USF women’s basketball will play a postseason mainstay in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament.

USF (23-10, 13-4 AAC) will play Tennessee in the Round of 64 on Friday night after the Bulls secured a March Madness bid with their American Athletic Conference championship. 

Tennessee (22-9, 8-8 SEC) is one of the most decorated women’s basketball programs of all time, dating back to the eight NCAA championships it won under former coach Pat Summitt’s 38-year tenure. 

The No. 12-seeded Lady Volunteers have made the tournament every year since it was established in 1982. Their 43 consecutive years playing in the postseason are the most by any men’s or women’s program. 

Related: USF to play Tennessee in first round of NCAA tournament

They’ve only been bounced out of the first round twice this century, in 2009 and 2019. 

Despite the seemingly daunting opponent, No.5-seeded USF may be in a favorable position.

Tennessee lost three of its last four games to end the season, including a second-round Southeastern Conference tournament loss to Vanderbilt. 

Bulls coach Jose Fernandez is making his 10th tournament appearance. He understands what it’s like to face a team like the Volunteers. 

“You go to the NCAA tournament, you don’t play bad teams,” Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said on Sunday. “They’re in the tournament for a reason.” 

USF will play the Lady Volunteers in Columbus, Ohio at the Schottenstein Center – the home court of the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Bulls guard Sammie Puisis is from Mason, a town just a 90-minute drive away. She said she’s “excited” to return to a court she’s familiar with. 

Puisis was also a part of the Bulls’ last NCAA tournament run in 2023. The Bulls missed the tournament last year, a season in which she only played one game because of a knee injury.

“We’ve played these types of teams in November and December,” Puisis said. “We’re prepared and we’re ready to go.” 

USF’s Mama Dembele played four seasons at Missouri – four seasons in which the Tigers failed to make the NCAA tournament. 

Related: USF women’s basketball wins AAC championship: ‘We weren’t going to lose’

The 23-year old guard played a crucial role in the Bulls’ AAC tournament run. 

Dembele averaged 13.0 points per game in the tournament, way ahead of her previous season average of 5.9. 

She said getting to play in March Madness is “everything she wanted.” 

“I feel like there were a lot of things on my to do list,” Dembele said. “I did a lot of them in the SEC, and the last one was getting to the NCAA tournament. I’m so happy that I got to that.” 

The Bulls – now two-time conference champions – are getting back to the tournament they’ve been familiar with. 

Since 2012, the Bulls have only been excluded from the bracket three times. 

But there’s an elusive feat USF is trying to chase – getting to the Sweet 16. 

The Bulls are 5-4 when playing in the first round, but 0-5 when they advance. 

Their closest shot was arguably in 2013, when the 10th-seeded Bulls took No. 2 California to the wire in overtime, but ultimately fell 82-78. 

In an unlikely year prompted by an unlikely tournament run, the Bulls may need to overcome history. 

Puisis – in her sixth and final NCAA season – is trying to do just that. 

“I’m just trying to be a great teammate, a great leader, and enjoy what could maybe be my last few games,” she said. 

USF women’s basketball will play Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 8 p.m. Friday. It will be broadcast on ESPN and Bulls Unlimited.