Top-seeded South Florida beats No. 5 Charlotte in AAC semifinal, moves into championship game Sunday
South Florida’s tournament path continues in Birmingham
Top-seeded South Florida advanced to the American Conference men’s basketball championship game with an 86–64 win over No. 5 seed Charlotte on Saturday, March 14, in Birmingham, Alabama. The result sent the Bulls into Sunday’s title game, where the league’s automatic NCAA tournament bid will be decided.
The American Conference men’s tournament is being played at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham. Under the event’s format, South Florida entered as the No. 1 seed after securing the regular-season conference title and receiving a bye into the semifinal round.
How the matchup fit into each team’s late-season arc
The semifinal was the latest meeting in a season that already included a decisive South Florida victory over Charlotte in the teams’ regular-season finale. On March 8, South Florida defeated Charlotte 83–60 in Tampa, a game that also clinched the Bulls’ regular-season conference championship.
Charlotte reached the semifinal as the No. 5 seed in the conference bracket, a placement that required a deeper run through the tournament field than the top seed’s direct entry into Saturday’s round. The 49ers’ loss ended their conference-tournament pursuit one win short of the championship game.
What Saturday’s result changes for the conference title picture
With the 22-point win, South Florida earned a place in the American’s championship game on Sunday, March 15. The conference title game is significant beyond the trophy: the winner receives the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Date of semifinal: Saturday, March 14
Final score: South Florida 86, Charlotte 64
Setting: Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
Championship game: Sunday, March 15
Seeds, byes, and why South Florida’s position mattered
South Florida’s No. 1 seed was tied directly to its regular-season conference performance and carried a practical advantage: a bye into the semifinals. Charlotte, seeded fifth, faced a more demanding route to the final in a bracket designed to reward the highest finishers in conference play.
The championship game will determine the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid.
What to watch next
South Florida will enter Sunday’s championship game with momentum from consecutive wins over Charlotte in a one-week span. For Charlotte, the focus turns to postseason possibilities outside the conference tournament after falling in the semifinal round.