IRVING, Texas – Eighth-seeded USF defeated the No. 9 seed Temple, 73-71, in the first game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
After surviving a late flurry from the Owls (5-11), the Bulls (9-12) will face No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Wichita State on Friday, March 12 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. The game will be a rematch of the regular-season finale for both schools, an 80-63 Shocker victory on March 6 in Wichita, Kan.
USF gradually built a lead in the second half and led 67-56 with 2:12 remaining before Brendan Barry buried three consecutive 3-point field goals to cut the lead to two with 1:07 remaining, but that was as close as the Owls would come.