Less than two weeks ago, the USF men's basketball team blitzed Charlotte 83-60 at the Yuengling Center to close out the regular season.
On that day, the Bulls celebrated something before the home fans that they had actually clinched a few days before on the road -- the American Conference regular season championship. Nets were cut down and confetti flew.
On Saturday, the Bulls say hello to the 49ers again, but the stakes are a lot higher. It's in the semifinals of the Amnerican tournament with a berth in Sunday's championship game on the line. Tiipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be televised over ESPN2.
The 49ers, seeded fifth in the tournament, upset fourth-seeded UAB 83-78 behind 35 points from guard Dezayne Mingo. He hit 11 of 17 field goal attempts, including eight of 11 on 3-pointers.
Mingo was held to nine points in the game against USF and was just 1-of-3 on 3-pointers.
The 49ers will be playing their third game in as many days when they face the Bulls. They defeated Tulane 74-60 on Thursday.
When the two teams met in Tampa, Charlotte jumped in front early by seven points before the Bulls' depth and versatility took over. USF led by 15 at the half and stretched it to a 32-point lead in the second half before the 49ers slightly closed the gap.
Before leaving for the tournament in Birmingham, Bulls coach Bryan Hodgson said that having played Charlotte so close to a potential rematch would help in the team's preparation.
"That scout is fresh on my mind," he said.
The Bulls depth was a huge factor in their win over the 49ers in Tampa. USF had eight players who played double figure minutes in that game.
Also, guards Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion had 20 and 22 points respectively.