Watching Creighton handle Louisville kind of easily today. They'll be moving on!

I love the underdog in this tournament. Plus, our next coach coach be in it!

need to find a way to keep local players

L.J. Cason - Michigan
Isaac Celiscar - Yale
Dylan James - Georgia
Walter Clayton, Jr. - Florida
Johni Broome - Auburn
Emanuel Sharp - Houston
Karter Knox - Arkansas

I believe there is a Manatee County player as well but name is slipping my mind.

Did not count walk-on Bennett Andersen at Florida.

Apparently Kevin Keatts is throwing his name into the USF job. I like Keatts, he struggles when he doesn't have an alpha scoring guard to beat people off the dribble, but he can coach.

Keatts is 223-141 as a head coach .613 winning percentage with five NCAAT appearances in 11 season and he would've had a 6th if they hadn't canceled the 2020 NCAAT due to covid. He obviously led his team to the Final Four last year after winning the ACCT just to get into the NCAAT.

Big article in the Athletic on the new stadium by Matt Baker. Not sure if it covered any new ground but it's interesting, and help is needed in the comments to fight the trolls: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6204069/2025/03/18/south-florida-football-usf-new-stadium/

I figured you all might want to tune in and watch these teams and their style of play

Takayo Siddle (HC UNC-Wilmington)​

his team plays tonight against Texas Tech a favorite to make the Elite Eight at 10:10 pm on TruTV

Andy Kennedy (HC UAB)​

The team upset Saint Joseph's and will play at Santa Clara on Sunday in the second round of the NIT. The game is on ESPN at 9 pm.

Chris Capko (SMU assistant)

SMU won the first round NIT game over Northern Iowa 73-63 and will host Oklahoma State at 3 pm on Sunday on ESPN.

Ryan Pannone (Alabama assistant)

Alabama plays on Friday at 12:40 on TruTV against Robert Morris



DONE:
Bucky McMillan (Samford) lost to George Mason in the NIT first round 86-69.
Bob Richey (Furman) lost in the NIT first round to North Texas 75-64.
Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State) did not make the postseason.

IRVING, Texas - American Athletic Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti has announced plans to honor the legacy of the late Amir Abdur-Rahim, the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Florida who passed away in October.



Abdur-Rahim has been named Honorary 2024-25 American Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. His family will join Commissioner Pernetti at South Florida’s February 6 home game against Temple for the presentation of the award. The American will also donate $15,000 - the amount of Abdur-Rahim’s contracted bonus for winning the Coach of the Year honor - to the Future Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was close to Abdur-Rahim and his family’s hearts.



The American will also honor Abdur-Rahim by permanently naming another postseason men's basketball honor in his name. The Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award will be presented annually to the men’s basketball student-athlete who, as determined by the league's head coaches, best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership.



“Coach Amir had a positive and lasting impact on the young men he coached, the South Florida community, the game of basketball and the American Athletic Conference,” said Pernetti. “We are so proud to name him Honorary Coach of the Year this season and to support the Future Foundation, which is so important to the Abdur-Rahim family. The Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award will ensure his legacy, forever, by recognizing student-athletes who exemplify the traits that made Amir so special.”



“We are deeply grateful to Commissioner Pernetti and the American Athletic Conference for this heartfelt and meaningful tribute to Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim,” said USF Athletics Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly. “Coach Amir's passion for mentoring student-athletes, his unwavering commitment to excellence, and his kindness and integrity left a lasting impact on USF and our community. He didn’t just connect with those of us at USF — he united the entire Tampa Bay community and will always be a true inspiration to us all. Naming him Honorary Coach of the Year and establishing the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award are fitting ways to celebrate his legacy and ensure his values continue to inspire future generations.”

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He has told us he committed to USF, confirmed now

I find myself at "work" for this game and apparently I have to "do things" when I'm here, so we'll see how much I can pay attention.

Jayden Reid led the Bulls with a 19-point effort, his 22nd game in double figures



FORT WORTH, Texas, March 13, 2025 – The No. 9 seed University of South Florida men’s basketball team battled the No. 8 seed Wichita State for 40 minutes in the American Athletic Conference Championship Second round on Thursday. Jayden Reid led the team with 19 points, but the Bulls (13-19) fell to the Shockers (19-13), 73-68.



A season that was all about resilience and grit was on display again on Thursday. The Bulls were down by as many as 16 points but still battled and cut the deficit to four down the stretch.



Reid recorded his 22nd game in double figures with his 19-point effort. It was his eighth consecutive game in double digits. He posted a team-high three assists to go along with one steal. Kobe Knox led the team with nine rebounds and had a career-high four steals. He added 15 points. Brandon Stroud closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. He added seven rebounds, one steal, and one block. Jamille Reynolds posted a team-high three blocks and brought down eight rebounds.



The Shockers opened the game with a 17-6 run. The Bulls answered with a 7-0 and cut the deficit to 17-13 with 9:45 left in the opening stanza. With the score 24-14, USF went on a 10-2 run and closed the gap to two, 26-24.



Wichita State made a run at the end of the half and took a 38-28 lead into the break. The Bulls shot 50.0 percent from 3-point range in the first half.



The Shockers extended their lead to 16, 56-40, with just over 11 minutes left in regulation. The Bulls were unfazed and rattled off nine-straight points to cut the deficit to seven, 56-49. South Florida continued to fight and cut the deficit to four, 64-60. The Shockers held off the charging Bulls and won 73-68.



Key Stats:

• The Bulls brought down 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 15 second-chance points.

• South Florida recorded seven steals that resulted in 14 fastbreak points. The Bulls came into the game 10th in the NCAA and finished just shy of the season average of 15.39.



Notables:

• Jayden Reid tallied his 22nd game in double figures with 19 points. It was his eighth straight game in double digits.

• Kobe Knox recorded a career-high four steals to go along with 15 points. It was his 18th game in double figures.

• Brandon Stroud finished in double digits for the 11th time this season with 10 points.

"The American Athletic Conference will require each member except Army and Navy to provide athletes with at least $10 million in additional benefits over the next three years, making it the only league so far to set a minimum standard with revenue sharing expected to begin in Division I sports in July."

Interesting approach to the House settlement.

The Bulls open their 11th AAC Championship as the No. 9 seed



Game Details: Thursday, March 13, Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Bulls Unlimited: Listen
Live Stats: Stats

Tickets: Ticketmaster.com



FORTH WORTH, Texas, March 12, 2025 – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team will be the No. 9 seed in the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. South Florida opens the tournament on Thursday, March 13, against the No. 8 seed Wichita State. The Bulls (13-18, 6-12) and the Shockers (18-13, 8-10) are scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. ET tip on ESPNU and Bulls Unlimited.



Setting The Stage:

Earlier this week, the AAC announced its yearly postseason awards. Jamille Reynolds was named to the All-AAC Second Team, while CJ Brown earned a spot on the AAC All-Freshman Team. USF is competing in its 11th AAC tournament. The Bulls are 3-10 in AAC tournament games. South Florida has lost its last four games, while Wichita State lost its previous contest.



Series History:

The Bulls and Shockers will meet for the 14th time on Thursday. The two squads split the two meetings during the regular season as each team won as the visiting team. Wichita State won the last meeting 75-70 in Tampa on Feb. 9. The Shockers lead the series 10-3. Wichita State won the only meeting in the AAC Championship on March 12, 2021, 68-67.



Note-A-Bulls:

In his freshman campaign, CJ Brown has tallied 76 assists, 65 rebounds, 38 steals, and 17 blocks. He joins VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Cooper Flagg (Duke), and Dylan Harper (Rutgers) as the four NCAA freshmen to record at least 75 assists, 60 rebounds, 35 steals, and 15 blocks this season.



Jamille Reynolds is one of just four USF men’s basketball players to record at least 350 points, 200 rebounds, and 40 blocks in a season. He joined Solomon Jones (2006), McHugh Mattis (2007), and Kentrell Gransberry (2008) to achieve the previous statline.



Additional Notes:

South Florida is 10th in the nation and is second in the conference with 15.39 fastbreak points per game. The Bulls are tied for 40th in the NCAA and second in the AAC with 8.3 steals per game. South Florida has recorded nine or more steals in its last five games against conference opponents. That is the longest streak for the Bulls since a five-game run in February 2000.



The Bulls have scored at least 80 points in their last two conference tournament games. The last time they did that was a three-game run in the 1990 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Hope for a similar result playing second seed North Texas tonight. Was surprised to see the practice players travel with the team.

Well it is time to go all out talking about the next USF head Basketball Coach. There are several candidates that I like and will give my take on the pros and cons of each guy. I want to start with Kennesaw State Head Coach Antoine Pettway.

Why he makes sense:
1) He is the same kind of hard working head coach that CAAR was and will bring that same vibe to unite the students and home base. People thought it was strange to see a HC make such an effort connecting with fans and students on campus and around Tampa the way CAAR did. It wasn't strange, it was very calculated by CAAR to make the students and local residents become interested in supporting the program. CAAR made promises and worked harder than any other HC to not only be seen on GameDay coaching, but been seen around the campus, city, and on social media. That was the start of building tradition and making USF men's basketball the pro team of Tampa and people excited to go and support their Bulls. Coach Pettway is doing those same things at Kennesaw. He is their people's head coach. He's on social media, he is seen around town, he is buying students and fans breakfast and lunch, etc.

2) He is an elite recruiter! Antoine Pettway has a great eye for talent and he is at least as good of a recruiter as CAAR was. The case can be made that he is even a little better based on him signing a top 25 freshman class to KSU. At the same point in their careers, Coach Pettway is actually ahead of CAAR at KSU imo. It is very impressive what he is doing with one of the youngest teams in the nation. Kennesaw moved from the A-SUN to CUSA which is easily a tougher league. His young team just beat the current 1st and 2nd place teams on the road in back to back games. His freshmen are developing as the season goes on which is another sign of a good coach.

3) USF will need a head coach that can possibly bring players with him like CAAR did to jump start the program. Well this is Coach Pettway's trump card over any other possible head coaching candidate that anyone else mentions. No other candidate the Bulls could be thinking about can deliver in this department like Pettway.

4) Adrian Wooley is a true freshman and Pettway got him out of Alabama away from the Tide. Pettway was on Nate Oaks staff and the best recruiter of an outstanding coaching staff there. The Arkansas State HC that is another possible name for USF was also on Oaks' staff. Wooley is arguably one of the best freshmen in all of Men CBB. He is the only freshman in the nation to average at least 18 pts and shoot over 50% from the field. He is very similar to PJ Haggerty who played at Tulsa and now stars for Memphis. Wooley is a better outside shooter as a freshman. What a great coach and player combination that can be for USF. It's possible up to 5 players will follow Pettway to USF is he were to become the HC.

5) Money saving for USF. Getting Pettway now instead of maybe a year from now could save USF a lot of money. KSU is not a favorite to win CUSA tournament but you never know since they just beat a 25 win and a 21 win first and second place team on the road. Basically outside of winning their tournament, Kennesaw's season will end with their next loss. It has already been a very successful league run for Pettway's bunch. They were the unanimous pick to finish in last place, but ended up finishing 4th on the strength of those younger players, coaching, and developing. This is a buy low, high ceiling opportunity for USF if they are smart.

Reasons why it doesn't make sense.

1) He will not be an immediate hit with a fan base that is not comprehensive knowledgeable on college basketball. KSU is not making the NCAAT without winning the CUSAT, so he will not be some hot name floating around March Madness. People might not understand all the positives of hiring Pettway, instead focusing on the perceived negative that his young team that, he rebuilt after CAAR departed, has not yet reached their full potential, and will miss March Madness. ADMK might not fully understand how he can sell Pettway to the fan base who want the hottest name.

2) Why is does appear the Antoine Pettway has fully adopted the ways of "LOVE WINS" and is actually doing a great job early in his head coaching career, their is still no guarantees that he will develop into the next great USF basketball coach. Can Coach Pettway quickly rebuild USF? Potentially yes, but again it is all potential.

3) I don't have any more cons for Pettway because for me, he should be one of the 2 finalists for the USF head coaching job.

Don't throw hate at me, it's slow, and I'm finally starting to feel well enough to at least function at 85% so I'm just thinking of random things while watching last Night's Football game between the Ravens at Chargers, the battle of the Harbaugh brothers got me to thinking about head coaches. USF just so happens to have an opening at an important spot and at an important time.

Looks like we are in for another exciting season of CBB as it will be wide open again with some very good teams, great players, and up and coming coaches. That last statement is where USF comes in. I have 3 potential hires for USF to consider that has a chance to continue on the path that the late CAAR had started just over a year ago.

1) Current Interim HC Ben Fletcher
Pros: Fletcher was one of CAAR top assistant coaches for the last 5 seasons between Kennesaw and USF. Coach Fletcher has a familiarity with the culture here at USF, the administration, and with all the current players. Given that he was on staff already, he gets the first and best chance to impress the Administration and donors to make his case that he wants to be the Head Coach going forward, and will have a whole season to show what he is capable of doing. Seems to be genuinely liked by those who know him.

Cons: Ben Fletcher has no prior head coaching experience at any level. Ben Fletcher has no reputation as a bull dog recruiter, even though he has been a part of a decent level of talented players at Kennesaw and at USF. By having no prior experience as a Head coach, Ben Fletcher has not done anything outside of practice courts and player drills that a Head coach has to do, like interacting with administrators, donors, media, and all other ambassador like duties that the University requires of their coaches. Ben Fletcher does not have a track record to sell his vision on the future of USF hoops to prospects, administrators, or fans just yet.

2) Tom Crean
Pros: Large profile and Big reputation as a Head Coach. Known as Tom Izzo's best assistant coach that became a Head coach, Crean spent 4 seasons with the future HoF head coach at Michigan State. Been a Head coach at 3 high majors, Marquette, Indiana, and Georgia. Elite recruiter and talent evaluation that has helped Crean have a reputation of getting players to the NBA, thar includes Dwayne Wade, Steve Novak, Wesley Matthews, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, and Anthony Edwards. Would bring instant credibility to the University of South Florida and be the highest profile head coach ever. Crean runs a high pace motion offense with lots of set plays and teaches proper fast breaking principles and pressure defense. Tom Crean Lives in Tampa or near Tampa so he would be at home. It is believed that Tom Crean has the fire in the belly again, that maybe if the right opportunity came he would get back into coaching. Crean should be extra energized to keep CAAR dreams alive for USF while being home at the same time. Should be able to entice all the top 100 level talent in the Tampa area to stay home. Would be able to raise more money for the program based on his profile alone. If he wins USF, he would not have a desire to seek a higher profile job.

Cons: 58 years old and has been out of coaching for a few years. Does the fire still burn?

3) Antoine Pettway
Pros: High Ceiling! Known as a tireless worker as a player at Alabama where he went from being a walk on an academic scholarship to earning an athletic scholarship, to being the starting PG on some exciting Crimson Tide basketball teams. Became an assistant coach on Alabama's staff starting with Anthony Grant and ending with Coach Nate Oaks for 12 years after spending 2 years as an assistant coach on the staff at Jacksonville State. Pettway quickly earned the reputation as an ACE recruiter and helped bring in and develop 8 NBA players. Pettway took over for CAAR at Kennesaw after he became the Head Coach at USF. Even after getting a late start and having to replace many of KSU best players, CAP recruited several young players including convincing a kid that was headed to Alabama to follow him. Pettway really showed his ability to recruit this past off-season by signing the #27th ranked class to play at Kennesaw. Pettway continues to prove that he is more than just a recruiter, despite having one of the youngest teams in the nation, his team just defeated a very talented #24 ranked Rutgers that features what many believe will be the #1 player that will be drafted in the upcoming NBA, Ace Bailey. Pettway and CAAR developed a strong relationship and he has dedicated this Kennesaw season in honor of CAAR. Pettway does a lot of the same things and interactions with fans that CAAR was so good at. Pettway is only 42 years old. If Pettway is successful at USF, he will likely be the Head Coach for a long time with only Alabama being able to lure him away which is not going to have an opening for years to come.

Cons: Timing. If ADMK is to get Pettway he will have to get him after the season, before his star gets too bright and large. CAAR had 1 winning season at KSU and the timing was perfect for USF, because they would not have gotten him any other time. Could the timing for USF to go shop at Kennesaw be lining up again?

Apparently Bobby Hurley is interested in the job. Russ would like roll over in his grave if they hired Bobby Hurley.

IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s men’s basketball honors for the 2024-25 season. The selections were made by the conference’s 13 head coaches.



Memphis, the No. 1 seed for the 2025 American Men’s Basketball Championship, earned three awards. Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty was named the Player of the Year, while redshirt senior forward Dain Dainja was selected as the inaugural Newcomer of the Year. Tiger head coach Penny Hardaway was picked by his peers as the Coach of the Year, while the late South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was named honorary Coach of the Year.



UAB senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg repeated as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Florida Atlantic center Matas Vokietaitis was the Freshman of the Year and North Texas junior forward Brenen Lorient was named the Sixth Man of the Year.



Florida Atlantic redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll was honored with two distinctions. He was selected for the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportmanship Award and was picked, along with North Texas senior forward Moulaye Sissoko, as the Most Improved Players.




Haggerty leads The American and is fifth in Division I scoring with 21.2 points per game. He is also third in the league in steals (1.8 per game) and ninth in assists (3.8). He was unanimously selected as the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2023-24. Haggerty becomes the second Tiger to win American Player of the Year, joining Precious Achiuwa in 2019-20.



Dainja is averaging 13.7 points for the season, but that rose to 15.7 points per game in conference play, including three double-doubles in Memphis’ last five games.



Hardaway has led the Tigers to a 26-5 overall record and 16-2 mark in conference play on the way to Memphis’ first regular-season championship as part of The American.



Lendeborg won his second Defensive Player of the Year honor and leads the conference in rebounding at 10.5 per game and blocks with 1.8 per contest.



Vokietaitis earned Florida Atlantic’s first Freshman of the Year honor in the league and is averaging 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.



Carroll was honored with the renamed Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award for best exemplifying the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership. Abdur-Rahim tragically passed away on October 24, 2024. In only five years as a head coach, Abdur-Rahim established himself as one of the best in college basketball, winning championships in two conferences and taking both South Florida and Kennesaw State to unprecedented levels of success.



Carroll and Sissoko became the first players from Florida Atlantic and North Texas to earn the Most Improved Player honor. Carroll saw his points per game rise from 4.0 in 2023-24 to 12.2 this season, while Sissoko has seen his points improve 4.6 points per game year-over-year.



Lorient was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while coming off the bench for the Mean Green.



Memphis had three members of the 10-person All-Conference First Team, including Dainja, Haggerty and senior guard Tyrese Hunter. East Carolina had two, including senior guard RJ Felton and graduate forward C.J. Walker, as did North Texas with Lorient and senior guard Atin Wright. Also on the first team was Lendeborg, Tulane redshirt sophomore guard Rowan Brumbaugh and Wichita State senior guard Xavier Bell.



The 2025 American Men’s Basketball Championship begins Wednesday, March 12 at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT with Rice and Charlotte competing in the first-round game at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. The Championship runs through Sunday, March 16 and the remainder of the games will be played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.



2024-25 American Men’s Basketball Honors



Player of the Year

PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis



Coach of the Year

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida - Honorary



Newcomer of the Year

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis



Defensive Player of the Year

Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB



Freshman of the Year

Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic



Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award

Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic



Most Improved Players

Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic

Moulaye Sissoko, Sr., F, North Texas



Sixth Man of the Year

Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas



All-Conference First Team

Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*

RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina*

C.J. Walker, Gr., F, East Carolina

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*

PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis*

Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis

Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas

Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas*

Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane

Xavier Bell, Sr., G, Wichita State



All-Conference Second Team

Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB

Tre Carroll, Florida Atlantic

Kaleb Glenn, So., F, Florida Atlantic

Baba Miller, Jr., F, Florida Atlantic

Jamille Reynolds, Sr., F, South Florida

Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

Primo Spears, UTSA

Kaleb Banks, Jr., F, Tulane

Dwon Odom, Gr., G, Tulsa

Corey Washington, Jr., F, Wichita State



All-Newcomer Team

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*

Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis

Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas

Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane



All-Freshman Team

Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic*

CJ Brown, G, South Florida*

Aiden Tobiason, G, Temple

Kam Williams, G/F, Tulane*

Ian Smikle, F, Tulsa



* denotes unanimous selection

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Good LB from a school that produces a lot of talent.

The men's basketball tournament gets started Thursday and USF is locked into the #9 seed regardless of what happens in the final day of conference play Sunday by virtue of their 2-0 record against Tulsa and UTSA. They'll play the #8 seed on Thursday at 12:30pm EDT ESPNU.

The Bulls opponent will be based on the outcomes of today's games (odds in parenthesis). Wins by:

FAU & UNT & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Temple (42%)
FAU & UNT & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (7%)
FAU & Temple & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (23%)
FAU & Temple & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (4%)
ECU & UNT & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Temple (13%)
ECU & UNT & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (2%)
ECU & Temple & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Florida Atlantic (7%)
ECU & Temple & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (1%)

There is a 55% chance we play Temple, 38% chance we play Wichita State and a 7% chance we play FAU in the Second Round.