TAMPA, Fla. – The South Florida men’s basketball team will face Saint Louis on Sunday, Nov. 29, in the inaugural A-10/American Showcase at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The newly formed multi-year event, organized by ESPN Events alongside the American Athletic Conference and Atlantic 10 Conference, features a doubleheader that also pits Memphis against Dayton. Game times and specific network assignments on ESPN platforms will be announced at a later date.
Future iterations of the showcase will rotate participating member schools and host cities across the geographic footprints of both leagues.
“The Atlantic 10 and American conferences have been ESPN’s valued partners for years,” said Jeff Wilson, Director, ESPN Events. “We are excited to build on those partnerships to create this signature event that will further spotlight their brands on a national stage while providing critical opportunities for teams to strengthen their resumes. We look forward to providing exceptional experiences for the participating teams and fans.”
The contest will mark the first-ever meeting between South Florida and Saint Louis on the hardwood.
Saint Louis comes into the 2026-27 season as the defending Atlantic 10 regular-season champion. Under head coach Josh Schertz, the Billikens set a school record for victories last year with a 29-6 record (15-3 A-10) and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Georgia 102-77 before falling to national champion Michigan. Three starters return for Saint Louis, led by senior Robbie Avila.
American Athletic Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti noted the strategic value of the event for conference members trying to build postseason credentials.
“We are excited to partner with the A10 to create a best-on-best showcase of top-level programs in our conferences and in college basketball,” Pernetti said. “This special non-conference event gives our programs meaningful high-level competitive opportunities outside the American to build strong resumes for post-season consideration and success.”
South Florida enters the matchup under first-year head coach Chris Mack. The Bulls restructured their roster with 15 newcomers—12 portal additions and three high school recruits—after returning zero players from last year’s 25-9 team, which captured both the American regular-season and tournament titles en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance. According to 247Sports, USF’s transfer class ranked among the top 10 nationally among Group of 6 programs.
The neutral-site matchup in Columbus adds to an already established non-conference schedule for the Bulls. USF is scheduled to play road games at DePaul (Nov. 5), George Mason (Nov. 21), and Dayton (Dec. 12), with additional non-conference home contests set against St. Joseph’s in the Veteran’s Classic (Nov. 11), Alabama (Dec. 16), and Kennesaw State (Dec. 19).
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