Bulls travel to Florida in first round WNIT

USF will travel to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday at the O’Connell Center, the selection committee announced late Monday night. Game times will be announced later today.

Florida (14-16) is one of two SEC teams in the field of 64, while USF is one of five Big East teams.

The Gators got the SEC’s automatic birth despite finishing below .500 this season.

The Bulls (15-15) are coming off a 63-51 loss in the first round of the Big East tournament on March 5.

USF, which won the WNIT a season ago, has now made the postseason seven years in a row.

The Florida-USF winner plays the winner of the Florida Gulf Coast at Miami matchup.

USF beat Florida in the first round of the WNiT in 2005.

The Bulls join Syracuse, Marquette, Pittsburgh and Providence as fellow Big East teams in the field.

– Phil Neary