LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - MARCH 18, 2016 – For the second straight season, and the third time in four years, the University of South Florida women's basketball team is prepared to take part in an NCAA Tournament opening-round game.
The Bulls (23-9), seeded No. 6 in the Bridgeport Region and American Athletic Conference runners-up, meet No. 11 seed Colorado State (33-1), winners of the Mountain West Conference, Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif. The game will be the first of two first-round contests to be played at the historic Pauley Pavilion Saturday and is slated to tip off at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (TV: ESPN2). Saturday will mark the first match-up between two ranked opponents in the first round since 2012.
USF plays in the second contest of the evening, following the No. 3 UCLA and No. 14 Hawaii match-up, which is slated to tip off at 6:30 p.m. (ET) and both games will air on ESPN2. Pauley Pavilion is regarded as one of the finest collegiate facilities in the nation, housing the great John Wooden and his legacy.
USF head coach Jose Fernandez has his squad focused solely on the Rams, one of only five teams in Division I with two or fewer losses this season.
“You don't win 31 games if you're not a good basketball team,” noted Fernandez. “They're very, very good and very well coached. They're deliberate on what they do offensively. They've got four guys on the floor that can shoot the three and they all can put it down on the floor.”
The Bulls are 2-1 in NCAA Tournament opening-round games and are looking to make their first trip to the Regional. The current roster includes a core group of upperclassmen who have seen firsthand how challenging the NCAA Tournament is. The senior class of five will end their careers as the most successful class to graduate from USF. The quintet has made four postseason runs, including three trips to the NCAA tournament and have turned in four 20-win seasons.
The winner of Saturday's meeting advances to the round of 32 to meet the winner of No. 3 UCLA and No. 14 Hawaii in the second round on Monday night. Game time has yet to be announced.
How to Purchase Tickets
Fans planning to attend this weekend's games on the campus of UCLA can purchase tickets through USF HERE.
Single-session tickets are $17 for adults (reserved) and general admission seats are $10 (students $8). Reserved all-session seats are $30 and general admission tickets are $19.
USF season ticket members and Bulls Club donors can request tickets within the USF team block. Ticket prices are $17 (plus service fees). The deadline to request tickets through USF ticket operations is Thursday, March 17 at 11:59 p.m. USF will send out a separate email to USF season ticket members and Bulls Club donors on another ticket request deadline if the Bulls advance to the second round.
Get parking info, restaurant locations and much more at UCLA's championship central page HERE.
The Bulls continue to climb in the polls, and have reached their highest rankings in program history. USF has been ranked as highly as No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season; both are the highest rankings in program history. USF has appeared in both polls every week and placed as highly as No. 11 on some ballots.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
– #GoBulls –
