USF Women’s Basketball makes the NCAA Tournament, plays Marquette this week

March Madness has arrived in Tampa and our own USF Bulls are in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The squad suffered an upset loss to Wichita State in the AAC Tournament (one they were favored to win), but they’re on the hunt for redemption.

USF is advancing to its ninth NCAA Tournament in program history, earning the No. 8-Seed in the Greenville 1 Region, and will face ninth-seeded Marquette in the first round at the University of South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena at Columbia, S.C. on Friday, March 17. The contest tips off at 11:30am, and can be watched on ESPN2.

The USF-Marquette winner will advance to the second round on Sunday, March 19 to face the first-round winner between the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina and 16th-seeded Norfolk State.

USF Bulls prime for an NCAA Tournament run

Friday will mark the 22nd meeting between the Bulls and the Golden Eagles – former Conference USA and BIG EAST Conference members – with Marquette holding a 17-4 series lead. The Golden Eagles lost to UConn, 81-52, on March 5, in the BIG EAST Conference championship game.

USF is currently 26-6 on the year and went 15-1 in the American Athletic Conference play this season, winning the AAC regular-season championship for the second time in program history and the second time in the past three years.  

South Florida’s 26 wins mark the 11th time in program history – all under head coach Jose Fernandez – that the Bulls have won 20 games or more, and the eighth time in the last 11 years. In addition, their 26 wins are tied for the second most in program history, joining the 2017-18 team, and one shy of tying the program record of 27 victories set during the 2008-09 and 2014-15 seasons.

Tune in Friday to cheer on your local Bulls!

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