USF Athletics

Bulls Host No. 1 UConn in Top-25 Showdown Saturday Night

January 05, 2018

MATCHUP: No. 1 UConn (12-0, 2-0) at No. 22 USF (12-3, 2-0)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Jan. 6/7 p.m.
LOCATION: Sun Dome, Tampa
WATCH: ESPN3, SNY
LISTEN: 820-AM | Bulls Unlimited
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFWBB
LIVE STATS
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
 
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 5, 2018 – After building momentum during a 12-3 start, No. 22 USF has a chance to make monumental waves in the women's college basketball world this weekend.

The Sun Dome is the place to be Saturday, when head coach Jose Fernandez's motivated Bulls take on top-ranked UConn (12-0, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

"Without a doubt, it's going to be a great atmosphere for basketball, like it always is in this building," Fernandez said.

Instantly poised for the postseason, USF has prepared itself well for this kind of tall task by continuously facing tough competition up to this point. The Bulls took down LSU at the Sun Dome in opening night and the schedule also has included tests against Butler, No. 2 Notre Dame, George Washington and Oklahoma before conference play began.

"I think our kids have been challenged," Fernandez said. "We've put our kids in some pretty competitive situations to prepare ourselves for January and February. We still have (No. 10) Ohio State coming in here in the middle of February as a nonconference game."

Like the Buckeyes and the rest of its perennial NCAA tournament opponents, USF is embracing an opportunity like Saturday.

UConn has captured the national title in four of the last five years and has won its past 42 road games. Head coach Geno Auriemma's squad is 85-0 against American Athletic Conference opponents in regular season and tournament games.

"As a coach, anytime that you're competing against a program like Connecticut, one of the best teams in the history of college basketball, and a legendary Hall of Fame coach like Geno, that's what drives you every day," Fernandez said. "You want to coach against the best players in the country and you want to compete against the best coaches in the country."

Like Fernandez, USF's roster of talented players isn't shying away a chance to take down the Huskies. After replacing four starters last season, the Bulls now know what to expect.

"We need to focus, we need to be all in," said sharp-shooting junior Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia). "Despite us playing UConn, the big name, the No. 1 team, we have to play our game. We can't focus as much on them. We have to play our own game and play really, really well."

Expect a Packed House
Purchase your tickets fast and head to campus early because Saturday should be much like the past four USF-UConn games in Tampa.

Since 2014, the matchup has drawn an average of 6,190 fans at the Sun Dome after USF set a program attendance record of 6,634 when the Huskies visited in 2016.

"I want this place to be packed. I want people to come out and see us play," Laksa said before practice at Sun Dome on Thursday. "I think it's going to be a great game. I hope the student section is great. I hope people from Tampa, from everywhere, our fans come out and really support us. I'm real excited about that."

Familiar Foes
UConn is no stranger to USF, which has faced off against the Huskies 23 times since the 2002-03 season.

"It's unbelievable that we've come full circle now," Fernandez said. "We started that as a home-and-home, nonconference game and from Conference USA you go into the Big East and now we're in The American."

Since USF has grown into a consistent top-25 program, the Bulls have taken on UConn three times in each of the past three seasons.

"Where both programs are at, we expect to play them three times – twice during the year and again for the conference tournament championship," Fernandez said. "That's what we've done in the last three years."

While battling UConn has become a tradition, Fernandez has built a close bond with Auriemma, who has won 11 national titles and 1,003 games with the Huskies since 1985.

"I've been here 18 years and he's been an incredible friend and he's been very, very supportive of what we've been able to do here at South Florida," Fernandez said. "You look back and we've played each other a lot. You remember the conversations that you have on the road recruiting, at the Final Fours, at conventions, and at spring meetings."

Bulls Bits

• USF has won two straight heading into Saturday after leaving Cincinnati with a 69-46 victory on Wednesday night. USF has started its run in The American at 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
• The last time out, senior forward Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) became the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 700 rebounds. With 707 rebounds, Jespersen needs 23 more boards to pass Ezria Parsons (2003-05)) and move into ninth on USF's career list.
• Senior point guard Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) has racked up 100 assists this season (11th-most nationally) and leads The American with 6.7 assists per game. Flores ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.17).
• Junior guard Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) ranks second in The American in scoring (21.5 ppg) and is second in the nation with 4.1 made three-pointers per outing.

 
About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its fifth consecutive 20-win season. The Bulls tallied its 20th win in their 24th contest of the season which tied the fastest any program has reached 20 wins. This is the eighth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all eight 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team reached 20 wins in 24 games, and still currently holds the best record for most wins in a season (27).
 
USF has made 13 postseason tournament appearances and had five NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 17 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to eight 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.