Photo by Jorden Pompey | The Crow’s Nest
The University of South Florida Bulls took out the University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) 83-77.
This is the first matchup against UCF since the Knights left the American Athletic Conference to join the Big VII.
The game marked USF’s first win in the NIT since 1995 when they defeated Coppin State.
With the win, the Bulls advance to the second round of the tournament to face Virgina Commonwealth University on March 24 at the Yuengling Center.
Additionally, USF set a program record of 25 wins on the season. The previous record was set in the 2018-2019 season with 24 wins
Since Dec. 1, 2023, at a record of 3-3, USF has been 23-4 since its loss to Hofstra.
“Winning takes time, it doesn’t always take three years, not when you can get a group of guys to trust each other, believe in each other and get them to believe and trust in you,” head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim said in the post-game conference.
Senior guard Selton Miguel had a team high of 19 points shooting an efficient four for eight beyond the arc, including a halfcourt-buzzer-beater at halftime to push the lead to 14.
The “War on I-4″ is familiar territory for Miguel as this was his third meeting with UCF and passed on his experience to the rest of the team.
“We knew coming in it would be a pretty intense game. I told the guys just keep your head up cause you don’t know what’s going to happen, just stay focused,” Miguel said in the post-game press conference.
USF has now beat UCF three consecutive times dating back to Jan. 21, 2023.
The rivalry called for moments to get chippy as tempers flared in the second half and teams had to be separated multiple times in the closing minutes.
Junior forwards Kasean Pryor and Corey Walker Jr. and two UCF players received technical fouls during the altercations.
Despite being overlooked for the NCAA March Madness Tournament; USF made a compelling case to be included. Abdur-Rahim pointed out USF’s 23-4 record since Dec. 1 and questioned whether the committee evaluated its season thoroughly.
“December 1st we’re 23-and-4, did anybody on the committee know that? Did they study that right? And if they didn’t, we got to be better,” Abdur-Rahim said.
