{"id":762315,"date":"2026-06-16T07:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T07:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/762315\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T07:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T07:48:16","slug":"usf-to-face-st-joes-in-annapolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/762315\/","title":{"rendered":"USF to face St. Joe’s in Annapolis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

USF Heads to Annapolis for Veterans Classic Showcase<\/p>\n

USF men\u2019s basketball <\/a>will open a new chapter under head coach Chris Mack with a nationally televised appearance in one of college basketball\u2019s most respected early\u2011season events. The Bulls have been selected to compete in the 13th edition of the Veterans Classic, taking on St. Joseph\u2019s on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.<\/p>\n

The doubleheader begins with USF vs. St. Joe\u2019s at 3 p.m., followed by Navy vs. Penn at 5:30 p.m. Both games will air on CBS Sports Network, giving the Bulls a strong national platform early in the 2026\u201327 season.<\/p>\n

A Field Loaded With Postseason Teams<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Veterans Classic features a field with significant postseason pedigree. USF and Penn both reached the 2026 NCAA Tournament, while Navy and St. Joseph\u2019s advanced to the NIT. The four programs combined for a 93\u201141 record last season, underscoring the event\u2019s reputation for pairing competitive, high\u2011profile matchups around Veterans Day .<\/p>\n

St. Joe\u2019s enters the game coming off a 24\u201112 season and a trip to the NIT quarterfinals. The Bulls and Hawks last met in 2022 at the Sunshine Slam, where USF earned a 75\u201162 win. The all\u2011time series is tied 1\u20111.<\/p>\n

Honoring Veterans and Immersing in Naval Academy Tradition<\/p>\n

The Veterans Classic is more than a basketball showcase. Each visiting team spends the day before the game touring the Naval Academy, meeting midshipmen, and participating in events designed to honor the nation\u2019s veterans. During the doubleheader, veterans from all service branches are recognized in front of the Alumni Hall crowd.<\/p>\n

Ticket information will be released later, with reserved lower\u2011level seats priced at $40 and upper\u2011level general admission at $25 .<\/p>\n

Chris Mack Begins His First Season With a Rebuilt Roster<\/p>\n

The matchup marks one of the first major tests of the Chris Mack era at USF. Mack, hired in March, takes over a program that won 25 games last season, captured both the American Athletic Conference regular\u2011season and tournament titles, and returned to the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n

USF enters 2026\u201327 with a completely rebuilt roster\u201415 new players, including 12 transfers and three high\u2011school signees. The transfer class ranks among the top in the Group of 6, featuring multiple four\u2011star additions and an average rating of 89.00 according to 247Sports .<\/p>\n

The Bulls have already announced non\u2011conference games at DePaul, Dayton, and a home matchup with Kennesaw State, making the Veterans Classic a centerpiece of a challenging early schedule.<\/p>\n

A National Stage for a New\u2011Look Bulls Team<\/p>\n

For USF, the Veterans Classic offers visibility, competition, and a meaningful opportunity to honor service members. For Chris Mack, it\u2019s an early chance to showcase a retooled roster and set the tone for a season filled with expectations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USF Heads to Annapolis for Veterans Classic Showcase USF men\u2019s basketball will open a new chapter under head…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":762316,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[40944,7,58681,217,51769,231,772,93553,1544,35577,86357,93554],"class_list":["post-762315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-basketball","tag-american-conference","tag-basketball","tag-chris-mack","tag-college-basketball","tag-naval-academy","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-basketball","tag-ncaa-hoops","tag-ncaab","tag-st-joes","tag-usf-basketball","tag-veterans-classic"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116758689075248058","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/762316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}