty-three years ago. Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was nine years old. The Yuengling Center, then known as the Sun Dome, marked its tenth year of operation.
Alas, Abdur-Rahim’s Bulls have prompted much memory recall and dusting of the record book so far this season. On Saturday evening in Denton, Texas, about 40 miles north of downtown Dallas, the Bulls got past the North Texas Mean Green, 60-55, to improve to 15-5. Cue leading scorer Radenko Dobras, leading rebounder Gary Alexander, Marvin Taylor and others from that 1990-91 squad.
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The victory at UNT was a school-record seventh straight in conference play, besting the six in a row USF won in 1991-92 as a member of the Metro Conference. The string of victories also equals the third-longest win streak overall, established three times previously with the most recent in 2018-19.
Not that Abdur-Rahim is hanging his hat on his team’s record in early February.
“Sometimes success can bring complacency and complacency can bring comfort,” he said. “As I said to the guys the other day, I wasn’t hired to win more games than last year. We were hired to build a program, rejuvenate a program and have a program that consistently wins.”
USF’s record for most consecutive victories is 12 in 1980-81 under Lee Rose. The Bulls had a nine-game streak in 1982-83, which was snapped by the visiting Florida Gators in overtime.
USF will attempt to make it eight straight on Tuesday evening when Charlotte visits the Yuengling Center. The game is the back end of an ESPN2 doubleheader and tips off at 9. The Bulls, 49ers and FAU are atop the American standings at 8-1 in conference play. The Owls are in town February 18, so what a couple of weeks it could be for the green and gold.
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However, like his coach, who he followed to Tampa after three seasons at Kennesaw State, Chris Youngblood is not about to focus on what the standings reflect. There will be a time for that, and the time is not now.
“If you keep listening to all the good stuff you are doing, it is human nature that you are going to feel good, get comfortable and get complacent,” said the 6-foot-4 guard, whose 14.9 points per game lead the team. “We have come together real well as team and we have not reached our end goal.”
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