The 79-78 loss at Temple was obviously still gnawing at USF basketball coach Bryan Hodgson when he did a Zoom meeting with the media on Monday.
It wasn't the loss itself as much as how it came about. It was the Bulls' third American Conference loss this season, all three by a total of five points.
But this one was a migraine because of what might have been -- maybe should have been.
"Not to discredit anything Temple did, because I think that they did play well. They dictated the game on both sides of the ball," he said.
"We had too many careless turnovers. They were able to neutralize the glass on both sides. And the careless turnovers again, having a game where you have 18 turnovers on the road or at home is not a recipe for success. Just some bonehead plays down the stretch, you know."
There was something else he wanted to clear up. The fatal play with two seconds left, where Joseph Pinion stepped out of bounds, down by a point, was not a designed play for a 3-point shot.
"Three is an option, as is almost everything we run. The play was designed for (guard) CJ Brown to get downhill to the rim," he said.
"If you go back and look at the play, we had the paint wide open with a favorable matchup, and we never even looked at the rim."
The Bulls are now 6-3 in the American Conference, still well within striking range of a top-two seed in the post-season tournament. That would get them a pass to the semifinals.
What's agonizing, however, is that the three losses are by five combined points. Hodgson believed the first two losses at home -- UAB in double overtime and Wichita State in overtime -- were giveaways by the Bulls.
The Temple game was different.
"They led for, what, 70, 80 percent of the game. We didn't deserve to win that basketball game," he said.
"If you want to change the narrative on that, we're five points away from being undefeated in American Conference play."
It’s going to be a magical student appreciation night this Wednesday in the YC 🪄
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) February 2, 2026
The first 150 students in Gate D can claim a free $10 food voucher 🎟️
And at halftime USF MBB legend Arthur Jones will be recognized 🫡 pic.twitter.com/5t42kS9ckI
The Bulls would appear to have the perfect tonic to move beyond the Temple loss. On Wednesday night, they host UTSA, which is 0-9 in conference play and 4-17 overall.
And, despite the loss at Temple, USF is just one game back of co-leaders Tulsa and Charlotte in the conference.
"We just go back to work. When you lose, it's ike getting punched in the face in front of everybody," Hodgson said. "It's humilating."