# 2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team

The 2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represented the University of South Florida during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The season marked the 52nd basketball season for USF, the eleventh as a member of the American Athletic Conference, and the first (and only) season under head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. The Bulls played their home games at Yuengling Center on the university's Tampa, Florida campus.
In the Week 14 poll on February 12, 2024, USF received five votes in the Coaches Poll (unofficially ranking them 40th), marking the first time since the final poll of the 2011–12 season in which USF has received votes in the Coaches Poll. In addition, the school also received seven votes in the AP poll (unofficially ranking them 43rd), also marking the first time the school received votes in both polls in the same week, along with only the third time the school received votes in the AP poll, after receiving 58 in the Week 6 poll in 1991–92 and two in the Week 13 poll in 2009–10. The following week (Week 15), the school set a record for most votes received in the Coaches Poll, receiving 45 in AP and 35 in Coaches (unofficially ranking them 31st and 29th, respectively).
In their February 18 win against No. 24 Florida Atlantic, USF set a new attendance record with 10,659 fans packing the Yuengling Center.
On February 25 after their win against SMU combined with losses by Charlotte and Florida Atlantic that weekend, USF clinched at least a share of the conference regular season title for the first time in school history. On March 2, they would clinch the outright title with their win over Charlotte.
In the Week 16 poll on February 26, 2024, USF was ranked No. 25 in both the AP and Coaches polls, marking the first time in school history the team was officially ranked in either poll.
The Bulls were ranked No. 24 in both the AP and Coaches polls during week 17. After a loss to Tulsa in the final game of the season, USF would drop out of the AP Top 25 for week 18; however, they would receive votes, unofficially ranking them 27th in the nation. That loss would also snap the Bulls program record setting 15-game win streak.
On March 15, Amir Abdur-Rahim was named a Naismith College Coach of the Year semifinalist. Two days later, the Bulls were given a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, their first postseason berth since 2018–19. They beat rival Central Florida in the first round their 25th win of the season setting a new program record before losing to VCU in the second round, ending their season.

## Previous season

The Bulls finished the 2022–23 season 14–18, 7–11 in AAC play, to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to East Carolina.
On March 10, 2023, the school fired head coach Brian Gregory after six seasons. On March 29, the school named Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ryan Conwell | 0 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Freshman | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Indiana State |
| Tyler Harris | 2 | G | 5'9" | 150 | GS Senior | Memphis, TN | Graduated |
| DJ Patrick | 3 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Powder Springs, GA | Transferred to Charleston Southern |
| Dok Muordar | 4 | F | 6'11" | 200 | Freshman | Rumbek, South Sudan | Transferred to Cleveland State |
| Jake Boggs | 5 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Junior | Charlotte, NC | Transferred |
| Serrel Smith Jr. | 10 | G | 6'4" | 175 | Senior | St. Petersburg, FL | Graduated |
| Trey Moss | 11 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Transferred to William & Mary |
| Mark Calleja | 13 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Hudson, FL | Walk-on; graduated |
| Kenu Louissaint | 22 | G/F | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Graduated |
| Keyshawn Bryant | 23 | F | 6'6" | 190 | GS Senior | Winter Haven, FL | Graduated |
| Jamir Chaplin | 24 | G | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | Norcross, GA | Transferred to Little Rock |
| Russel Tchewa | 54 | C | 7'0" | 280 | Junior | Douala, Cameroon | Transferred to Georgia |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Josh Placer | 2 | G | 6'1" | 184 | RS Senior | Orlando, FL | North Florida |
| Chris Youngblood | 3 | G | 6'4" | 218 | Senior | Tuscaloosa, AL | Kennesaw State |
| Kobe Knox | 4 | G | 6'5" | 195 | RS Sophomore | Tampa, FL | Grand Canyon |
| Brandon Stroud | 5 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Kennesaw State |
| Kasean Pryor | 11 | F | 6'10" | 200 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Northwest Florida State College |
| Kasen Jennings | 13 | G | 6'3" | 202 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Kennesaw State |
| Gerald Jones III | 21 | F | 6'11" | 225 | Junior | Wolfeboro, NH | Saddleback College |
| David Ogunleye | 22 | F | 6'9" | 235 | Junior | Houston, TX | Chabot College |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jayden Reid PG | Des Moines, IA | Grandview Park Baptist School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | May 17, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| Daniel Tobiloba C | Des Moines, IA | Grandview Park Baptist School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 238 lb (108 kg) | Apr 12, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023. ||||||

## Preseason
### AAC Coaches Poll

USF was selected to finish ninth out of 14 in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Florida Atlantic | 167 (11) |
| 2 | Memphis | 159 (3) |
| 3 | Tulane | 142 |
| 4 | UAB | 128 |
| 5 | East Carolina | 105 |
| 6 | North Texas | 100 |
| 7 | SMU | 97 |
| 8 | Wichita State | 90 |
| 9 | South Florida | 62 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 59 |
| 11 | Rice | 56 |
| 12 | Temple | 49 |
| 13 | Charlotte | 46 |
| 14 | UTSA | 14 |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | Edward Waters | W 94–49 | – | 15 – Miguel | 10 – Pryor | 6 – Miguel | Yuengling Center (1,188) Tampa, FL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Carolina State | W 96–52 | 1–0 | 19 – Youngblood | 5 – Reid | 10 – Reid | Yuengling Center (3,807) Tampa, FL |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Michigan | L 63–68 | 1–1 | 20 – Youngblood | 9 – Walker Jr. | 2 – Reid | Yuengling Center (2,965) Tampa, FL |
| November 19, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northern Iowa | W 74–65 | 2–1 | 21 – Placer | 7 – Miguel | 4 – Youngblood | Yuengling Center (4,534) Tampa, FL |
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Maine | L 59–70 | 2–2 | 17 – Youngblood | 12 – Pryor | 5 – Reid | Yuengling Center (3,134) Tampa, FL |
| November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FloSports | | at Hofstra | L 63–82 | 2–3 | 10 – tied | 12 – Hines Jr. | 5 – Reid | Mack Sports Complex (1,758) Hempstead, NY |
| December 2, 2023* 1:00 p.m., NESN | | at UMass | L 56–66 | 2–4 | 16 – Miguel | 5 – Miguel | 4 – Miguel | Mullins Center (3,254) Amherst, MA |
| December 9, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ACCN | | vs. Florida State Orange Bowl Classic | W 88–72 | 3–4 | 20 – Miguel | 10 – Pryor | 3 – Knox | Amerant Bank Arena (–) Sunrise, FL |
| December 12, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 104–86 | 4–4 | 19 – Pryor | 8 – tied | 8 – Reid | Yuengling Center (2,643) Tampa, FL |
| December 17, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Loyola Chicago | W 77–64 | 5–4 | 21 – Miguel | 6 – Reid | 4 – Youngblood | Yuengling Center (4,959) Tampa, FL |
| December 22, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Albany | W 89–73 | 6–4 | 23 – Youngblood | 12 – Stroud | 4 – Youngblood | Yuengling Center (2,759) Tampa, FL |
| December 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alabama State | W 73–70 | 7–4 | 26 – Youngblood | 9 – Hines Jr. | 4 – Reid | Yuengling Center (3,284) Tampa, FL |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Temple | W 76–68 | 8–4 (1–0) | 17 – Youngblood | 9 – Pryor | 6 – Pryor | Yuengling Center (3,388) Tampa, FL |
| January 7, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UAB | L 71–75 | 8–5 (1–1) | 17 – tied | 8 – Pryor | 3 – Stroud | Bartow Arena (3,677) Birmingham, AL |
| January 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Rice | W 81–73 | 9–5 (2–1) | 29 – Pryor | 7 – Hines Jr. | 5 – Reid | Yuengling Center (4,107) Tampa, FL |
| January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 10 Memphis | W 74–73 | 10–5 (3–1) | 23 – Miguel | 10 – Pryor | 3 – tied | FedExForum (10,531) Memphis, TN |
| January 21, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wichita State | W 72–68 | 11–5 (4–1) | 25 – Pryor | 10 – Pryor | 4 – Knox | Yuengling Center (4,414) Tampa, FL |
| January 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Temple | W 75–69 | 12–5 (5–1) | 20 – Pryor | 10 – Pryor | 5 – Miguel | Liacouras Center (3,505) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 27, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UTSA | W 89–72 | 13–5 (6–1) | 18 – Knox | 12 – Stroud | 6 – Miguel | Yuengling Center (5,271) Tampa, FL |
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at East Carolina | W 71–60 | 14–5 (7–1) | 20 – Youngblood | 12 – Stroud | 6 – Youngblood | Williams Arena (4,053) Greenville, NC |
| February 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at North Texas | W 60–55 | 15–5 (8–1) | 16 – Youngblood | 12 – Pryor | 4 – Stroud | The Super Pit (4,316) Denton, TX |
| February 6, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Charlotte | W 72–69 | 16–5 (9–1) | 22 – Miguel | 7 – Stroud | 5 – Miguel | Yuengling Center (6,156) Tampa, FL |
| February 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Rice | W 69–65 | 17–5 (10–1) | 24 – Youngblood | 10 – Pryor | 6 – Knox | Tudor Fieldhouse (1,982) Houston, TX |
| February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tulsa | W 69–50 | 18–5 (11–1) | 14 – Knox | 11 – Pryor | 5 – Pryor | Yuengling Center (4,559) Tampa, FL |
| February 18, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 24 Florida Atlantic | W 90–86 | 19–5 (12–1) | 25 – Miguel | 10 – Walker Jr. | 3 – Walker Jr. | Yuengling Center (10,659) Tampa, FL |
| February 21, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UTSA | W 66–61 | 20–5 (13–1) | 17 – Miguel | 10 – Pryor | 4 – Pryor | Convocation Center (1,580) San Antonio, TX |
| February 25, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | SMU | W 79–68 | 21–5 (14–1) | 19 – Pryor | 9 – Pryor | 5 – Youngblood | Yuengling Center (10,251) Tampa, FL |
| March 2, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 25 | at Charlotte | W 76–61 | 22–5 (15–1) | 17 – Youngblood | 10 – Stroud | 3 – Miguel | Dale F. Halton Arena (7,024) Charlotte, NC |
| March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 24 | Tulane | W 85–72 | 23–5 (16–1) | 29 – Youngblood | 5 – tied | 6 – Reid | Yuengling Center (10,354) Tampa, FL |
| March 9, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 24 | at Tulsa | L 70–76 | 23–6 (16–2) | 29 – Pryor | 11 – Pryor | 3 – Miguel | Reynolds Center (5,515) Tulsa, OK |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (8) East Carolina Quarterfinals | W 81–59 | 24–6 | 17 – Knox | 10 – Pryor | 8 – Stroud | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 16, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (4) UAB Semifinals | L 83–93 | 24–7 | 19 – Miguel | 15 – Pryor | 5 – Pryor | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2024* 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at (4) UCF First round – Villanova bracket War on I-4 | W 83–77 | 25–7 | 19 – Miguel | 9 – Stroud | 3 – Stroud | Addition Financial Arena (4,164) Orlando, FL |
| March 24, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPNU | | VCU Second round – Villanova bracket | L 65–70 | 25–8 | 28 – Youngblood | 10 – Pryor | 3 – Pryor | Yuengling Center (6,398) Tampa, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Awards and recognition
### Players
#### Conference Player of the Year

* Chris Youngblood

#### All-Conference First Team

* Chris Youngblood

#### All-Conference Second Team

* Selton Miguel

#### All-Conference Freshman Team

* Jayden Reid

### Coaches
#### Conference Coach of the Year

* Amir Abdur-Rahim (unanimous)
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | RV | RV | |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | RV | — | |