It was magic two years ago when USF basketball tore through the American Conference to win its first regular-season crown in program history.
The Yuengling Center was filled, electricity was in the air, and the Bulls became one of the top stories of the college basketball season.
Things fell apart last season following the tragic death of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, but this season under first-year head coach Bryan Hodgson has been a different story. The Bulls once again sit atop the conference standings, alone in first place. The Bulls control their destiny with six conference remaining before the post-season tournament.
Hodgson knows that while fans can look ahead and imagine what might be, he and his team cannot afford that luxury.
"You can go from being at the top of the league to having to play five games in five days in the conference tournament in one week span if you don't, don't pick up wins.," he said. "And so, we've got a brutal stretch coming up."
That starts Sunday with a trip to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic, which Hodgson said "is going to be desperate for a win."
The Owls were atop the American when they came to Tampa on January 25. The Bulls beat them soundly 89-75 and that triggered a landslide -- actually, a standings slide -- for the Owls. They have lost five consecutive games and enter this contest in eighth place and in danger of missing the conference tournament.
Only 10 of the American's 13 teams will qualify for the tournament, and the Owls are only one game ahead of falling past the cutoff point.
USF, meanwhile, is on a roll. The Bulls have won six of their last seven and sit 17-8 overall and 9-3 in the conference. That, of course, puts a target on their back.
Hodgson said they are prepared for what's ahead.
"This is probably the most mature team I've coached, and I've been doing this for 18 years," he said. "Our guys are extremely resilient. They understand the task at hand. They understand that being in first place on February 12th means nothing. There's no trophy for that.
"We've got a tough road ahead, and that we've got to continue to find a way to get better every single day."
They showed that resiliency in Wednesday's 66-58 win at Wichita State. USF trailed by seven at the half before smothering the Shockers with a defensive show in the final 20 minutes. Wes Enis played tough defense and had his first career double-double -- 16 points and 11 rebounds.
A 3-pointer by Joseph Pinion with 6:23 left -- after he secured a defensive rebound -- gave the Bulls a five-point lead and they maintained the lead until the final buzzer in a hostile environment.
Hodgson expects more of the same Sunday.
"We know we've got that target on our back, right? I mean, every time we go somewhere, it seems like it's their largest crowd of the season. That was the case against Wichita, 7,000 people," he said.
"I'm sure it'll be the case on Sunday in Boca. I think our guys handle those environments well."