USF guard Wes Enis sends clear message to Louisville before NCAA Tournament: 'I think we're the better team'

March Madness has arrived, and the phrase survive and advance will be the motto many teams live by. However, No. 11 seed South Florida isn’t just happy to be there — according to guard Wes Enis, they’re straight up better than their opponents, the No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals.

Enis, the team’s leading scorer with 16.8 points per game, had some pointed comments toward their first-round opponents. Despite the seeding disparity, Enis is confident in his team’s abilities on Thursday.

“I don’t think it’s an upset. I think we’re the better team,” Enis said. “I don’t really care what 11-6 says. I think we’re the better team, so I wouldn’t really call it an upset.”

South Florida’s Wes Enis on what it would mean to pull off the 11-6 upset 👀

“I don't think it's an upset. I think we're the better team. I don't really care what 11-6 says. I think we're the better team, so I wouldn't really call it an upset."pic.twitter.com/fmAlWqMDxn

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 16, 2026

A clear, confident message sent to the Cardinals. Coming off an American Conference tournament championship run, the Bulls could be looked at as one of the hottest teams in the field. They’re on an 11-game win streak heading into the NCAA Tournament and won both conference tournament games by 22 and 25 points, respectively.

The last time the Bulls lost was on Jan. 31 during a 79-78 loss to Temple on the road. They enter the tournament with a 25-8 record overall.

For the Cardinals, they’ll look to make Enis eat his words when they meet on Thursday afternoon. Louisville most recently split its games in the ACC Tournament, but finished the year with a 23-10 record including an 11-7 mark against conference competition.

They’re led by the guard tandem of Ryan Conwell and superstar freshman Mikel Brown Jr. — both of which are averaging over 18 points per game for the Cardinals this season. Brown was absent during the ACC Tournament nursing an injury, and is still considered day to day for the opening game of March Madness.

Conwell scored 22 points and logged nine rebounds during their ACC tournament loss to Miami. In Brown’s absence, J’Vonne Hadley, who averages 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, stepped up with 19 points in 37 minutes on the court.

Tip-off between the Cardinals and Bulls is set for 1:30 p.m. ET live on TNT. It’ll be the third game that tips off during the opening day of action behind TCU (9 seed) vs. Ohio State (8) and Troy (13) vs. Nebraska (4).