TAMPA, Fla. — This season’s broken record sounds pretty good for the USF men’s basketball team. The Bulls rounded out their home schedule with an 85-72 win over Tulane on Tuesday night.
The victory extended their program-record streak to 15, and the Bulls have won 21 of their last 22 games overall. Their 16 conference wins are the most in school history. The team ended the year with three consecutive home sellouts for the first time.
USF won its first-ever AAC regular season crown last weekend at Charlotte, but Tuesday’s Senior Night win let them celebrate in style at home.
Head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and his team lifted the conference trophy into falling confetti, and they cut down the net at the Yuengling Center.
"The thing I know is when you’re at the top, everybody’s looking for you. Everybody’s hunting,” Abdur-Rahim grinned during his postgame press conference. He quickly added that his team is comfortable with their new role as the hunted.
"I’m in the business of molding men,” he explained. "So I want them to know what it’s like at the top. I want them to know what it’s like to be counted on every day. To have to produce every day.”
One of the players Abdur-Rahim’s been able to count on every day has been *senior guard Selton Miguel. Miguel transferred to USF from Kansas St. before last season, and he stuck around because he believed in what his new coach was building. He’s only started five games this season, but Miguel’s 14.8 points per game are second only to Chris Youngblood’s 15.5. Youngblood and Abdur-Rahim both call Miguel the team’s MVP.
“[Coach Abdur-Rahim] has impacted my life since the day he got here. Not just on the court but off the court, too. Helped me a lot off the court,” an emotional Miguel said after the win over Tulane. "Being my mentor, not just a coach. Somebody that was there since the beginning, since he got here. He’s been more than a coach to me."
His head coach fought back tears when describing what Miguel means to him.
"For [Selton] to be able to hear how much these people appreciate him. That’s what it’s about for me, man,” Abdur-Rahim said as Miguel put his arm around his shoulders. "It’s just great to see growth in young people. When they see themselves as more than just basketball players. When they start to see themselves as men. And I guarantee you, he knows now- whether it’s basketball- or whatever it may be, he knows what to do and how to go be successful."
USF (23-5, 16-1 AAC) has one game left before the conference tournament. The AAC still hasn’t gotten the national respect it deserves, so the Bulls want to push harder down the stretch.
"Let’s keep getting better. Let’s not worry about what’s behind us,” Abdur Rahim added. "Let’s be where our feet are. Let’s stay focused on today, knowing that we have more in front of us.”
The Bulls close out the regular season Saturday at Tulsa. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (TV: ESPN+).
*Miguel was honored on Senior Night, but he technically has one year of eligibility remaining due to the 2020 COVID season.
