The University of South Florida is in Tampa, Florida, and the Bulls are Louisville’s first-round opponent in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. USF says it serves nearly 50,000 students, and public admissions profiles place its acceptance rate in the low-40% range. Louisville and South Florida are set to meet Thursday in Buffalo.
Readers searching “What city is South Florida in?” usually are not looking for a campus tour. They are trying to figure out where Louisville’s opponent is located and whether this is a program with any real NCAA Tournament history. In this case, it is a useful search because USF is back in the field for the first time since 2012 and comes in with real momentum.
What city is South Florida in?
South Florida is in Tampa, Florida. The university also has a broader system, but for basketball purposes the clean answer is Tampa. That is the city readers need when they are filling out the bracket or trying to place the Bulls on the map.
South Florida enrollment and acceptance rate
USF says it serves nearly 50,000 students, and the university recently announced a record 71,737 applications for summer and fall 2025. Public admissions profiles place the acceptance rate at around 43% to 44%. That makes USF one of the larger and more selective schools in this batch of geographic tournament explainers.
How did South Florida make the tournament?
South Florida reached the NCAA Tournament by winning the AAC Tournament and carrying an 11-game winning streak into the bracket. That hot finish helped turn the Bulls from a nice conference story into a team casual fans suddenly needed to know more about before the Louisville matchup.
Head coach Bryan Hodgson shared some of his story with the school’s website.
“I was a foster kid in a hectic household,” said Hodgson, who said he learned to mix and mingle with all types of people because he was constantly surrounded by other foster kids. “My getaway was to be in the driveway and shoot hoops. I fell in love with this game.
“To be in this chair (as a head coach) and be able to do this, it was my dream as a child. I grew up watching this (NCAA Tournament) on TV. I’m out there watching the NCAA Selection Show and USF’s name pops up going to Buffalo, New York. I’m from Western New York.”
Has South Florida ever won an NCAA tournament game?
Yes. South Florida has prior NCAA Tournament history, and Louisville-area coverage noted that the Bulls entered this tournament still seeking just their third NCAA tournament win. This is also the program’s first trip back to March Madness since 2012.
South Florida stats and top scorers
South Florida’s main names include Wes Enis, Joseph Pinion and Izaiyah Nelson. Recent USF game pages show all three heavily involved in the offense, and Louisville scouting coverage highlighted that scoring trio as the main reason the Bulls look dangerous in a first-round game.
This is not a team that needs a 58-55 grinder to stay alive. USF can score, and that is what gives the Bulls a more realistic upset case than some of the other double-digit seeds.
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