USF men’s basketball is unleashing dominance on the court. With electrifying performances, South Florida (23-5, 16-1 AAC) is gearing up for the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

South Florida has clinched the AAC regular-season championship, which gives them the first seed in the tournament.

The AAC Tournament takes place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The tournament will be on March 13-17. 

As the Bulls look to continue their winning streak against Tulsa this Saturday, South Florida will be playing its first conference tournament game on March 15 at 1 p.m. ET. 

Related: Historic USF men’s basketball team cracks AP poll

As the first seed, the Bulls have earned a two-day bye, and a victory would grant them a semifinal berth. 

The winner of the No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed game will be South Florida’s first opponent. 

Currently, East Carolina and Tulsa hold both of those positions in the standings. South Florida has victories against both teams under its winning streak.

Due to a 2-4 start at the beginning of the season, the way the Bulls play in this conference tournament will likely be a deciding factor for their invitation to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was not shy to point out how challenging it’s been playing conference opponents all season.

“You come and spend a night playing basketball in the American Conference,” Abdur-Rahim said after their home game against Tulane on Tuesday. “Top to bottom our league is one of the best in the country. I don’t want to hear nobody talk about ‘Our league is this or that,’ our league is dang good.”

South Florida has not played in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since the 2011-12 season. A conference tournament win would also be the men’s basketball team’s first in program history. 

Despite facing obstacles in the early part of the season, the team has remained consistent in their pursuit of excellence. 

In college basketball, teams from the American Athletic Conference typically do not receive as much national recognition. 

The conference is a Mid-Majors conference as opposed to being a High-Major. A Mid-Major Team has not won an NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since UNLV in 1990, which the High-Major conferences have dominated.

The AAC is newer and does not feature as many big-name schools as some older conferences do. It is also subject to not as much national TV time as other conferences.

The margin for error is the slimmest it’s been all season. 

Abdur-Rahim said their team culture started in the offseason when they looked for guys with E.D.G.E – everyone dedicating great effort.

“I want [the team] to know what it’s like to be counted on every day,” he said. “I tell them all the time, ‘Hey fellas if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.’”