USF women’s basketball gears up for AAC tournament
USF women’s basketball is less than a week away from the American Athletic Conference Tournament (AAC) – a championship they haven’t won since 2021.
With a conference championship, the Bulls would not just receive a trophy, but also an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
USF last played in the NCAA tournament in 2023, when they defeated Marquette 67-65 in overtime. However, the Bulls failed to get past the second round, falling 76-45 to then-No. 1 South Carolina.
The Bulls (20-10, 13-4 AAC) are coming off two straight conference losses, following a nine-game win streak. USF dropped a game against Tulsa on the road on Feb. 26 and then lost to ECU at home on Saturday.
UTSA won the regular season conference title following the Bulls’ loss to Tulsa on Feb. 26.
The Bulls received a double-bye in the conference tournament as they finished as one of the top four seeds entering the playoff.
UTSA is set to be the number one seed, followed by North Texas, USF and Temple. Each one of these teams will begin play in the quarterfinals on March 10.
Related: USF women’s basketball narrowing in on NCAA tournament return. Here’s how it gets there – The Oracle
As the third seed, the Bulls look to play against Tulane or Wichita State – which are the sixth and the eleventh seed, respectively – in the conference tournament.
USF still has one more game during the regular season against Tulane on Thursday in New Orleans. However, the result of the match will not matter for the Bulls, as they are locked in as the third seed no matter the outcome.
Earlier in the season, the Bulls managed to defeat UTSA (26-3, 17-1 AAC), handing them their only conference loss on the year.
During that match, senior forward Romi Levy scored her season-high 21 points, while graduate guard Sammie Puisis scored 16 points against the Roadrunners.
UTSA had a season for the record books, hoisting their best record in program history with 25 wins.
In order to defeat UTSA again, the Bulls will need to rely on good performances from Puisis, as she has been the Bulls most consistent player — boasting a team high 15.3 points per game.
Related: USF’s Sammie Puisis making waves in final season as a Bull – The Oracle
“Everything we want is still in front of us,” Puisis said after the loss against East Carolina. “We just have to be prepared to win three games in three days.”
USF will face Tulane in New Orleans Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+
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