usf basketball is back on the floor Saturday afternoon as the South Florida Bulls take on the Charlotte 49ers in the AAC Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. The game is set for 3 p. m. ET on Saturday, with South Florida entering as the betting favorite. The matchup brings these teams together for the second time this season after a decisive Bulls win earlier this month.
Game basics: South Florida vs. Charlotte in Birmingham
The AAC Tournament meeting features Charlotte (17-16, 11-9 AAC) against South Florida (23-8, 15-3 AAC) on a neutral floor in Birmingham, Alabama. The betting line lists the Bulls as -14. 5 favorites, with an over/under of 153. 5.
South Florida arrives with a conference profile that has been hard to match: the Bulls went 15-3 against AAC teams and 8-5 in non-conference play. Offensively, South Florida leads the AAC at 88. 4 points per game and is shooting 44. 0% from the field this season.
Usf Basketball edge: scoring pace, defense numbers, and recent form
On paper, South Florida’s offensive pace is the headline. The Bulls’ 88. 4 points per game and 44. 0% field-goal shooting mark set the tone, while the defensive comparison in this matchup also matters: South Florida shoots 0. 3 percentage points lower than the 44. 3% Charlotte allows to opponents.
Charlotte’s own shooting profile is strong at 45. 9% from the field this season, which is 4. 2 percentage points higher than the 41. 7% shooting that South Florida’s opponents have averaged. Charlotte has also shown a specific trend in outcome types, posting an 8-6 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
Recent performance splits underscore the momentum on South Florida’s side. Over the last 10 games, the Bulls are 9-1, averaging 84. 7 points while allowing 71. 3. In that same 10-game window, Charlotte is 4-6, averaging 72. 2 points while allowing 75. 7.
Key players and the last meeting: what carries into Saturday
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. South Florida won the last matchup 83-60 on March 8. In that game, Joseph Pinion led South Florida with 22 points, while Anton Bonke led Charlotte with 13 points.
For South Florida, Izaiyah Nelson is averaging 15. 8 points, 9. 8 rebounds, and 1. 6 steals. Wes Enis is averaging 19. 3 points over the last 10 games, giving the Bulls another high-output option coming into the tournament showdown.
Charlotte’s leaders include Ben Bradford, who is averaging 13. 5 points, and Dezayne Mingo, who is averaging 12. 9 points over the last 10 games. With the 49ers’ shooting rate holding at 45. 9% on the season, their ability to convert efficiently will be central against a South Florida group that has controlled opponents’ scoring recently.
Next up is the immediate task at hand: usf basketball will try to translate its conference-leading scoring and recent 9-1 surge into a tournament win at 3 p. m. ET Saturday in Birmingham against Charlotte.
