What can USF men's basketball do for an encore? How about another championship!

The USF men’s basketball team was the best show in town last year and one of the top stories across the nation in its sport. Head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim put a perfect label on what was happening with his quip, "This ain't the same old South Florida, my brother."

What can it do for an encore? We’re about to find out. With the release of their American Athletic Conference schedule, we know when the Bulls will begin the defense of their regular-season AAC title.

The men open AAC play at home on Dec. 31 against East Carolina following a previously announced 13-game non-conference slate that begins Nov. 4 in Jacksonville against the University of Florida.

They have home-and-home matchups with East Carolina, Wichita State, Memphis, Florida Atlantic, and Temple. The remainder of their AAC games will be single meetings.

Game times will be announced later.

The Bulls are coming off a historic season that included their first-ever regular season conference title, a 15-game winning streak that was the nation’s longest, and their first-ever Top 25 national ranking.

A program that struggled for years to attract decent crowds suddenly became a hot ticket. The Bulls’ game against nationally ranked Florida Atlantic on February 18 drew a record 10,659 fans to the Yuengling Center and was the first of three consecutive home sellouts.

Abdur-Rahim, in his first year at USF, was the unanimous AAC Coach of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year. He agreed to a contract extension through the 2029-30 season.

Abdur-Rahim drew widespread national praise for the way he revived a program that had endured 10 losing seasons in their previous 11 years. The Bulls had never finished with a winning record in AAC play since the league was formed in 2013.

USF Magazine noted how ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg, who coached the Bulls from 1996-2003, called the job Abdur-Rahim did “incredibly impressive.”

 “I think he has done an incredible job,’’ Greenberg said. “He has brought energy and ownership while connecting with the campus community and the students. They see it as their team. That’s a big part of the process, and when you get ownership, you can play off that in so many ways.

 “Winning obviously helps and it’s the most important thing. But they play a fun style of basketball. Their late-game execution is really good and the stuff they’re doing really fits their personnel. I see a focus, a sense of purpose, and an attention to detail that’s extremely impressive. This isn’t a one-hit wonder. USF is building something.’’