USF Isn’t backing down as Bulls exude confidence ahead of NCAA Louisville matchup

If anyone thinks USF is just happy to be in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, they should think again.

The 11th-seeded Bulls face the 6th-seeded Louisville Cardinals on Thursday in Buffalo. Casual fans might compare Louisville's tradition and brand with USF as a relatively unknown quantity and automatically pick the Cards in their office bracket. And the Cards are 5.5-point favorites to survive and advance.

But the guys who will actually play the game would like to drop some knowledge on those folks.

"I don't think it's an upset (if USF wins). I don't really care what 11-6 (seeding) says. I think we're the better team," guard Wes Enis said.

And forward Izaiyah Nelson, when asked about Louisville, recalled two years ago when he at Arkansas State and traveled to play the Cardinals.

"We went there and popped Louisville," he said. "And so it like seeing them now is just like, in my mind, (we already won) once. So it's like, we could probably do it. We could do it again."

The Red Wolves, under first-year coach Bryan Hodgson, did, indeed, "pop" the Cards that night, winning 75-63. Nelson played 24 minutes in that game and was 7-for-7 in field goals and had eight rebounds.

What Enis and Nelson said about this upcoming game was interesting enough, but how they said that may told even more about the Bulls' state of mind as they enter their first March Madness game since 2012.

The words were delivered with an almost casual swagger, and it appears infectious.

SportSpyder.com noted, "South Florida emerges as the nation’s most popular first-round upset pick, leaving Louisville Cardinals fans and analysts questioning whether widespread disrespect could ignite a statement win. Dalton Pence explains why Louisville’s 6-11 NCAA Tournament matchup has captured national attention, spotlighting concerns over Mikel Brown Jr.’s injury status and the surging momentum behind Brian Hodgson’s Bulls. Will bulletin board material fuel Pat Kelsey’s squad, or will questions about consistency haunt them in Buffalo?"

Well, if Louisville needs bulletin board material to help leading up to the game, it would mean the Bulls are already inside their heads.

Pro tip: Analysts analyze, commentators comment, and players play. I seriously doubt the words from Enis and Nelson move Louisville's needle 1 centimeter in either direction.

But it is true that a lot of people late to the party are jumping on the Bulls' bandwagon. Coach-turned-commentator Bruce Pearl is in that group.

"I look at health," Pearl said on the CBS tournament selection show. "At the top of the bracket, (Louisville guard) Mikel Brown, what is his health status? And of course, the 6-11 (seeds), that's always a very interesting matchup to pick the underdog. I like the South Florida Bulls."

Pearl was not alone.

Jay Bilas of ESPN noted, "One thing is for sure in this game: There will be a lot of long rebounds because both teams like to shoot 3s. This is a great upset pick: Mikel Brown Jr. has been out because of a sore back, and South Florida is tough. It's worth rolling the dice on this one because Michigan State will likely beat either team."

Even USF fans were going after Louisville on Twittter so much that it was trending for a while on Tuesday.

Brown appears to be trending to play, by the way. He has missed the last four games with a lingering lower back injury.

Speaking of the 6-11 matchups, here's an interesting tidbit: An 11-seed has upset a 6-seed in the first round of March Madness in every NCAA Tournament since 2005, including 2024, when three 11-seeds upset the 6-seed.