As the winter chill hits Tampa and eventually morphs into the spring, it's the busiest time of the year for USF Athletics. Here's a look at 12 events— USF's Dandy Dozen — that are can't-miss home or Tampa Bay area competitions for Bulls fans to enjoy over the next three months (February, March & April) as we move through an exciting winter and spring season. 
 

FEBRUARY

Top Softball Opponents Open Season 
Coach Ken Eriksen's softball program, which finished 44-16-1 with an American Conference Tournament championship and an NCAA Regional bid last season, opens by hosting the USF-Rawlings Invitational, Feb. 5-8. The Bulls will face a pair of marquee opponents in Michigan (Feb. 6) and Florida (Feb. 8) as the USF Softball Stadium.
        Get Softball Tickets HERE

Baseball's Opening Series 
Coach Mitch Hannahs' baseball program, which finished 31-25 overall and 16-11 in American Conference play in his first season, hopes to continue that momentum with a Feb. 13-15 season-opening series against the Big Ten Conference's Illinois Fighting Illini at the USF Baseball Stadium.
        Get Baseball Tickets HERE
 

Big Lacrosse Challenge
Coach Mindy McCord's second-year lacrosse program, which finished 13-5 in its debut season, has an ambitious schedule that features eight NCAA Tournament teams. On Feb. 15, the Bulls host the Michigan Wolverines, ranked No. 14 in preseason polls.
        Get Lacrosse Tickets HERE
 

Men's Golf Close To Home
Coach Steve Bradley's men's golf program, which finished fourth at last season's NCAA Regionals to the make the fifth NCAA Championships appearance in program history, hosts the Lake Jovita Invitational on Feb. 16-17 at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City.
        Attendance at golf events is free
 

Memphis Rolls Into Town For A Hoops Showdown
Coach Bryan Hodgson's USF men's basketball program, in the hunt for a conference championship, will host perennial American Conference power Memphis on Feb. 19 for a "Throwback Thursday'' game played before a national television audience on ESPN2. In the American's preseason poll, Memphis was ranked No. 1 and USF No. 2.
        Get basketball tickets HERE
 

Exciting Tennis Weekend In New Facility
The best weekend for USF tennis occurs on Feb. 21-22 at the brand-new USF tennis facility on campus, across the parking lot from the Yuengling Center. Coach Cristina Moros' women's program faces UTSA in the American Conference opener on Feb. 21. The next day on Feb. 22, Coach Ashley Fisher's men's program hosts the Clemson Tigers, an NCAA Tournament participant last season.
        Attendance at tennis events is free

 

MARCH

Senior Night For Women's Hoops
Coach Michele Woods-Baxter's USF women's basketball program concludes its home schedule on March 3 by welcoming the Temple Owls for Senior Night at the Yuengling Center. With six seniors or graduate students, USF's festivities will be active. Notably, it's the final home game for four-year player Carla Brito, the American Conference Preseason Player of the Year, who's bidding to become only the program's seventh player with 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.
        Get basketball tickets HERE
 

High Level Track & Field
Coach Eric Jenkins and the USF track program will host a large field that includes some of the top track programs in the nation for the USF Alumni Invitational, March 20-21 at the USF Track and Field Stadium. Among the field of teams competing are Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Louisville, Minnesota, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Bulls men's team has won back-to-back American Conference championships in both indoor and outdoor – claiming four conference team titles in the last two years – and won a national championship last year in the 4X400-meter relay.                  
        Attendance at track & field events is free 
 

Getting Some Revenge?
USF lacrosse hosts James Madison, one of its top American Conference rivals, on March 21 at Corbett Stadium. Last season, USF reached the conference tournament championship game, but fell 18-9 against No. 9-ranked James Madison. The Bulls were understandably disappointed, but it was another high-water mark in a debut season that saw the program finish No. 38 in the RPI rankings, while dispatching a pair of teams (Mercer, Liberty) that reached the NCAA Tournament field.
        Get lacrosse tickets HERE
 

Beach Volleyball Debut
It's the inaugural season for Coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima's beach volleyball squad and the Bulls will host their first home competition at the Stampede Beach Opener on March 27-28 at Clearwater Beach. There's free admission. USF, competing in Conference USA, will welcome a tournament field that includes Sacramento State, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, UAB and UTEP. Marquee matches will generally be held each day in the 1:30-3:30 afternoon window. Later in the spring, USF will also host the Gulf Front Invitational on April 17-18 at Clearwater Beach. That tournament field includes three teams that were in last season's top 20 rankings (Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast and LSU).
        Attendance at beach volleyball events is free
 

APRIL

Softball State Showdown
In a matchup of two NCAA Tournament participants from last season, Coach Ken Eriksen's Bulls will host the Florida Atlantic Owls on April 20-22. USF won the American Conference Tournament, while FAU earned an NCAA at-large bid last season. FAU was picked first and South Florida second in the 2026 preseason poll.
        Get softball tickets HERE 

Women's Golf Conference Championship 
Coach A.J. Newell, in her second season, will lead USF women's golf into the American Conference Championship tournament on April 20-22 at Brooksville's Southern Hills Plantation Club.
        Attendance at golf events is free

 

–#GoBulls–