USF Senior Writer
CHICAGO, APRIL 5, 2019 – USF's magical second season under head coach Brian Gregory ended with Bulls hoisting the 2019 College Basketball Invitational trophy after defeating DePaul, 77-65, in Friday's championship game.
USF (24-14) showed its toughness once last time by withstanding a furious comeback by DePaul (19-17) to take the best-of-three series on the road. Despite seeing an early 17-point lead dip down to one, the Bulls responded in a big way after the break to capture the second postseason tournament title in program history.
Gregory's Bulls completed the top turnaround in the NCAA this season, winning 14 more games than in 2017-18, and accomplished the feat by getting contributions from 12 different players.