NCAA First Round Features Battle of the Bulls
Matchup: 19/20 USF (26-7) vs. Buffalo (27-5)
Date: Saturday, March 17
Time: 1:15 p.m.
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Tucker Civic Center
Watch: ESPN2 (Regional Coverage)
Radio: AM 1040 | BullsUnlimited (
Darek Sharp | Brigid Merenda)
Follow: Listen |
Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, MARCH 16, 2018 – The USF women's basketball starts its NCAA Tournament journey against 11th-seed Buffalo Saturday. The Bulls return to Tallahassee for the second straight-season, this time as the 6-seed. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:15 and will air regionally on ESPN2.
USF will play in the second game of a double-header and tip will adjust based on the completion of the FSU-Little Rock game. A minimum of 30 minutes will occur between contests. ESPN2 will air the game regionally, but can also be viewed online or via the WatchESPN app.
USF (26-7) makes its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and its fifth in five years under head coach
Jose Fernandez. The Bulls will play in the 6-11 match up for the fifth consecutive season, and look to remain perfect in the first round as a 6-seed. The Bulls will face the Bulls of Buffalo (27-5) for the first time in program history.
Led by American Athletic Conference all-conference first team selections
Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) and
Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia), the Bulls are looking for win number 27 Saturday. A win would tie the most wins in program history. Jespersen joins
Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) as the only graduating senior class to reach four NCAA Tournaments and surpass 100-career wins in four seasons.
Laksa is on the hunt for the junior class scoring record of 710 points, set by Courtney Williams. The junior sharp-shooter leads the team with 689 points this season and only needs 22 points to surpass the record. Laksa is one of seven players in Division I with 120-plus three-pointers this season.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Jose Fernandez on what he's learned about Buffalo:
"They're very, very aggressive. I think defensively, we're going to have to do a really, really good job protecting the basketball and be really sharp on cuts and cleaning up our screens. I think they're a very, very good defensive team. They'll turn you over. They foul 23-24 times a game, so we've got to be strong with the basketball and we've got to do a great job on the glass. Rebounding is going to be huge."
Fernandez on the Bulls playing their best basketball at this point in the season:
"Our kids are excited. I thought we've had a really fun and spirited week of practice. We'll take it one game at a time, that's all you can do."
Fernandez on productive practices leading up to NCAA tournament action:
"We really were concerned about us those first couple days and then having our scrimmage guys give us some good looks on the things we have to do well against Buffalo defensively. I think our kids are excited. It's an unbelievable opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. There's a lot of teams that would love to be in the position we're in right now. We're looking forward to going up to Tallahassee."
Maria Jespersen on the excitement of playing in the NCAA tournament:
"I'm really excited. The entire season, you play to play in these games. The NCAA tournament is always the goal, so it's nice that it's finally here."
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season in an 84-65 romp of No. 13 Ohio State. This is the ninth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all nine 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team holds the 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.
– #GoBulls –
