Once reality set in that there would be no more practices, no more road trips to bond on, and no more wins to add to a breakthrough season, dread quickly washed over University of South Florida men’s basketball coach Stan Heath.

In the immediate aftermath of USF’s 58-57 loss to North Carolina State in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night, Heath’s first task was to walk into the Bulls’ dejected locker room and say something.

“It was hard to figure out what to say,’’ Heath said.

When USF opened the season with a road victory at SMU more than four months ago, no one expected the Bulls to add 19 more victories for only the third 20-win season in school history. When the Bulls lost their first four Big East games, no one expected them to rebound and finish .500 in the conference. But the Bulls pulled off many surprises on the way to a 20-13 record and their first trip to the postseason in eight years.

Those accomplishments, not the disappointment of Tuesday’s loss – USF had a chance to win with eight seconds left but failed to get a good shot off at the buzzer – were what Heath spoke to his team about.

“At the end of the day I think we’ve got to look at so many positive things that happened compared to this last eight seconds,’’ he said.

In his third season, Heath led the Bulls to their first winning season since Seth Greenberg’s final year in 2003. Along the way, the Bulls upset Georgetown on the road and Pittsburgh at home, and they won their first game in the Big East Tournament.

More than that, though, USF finally re-emerged from college basketball’s wasteland. While an NIT trip might not be a big step for some programs, for USF, it was a leap toward respect considering where the program has languished the past decade.

“I’m proud of the season that we had and I’m proud of my teammates,’’ senior Chris Howard said. “I’m proud of the way they fought. You can hang your hats on the guys coming back next year. They’ve got a lot to look forward to and a lot to live up to.’’

Next season’s outlook will be shaped largely on whether All-Big East junior guard Dominique Jones opts to return to school or enter the NBA draft. The Bulls lose seniors Howard, Mike Mercer, Ryan Kardok and Alex Rivas, but forward Augustus Gilchrist, center Jarrid Famous and forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick provide a strong nucleus to build around if Jones leaves, or to complement Jones if he returns.

Jones was visibly stung by the loss to the Wolfpack.

“Certain things happen for a reason, and you’ve just got to move on,’’ Jones said. “You’ve just got to deal with it and look forward to next season.’’

For the first time in a long time, USF fans will do just that.

Heath hit the road to recruit on Wednesday, already looking ahead intent on making sure this season wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

“We figured out how to win,’’ Heath said. “We enjoyed winning. We came together as a team and brought the intensity level to practice every day. It’s just fun to see a group of guys grow up right before your eyes – to go from maybe keeping it close or losing, to coming out expecting to win.

“Hopefully this is a strong foundation for our future.’’