CHARLOTTE — A stiff test awaits Charlotte to end its regular season in the form of American Conference regular-season champion South Florida on Sunday at 2 p.m. 

The 49ers will head to Tampa looking to break their two-game losing streak after an overtime loss to FAU on the road and a home loss to UAB on Wednesday, 80-74. The latest dropped them out of a tie for the conference’s fourth seed in the tournament and eliminated them from earning a double-bye. 

Charlotte took last year’s game against South Florida, 69-61 at home, ahead of Sunday’s 58th matchup in the series. The 49ers had dropped four consecutive games to the Bulls before last year, and haven’t captured a win in Tampa since Jan. 18, 2002, dropping each of their last four on the coast. 

GAME DAY DETAILS

Charlotte (15-15, 9-8) at South Florida (22-8, 14-3)
Sunday, March 8  — 2 p.m.
Yuengling Center — Tampa, Fla.

GAME COVERAGE

Television » ESPN+
Radio » Charlotte49ers.com
Statistics » Statbroadcast

Scouting the Bulls

Last Time Out
South Florida earned a 96-89 road win at Memphis on Thursday after pulling away late in a fast-paced matchup. The teams traded runs throughout the first half before the Bulls used a late surge to take a 51-46 lead into the break. USF never trailed in the second half and pushed its advantage to as many as 14. Wes Enis led all scorers with 29 points, while Josh Omojafo added 21.

An Impressive Season Already

The victory improved the Bulls to 22-8 overall and 14-3 in the American Conference, clinching the outright regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the American Conference Tournament. It’s the program’s second regular-season title in the last three seasons after winning it with a 16-2 record in 2023-24. The win also marked the program’s 750th all-time victory and a program-record ninth road win this season.

Wes Can Impress

Wes Enis may have been in Division II last year, but he’s shown he can excel at any level in short order. South Florida’s leading scorer, after transferring from Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, Tenn., is averaging 16.4 points per game this season, good for sixth in the American. His proficiency from outside is a leading reason, as the guard’s 96 3-pointers rank second in the league, and he has two games with 10 3-pointers. He came to the Bulls with plenty of hardware after being named an NABC Division II All-America selection, a D2CCA All-America pick and the South Atlantic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year. This came on the heels of being the conference’s freshman of the year the year prior.

Hardly Alone

Izaiyah Nelson, even if slightly behind Enis’ 16.4 points per game, is far from an afterthought. The Arkansas State transfer is right behind at 16 per game, earning American Conference Player of the Week honors at the beginning of January on top of three honorable mention selections. He has scored in double figures 25 times this season, highlighted by a season-high tying 25 at Alabama and again against Tulsa.

Three’s Company

South Florida’s scoring is balanced, with at least three players reaching double figures in 29 of its 30 games this season, including four against Memphis in the Bulls’ latest win. They’ve had as many as five reach double figures in the same game this season, doing so in nine contests.

Game Notes

Sixth in the Standings, Maybe
A hard-fought loss to UAB cost Charlotte in the American Conference standings. A chance for a top-four seed went awry in the loss and pushed the 49ers down to a possible sixth seed in the tournament and the final first-round bye. Following Thursday’s results, they could be slated to play the winner of No. 7 North Texas and No. 10 Memphis in the second round for a chance to play No. 3 seed Wichita State in the quarterfinals.

A Hot Start to 2026

The 49ers rang in the new year with seven wins in eight games to rise into first place in the American Conference standings. It marked Charlotte’s best calendar-year start since opening 2024 with an 8-1 record, courtesy of an eight-game conference winning streak, and came after the program was picked to finish last in the American preseason coaches poll.

A New High Against North Texas

North Texas entered Wednesday’s game as the league’s best defense by opposing scoring average but allowed a season-best effort to Charlotte. The 49ers shot a season-high 60.5% against the Mean Green, their highest single-game field-goal percentage since March 22, 2023, against Eastern Kentucky. It was also the first time they made at least 55% of their shots in both halves of a game since Nov. 4, 2024, against Presbyterian.

Conyers Capitalizing on Opportunity

Arden Conyers stepped up in Damoni Harrison’s absence against UAB, scoring a career-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers and a 5-for-6 mark at the free-throw line. It was a rebound effort for the forward after a tough stretch in the scoring department. He scored 22 combined points across the five games before breaking out against the Blazers, getting back to his usual double-digit scoring output — he’s scored in double figures 10 times this season.

A Collective Effort

Conyers was one of multiple Charlotte players to step up in the absence of Harrison and Major Freeman on Wednesday. He led five double-digit scorers for the 49ers, including Ben Bradford (17), Dezayne Mingo (13), Spencer Elliott (11) and Anton Bonke (10). It marked the first time the 49ers have had five players reach double figures since their win over UTSA on Jan. 7.

Spencer Back in Double Figures

Spencer Elliott’s impact grew in the box score against UAB when he contributed a career-high 11 points, his second time in double figures this season. He also added 10 against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 2, 2025. His scoring average has doubled since then as he fell a minute short of setting a career-high in playing time against the Blazers.

Return of the Bonke

Anton Bonke has found his groove to end the conference slate, adding 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks in his latest outing against UAB. It comes on the heels of a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double performance at Florida Atlantic. Bonke is averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over the last five and has reached double figures in either scoring or rebounding in 19 games this season.

Blocking Into the Top-10 

Bonke moved further into Charlotte’s record book on Wednesday with his three blocks. His 48 this season are tied for the eighth-most in a season in program history with Martin Iti (2004-05) and Alexander Kuehl (1996-97). He’s seven away from tying Cedric Maxwell’s 55 set during the 1976-77 season.

Count on Ben

Bradford continued to buoy Charlotte’s offense on Wednesday with a 17-point showing, bringing his scoring average over the last six games to 15.1 and his season average to 13.1. He has reached double figures in 20 games this season and has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 11 games.