The University of South Florida Basketball History

The University of South Florida (USF) boasts a rich basketball history for both its men's and women's programs. From humble beginnings as the Golden Brahmans to becoming the Bulls, USF has experienced periods of struggle and success, marked by conference changes, NCAA Tournament appearances, and talented players.

Men's Basketball

Early Years and Transition to Division I

Before men's basketball became an official sport at USF, Athletic Director Dick Bowers and President John S. Allen approved a freshman-only squad to test the feasibility of bringing men's basketball to the University of South Florida. The team was a roaring success and won in their first game on December 4, 1970, against the University of Florida. The 1970-71 team finished with a 19-4 record and their popularity led to the approval of the varsity team. The University of South Florida's official basketball team first tipped off as the Golden Brahmans on December 1, 1971, with a 74-73 win at Stetson University. The Brahmans played their first season as a member of the NCAA College Division (now NCAA Division II). Their first home game was marked by a 98-77 loss to Florida at Curtis Hixon Hall in downtown Tampa, which would serve as USF's primary arena of the seven courts the team would call home before the opening of the on campus Sun Dome for the 1980-81 season and was the only arena USF used every season through 1980. South Florida's first home win would come on December 18 against Baldwin Wallace. The Brahmans topped 100 points for the first time in just their tenth game, beating Florida A&M 103-102. USF only played one game at their other home for the 1971-72 season, beating Missouri-St. Louis 85-82 at Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory in West Tampa.

For the 1973-74 season USF made the jump to NCAA Division I, where they remain today. That year would see the Brahmans split time in 3 arenas, the aforementioned Curtis Hixon Hall and Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, as well as the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Bayfront Center was nearly 40 miles from USF's main campus in Tampa, but sat across the street from the USF St. Petersburg campus. Games were played there in the coming years to give the students at the St. Petersburg campus the rare opportunity to watch their school play a few times per year. They posted a 10-3 combined record at their 3 home courts, but were only 1-13 in road and neutral site games, and for that reason USF fired their first coach Don Williams. The Golden Brahmans recorded their first 15 win season in 1974-75 under first year coach Bill Gibson. Under new coach Chip Conner, USF finally recorded their first win at the Bayfront Center on senior night of their 1975-76 campaign. The next year, the Golden Brahmans joined the Sun Belt Conference, but took a big step backwards compared to the previous year going just 9-18 overall and 2-4 in conference games. The Brahmans found yet another building to call home in 1977-78, playing 2 games at Hillsborough Community College. They played their first game on their own campus on opening night of the 1978-79 season, beating Eckerd College 90-70 at the USF Gymnasium, which still stands today adjacent to the Yuengling Center as the Campus Recreation Center. USF went undefeated in their 3 on campus games that season, much to the delight of the students who could now attend games more easily. However, USF decided not to play any games on campus for the 1979-80 season, instead opting to play home games at their seventh and final arena before moving on campus full time with Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

The Lee Rose Era and the Sun Dome

USF opened the 1980-81 season with three new things: a new nickname, changing from the Golden Brahmans to the Bulls; a new on-campus arena called the Sun Dome; and a new head coach in Lee Rose. Rose was a close personal friend of USF Athletic Director Dick Bowers and was coming fresh off a Final Four appearance with Purdue the year prior, as well as having another Final Four appearance with USF's fellow Sun Belt member Charlotte in 1977. Rose's Bulls recorded their first win in the Sun Dome on December 6, 1980, against UNC Greensboro after dropping their first two games to Florida A&M and Duke. Led by All-American candidate and all-time leading scorer to that point Tony Grier, the Bulls would not lose another regular season home game for over a year, with the next loss coming after a school record 21 game home winning streak that stands to this day. South Florida ended the regular season 17-9, including their first win against a ranked opponent when they beat No. 18 South Alabama on February 12. The Bulls also made their first postseason tournament, going to the 1981 National Invitation Tournament. Home attendance jumped 256% in the 80-81 season with the new on campus arena, which was soon nicknamed the "Rose Garden" after coach Rose. The Sun Dome also brought another thing: better recruiting. The university's former gym situation was described as "disastrous for recruiting", but the 1981-82 season saw the arrival of highly touted freshman and Tampa native Charlie Bradley. Bradley is widely regarded as the greatest player in USF history and is the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,319 points, despite playing only 1 season with the adoption of the 3 point line. USF finished the 81-82 season with a solid 17-11 showing and a 14-2 record at home. 1982-83 was by far the young program's most successful season at the time. The Bulls won the second Florida Four, which was discontinued after the season. The 82-83 squad recorded the first 20 win season in team history, going 22-10. 1985-86 was the final year with Lee Rose at the helm for the Bulls, who posted a 14-14 record. Rose would leave the Bulls to become an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

Bobby Paschal Era and NCAA Tournament Appearances

The Bulls first three years under new head coach Bobby Paschal were not good, going an overall 21-63 and all 3 seasons coming with at least 20 losses. Many Bulls fans were calling for Paschal to be fired prior to the 1989-90 season. But the Bulls turned it around, becoming one of the only teams in NCAA men's basketball history to go from 20 losses to 20 wins in a single season. USF made its first NCAA tournament, claiming the Sun Belt's autobid to the Big Dance after winning the conference tournament behind future USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Radenko Dobraš's Sun Belt Tournament MVP showing. USF's dream season ended with a hard-fought 79-67 loss to 2nd seed Arizona. In 1991-92, the Bulls left the Sun Belt for the Metro Conference and won 19 games for the second straight year, securing an at-large berth in the 1992 NCAA tournament. This stretch is the only time in program history where the Bulls have made a postseason tournament in three consecutive years.

Conference USA and the Seth Greenberg Years

USF had another new conference for the 1995-96 season after the Metro Conference merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. The Bulls finished just 2-12 in their new conference and 12-16 overall in what would be Bobby Paschal's last year as head coach. After Paschal stepped down, the Bulls poached Long Beach State head coach Seth Greenberg. Greenberg had made two NCAA tournaments in the previous four years with LBSU and was coming off a Big West Conference regular season title. It was believed Greenberg would keep both his and the program's momentum going with USF. In Greenberg's first year as coach however, the Bulls finished just 8-19. 1997-98 was a turnaround though, and South Florida picked up a 17-13 record. After an even 14-14 campaign in 1998-99, USF won another 17 games and a regular season Conference USA Red Division title at the turn of the millennium, and qualified for the NIT for the first time in five years. The Bulls were ousted in the first round at New Mexico. USF improved even further the next two years, going 18-13 and 19-13 respectively.

Big East and the Stan Heath Era

USF's second to last year in Conference USA and first under new coach Robert McCullum would give them 20 losses for the first time since 1988-89, a streak that lasted 15 years. The University of South Florida received an invitation to join the Big East to counteract Boston College, Miami, and ironically for former Bulls coach Seth Greenberg, Virginia Tech leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The basketball team's first season in the new conference was marked by their second 20 loss season in three years, going 7-22. They went an abysmal 1-15 against Big East foes, last place in the conference. In what would be McCullum's last year as head coach, the Bulls went 12-18 in 2006-07 and nearly finished last in the conference again. The Bulls would go on to hire former Arkansas coach Stan Heath, and yet again came dangerously close to losing 20 games in 2007-08. The next year USF picked up a third 20 loss season in six years with a 9-22 record. The lone bright spot of the year was their first win against a top 10 opponent, defeating No. 8 Marquette by one point on February 6, 2009. Coach Heath shined on the hot seat the next season, bringing the school its first 20 win season in 20 years, receiving votes in the AP Poll for the first time in team history, and making the 2010 NIT, though they lost in the first round of their first postseason appearance since 2002 to NC State. After a 10-23 showing in their 2010-11 campaign, the Bulls turned it around yet again in 2011-12, playing without their usual home court as the Sun Dome was undergoing renovations. The Tampa Bay Times Forum proved to be good luck for the Bulls as their main home, going 10-2 in those games. They also played some home games at the Bob Martinez Sports Center on the University of Tampa's campus (where they went 3-0) and at one at their former home Lakeland Civic Center, which was now called the Lakeland Center (1-0). Despite being selected on media day to finish 14th in the Big East, the Bulls had a winning record in conference games for the first time since leaving Conference USA, going 12-6 which put them tied for 4th. After a 20-year drought, their 20-13 record on Selection Sunday earned USF their third ever bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 12 seed, they would have to face California in the First Four play in game. There, South Florida won their first NCAA tournament game in school history 65-54 and advanced to play No. 5 seed Temple. The Bulls shocked the world again by upsetting the Owls 58-44 to move on to the round of 32 for the first time ever. This win tied the school record for wins in a season at 22. The Cinderella story would end in the next round though, as the Bulls fell to the Ohio Bobcats 62-56. The Bulls received one vote in the final Coaches Poll of the season, their first in team history.

Recent Years and the American Conference

Looking to show that 2011-12 was not a fluke, USF started the 2012-13 season at a respectable 10-3. Dominican National Team Head Coach and Kentucky Wildcats assistant Orlando Antigua was hired to replace Heath and turn the program around. Antigua was an assistant at Kentucky for five years with two Final Fours under his belt and had won a national championship with the Wildcats in 2012. The Bulls then hired Brian Gregory, a consultant at Michigan State under Tom Izzo to become the tenth coach in program history. After a fifth straight 20 loss season in 2017-18, South Florida bounced back more than many Bulls fans could have ever hoped in 2018-19. USF hired former Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim as Gregory's replacement. Abdur-Rahim had just led Kennesaw State to their first Division I NCAA Tournament the prior season. During the 2023-24 season, USF defeated a top-10 opponent for the second time in team history, erasing a 20-point deficit on the road against No. 10 Memphis. On February 12, the Bulls received votes in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, their second time receiving votes in each poll, and first time receiving votes in both polls in the same week. The Bulls clinched a share of their first regular season conference title in team history on February 25, the same day they set a new team record with 13 consecutive wins. On February 26, USF was ranked No. 25 in both the AP and Coaches polls, marking the first time in school history that the team was officially ranked in either poll. The Bulls clinched the conference title outright after defeating Charlotte away on March 2. Amir Abdur-Rahim was unanimously named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and Chris Youngblood was named the AAC Player of the Year. The Bulls reached the NIT and defeated rival Central Florida in the first round before losing to VCU in the second round. Their 25-8 record was the best in program history. Bryan Hodgson is the head coach after Amir Abdur-Rahim died unexpectedly.

The Bulls play their home games at the 10,500 seat Yuengling Center on USF's campus in Tampa, Florida.

Postseason

The Bulls have appeared in the NCAA tournament 3 times. The Bulls have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 9 times. St. The Bulls have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament one time.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

Notable Players

Charlie Bradley, Played internationally in Argentina, Spain and Venezuela before retiring from basketball in 1994.

Women's Basketball

The South Florida Bulls women's basketball team represents the University of South Florida in women's basketball. The Bulls compete in the American Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bulls play home basketball games at the Yuengling Center. South Florida is coached by Michelle Woods-Baxter, who was named the Bulls interim head coach for the 2025-26 season following the departure of Jose Fernandez, who had coached the team since the 2000-01 season. As of the 2021-22 season, the Bulls have a 711-699 record. The Bulls have made the Women's National Invitation Tournament 9 times.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

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