The USF women's basketball program has an upward trajectory — seven victories in the last eight games and four straight wins — heading into the American Conference Tournament at Birmingham, Ala.

But make no mistake, it has been a season of twists and turns. About one week before November's season opener, USF's legendary quarter-century head coach left for the WNBA. The Bulls withstood a ridiculously difficult non-conference schedule, which included ambitious games against the nation's top three ranked teams. And once American play kicked in, the Bulls dropped four league games by a combined eight points.

So where has that emotional roller-coaster left USF heading into the postseason?

Would you believe virtually the same position as last year?

No. 3-seeded USF, the defending American Tournament champions, will enter the event at 20-11 overall, 13-5 in league play (last season, it was 20-10, 13-4 with a cancelled game in the regular-season finale).

Once again, if the Bulls win three games in three days, they will earn the program's 11th NCAA Tournament bid.

"I'm feeling really good right now,'' said interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter, who was a USF assistant for 17 seasons before replacing her old boss, WNBA-bound Jose Fernandez, on Oct. 23. "I think we're peaking at the right time. We can beat anybody in our league. I truly feel that and I think our players feel that.''

Woods-Baxter's optimism is fueled by a lineup of steadily improving defensive stalwarts and four double-digit scorers — 5-foot-7 graduate-student guard Edyn Battle (14.8 points per game), 5-10 graduate-student guard Katie Davidson (12.5), 6-2 graduate-student forward L'or Mputu (10.7, 8.1 rebounds) and 5-8 junior guard Stefanie Ingram (10.0).

There's also the steadying influence of four-year starter Carla Brito, a 5-11 senior forward who's averaging 9.7 points and 9.4 rebounds.

"I give Carla Brito a lot of credit because she's the one who has been here for four years,'' said Woods-Baxter, whose team begins conference tournament play on Thursday afternoon. "She knows the expectations of this program. She does such a wonderful job with the freshmen and the one-year transfers. She does a great job of bringing people together.

"Carla is incredible, but that's just who she is. When Coach Jose (Fernandez) left for the (WNBA's Dallas) Wings, it was open game on all our players. They had the opportunity to transfer. But Carla brought everybody in and said, 'We still got this.' That was huge. She loves South Florida. She bleeds green-and-gold and it shows. She made sure everyone stuck around because we're still going to win the conference. And she truly believed that.''

Brito, who has 1,133 career points and 937 career rebounds (she's one of four USF players to hit the 1,000/900 milestone), said USF will bring its customary confidence into the postseason. The Bulls were picked No. 1 in the American Conference's preseason poll and now have an opportunity to justify that selection.

"We are a great program,'' Brito said. "Over the years, we have been very successful here. The thing we have is pressure (on us). When I say 'pressure,' I think it is a privilege for us. Everyone is watching (USF). What we want to do more than anything is win this tournament.

"We have gone through a lot this season, but I feel this team is very special. We have a deeper bench and more people who can step in. We play good defense and we care about each other. That's what matters and that's what makes this team special. We start with defense and the offense is going to come.''

Battle, a transfer from Jacksonville University, said she learned early on about Brito's value, especially on a roster with four high-profile transfers from established programs.

"Carla means a lot to us,'' Battle said. "She's a leader. She leads us in practices and warmups. She breaks down the huddles. On the court, she's like our motor. She keeps us going and we know she's going to play super hard every time.''

Brito and Battle both said they appreciate the work of Woods-Baxter, who had little time to prepare for her head-coaching role. The players agreed that Woods-Baxter brought stability and encouragement at the season's low moments. That faith paid off with sold play leading into March.

"When our coach (Fernandez) left, we could've decided, 'OK, that's it for us,' '' Brito said. "Instead, we stuck together and she (Woods-Baxter) has been there for us all season. Sometimes, when I see her face, I see Coach Jose's face because it is a (similar) message. But she gave us confidence. She wanted us to go play, have fun, and whatever happens, happens. She says, 'Smile, have fun, share the ball, cheer for each other, stick together.' That is always her message.''

"Like we talked about from the start, we've got to give each other grace as teammates and we also have to give her (Woods-Baxter) grace,'' Battle said. "We've got to believe in her and that's what we've been doing. She has done a good job of helping us win (20 games) and getting us ready (to play for an NCAA Tournament bid).''

Woods-Baxter was asked if she had considered her future, whether a 20-victory season (at least) was enough to give her a shot at the permanent head-coaching position.

"To be honest with you, I'm not even thinking of that right now,'' Woods-Baxter said. "We are just focused on winning the tournament. We have (potentially) three games left, so we're really focusing on that. Then we'll see what happens from there.''