USF men’s basketball looks to capitalize on NIT ‘opportunity’
The War on I-4 seemingly came to an end for the foreseeable future after UCF moved the Big 12 last July.
However, that changed when USF men’s basketball and UCF (17-15, 7-11 Big 12) were selected to face each other in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday. It marks the 49th matchup between the two programs.
Bulls (24-7, 16-2 AAC) coach Amir Abdur-Rahim said that he is happy to have more time to coach his team this season after being denied an NCAA tournament appearance.
Related: USF men’s basketball to play in the NIT after missing March Madness
“Yes, it’s not what we, in our opinion, earned or felt like we deserved,” he said. “But instead of complaining about it, let’s be grateful for the opportunity to continue to battle with one another, grow and get better.”
Tuesday’s game also marks the first time the two programs will face off as non-conference teams. USF won both meetings against the Knights last season.
Related: Harris leads Bulls to upset the Knights
UCF totaled three ranked wins in its first season in the Big 12: then-ranked No. 3 Kansas, No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 23 Texas Tech.
The Knights also earned their first win in the Big 12 conference tournament in a 77-62 first-round win over Oklahoma State before losing to BYU 87-73 in the second.
Abdur-Rahim said the Knights are particularly disruptive defensively. This season, they held their opponents to 67.5 points per game and 40.9% field goal shooting, ranking third in the conference in scoring defense.
He also cited UCF guards, Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson, as a “dynamic duo.” Sellers and Johnson are the Knights’ two leading scorers at 15.7 and 14.6 points per game respectively.
While this is Abdur-Rahim’s first time coaching a War on I-4 game, he recognizes its importance to fans. He compared it to his experience with the University of Texas-Texas A&M rivalry as an assistant coach with the Aggies.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to continue to establish who we plan to be and who we’ve established we are in this state,” Abdur-Rahim said. “So, yeah, I’m looking forward to it. If it’s a rivalry for our fans, I’m ready to go to battle for our fans.”
Related: No. 25 USF men’s basketball secures regular-season conference title in win over Charlotte
Abdur-Rahim also emphasized that the NIT isn’t the standard he envisioned setting for his program — but it’s a step towards it.
“Basketball in March — It’s not an easy thing to do, it’s not an easy thing to accomplish,“ he said. “So the message to the group was: ‘Hey, we’re going to be grateful for the opportunity.’’’
The game’s tipoff is at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. The winner of this matchup will play the winner of Villanova vs. VCU in the second round.
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