Not even half of the brackets were announced before South Florida became a chic pick to pull off an upset in the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament.
Early in the Selection Sunday show on CBS, we learned that the Bulls, the No. 11 seed in the East Region, will take on No. 6 seed Louisville on Thursday in Buffalo, New York.
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The 6-11 matchup is usually a popular upset selection and CBS analyst (and recent college basketball coach) Bruce Pearl wasted no time getting off an eyebrow-raising pick.
“I look at health,” Pearl said in a quick breakdown of the East Region. “… at the top of the bracket, Mikel Brown, what is his health status? And of course, the 6-11, that’s always a very interesting matchup to pick the underdog. I like the South Florida Bulls.”
Brown, the freshman, is the Cardinals’ second-leading scorer at 18.2 points per game. But he’s nursing a back injury and is questionable for Thursday’s game.
ESPN analysts break down how USF can beat Louisville
An hour after the brackets began to be unveiled, the ESPN “College GameDay” crew broke down the matchups and quickly identified South Florida as a team that could do damage.
“Guys, I think this could be upset city,” Jay Williams said of Louisville-USF. “When you talk about field goals attempted, 65.8 field goals attempted per game, when you’re talking about USF. They get it up, and get it up in a hurry.”
“I think USF is the most likely double-digit seed out of this group to get to the Sweet 16,” host Rece Davis said.
Seth Greenberg continued: “Legitimate frontcourt, play with great speed, shoot over 40% of their shots from 3, unique style of play.” He continued that without Brown, Louisville may have trouble creating offense.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bruce Pearl picks South Florida over Louisville in March Madness upset
Reporting by Kirkland Crawford, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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