As expected, USF's softball team will open play in the NCAA Tournament at 5 p.m. Friday in the Gainesville regional, hosted by top-seeded Florida. The Bulls will face Conference USA champion Central Florida on Friday, but they'll likely have to get past the Gators to reach the Super Regional round of 16. It's the fourth time in six years the NCAA has sent the Bulls to Gainesville.

USF won the Big East regular-season title, but lost to DePaul in the conference tournament championship game. The Bulls and Knights? USF leads the all-time series 8-1, but UCF won the last meeting in April 2006. The two schools met in the postseason in Gainesville in 2005, with USF beating the Knights twice to send them home.

The Knights represent one hurdle, but the biggest hurdle is likely the Gators, who face Georgia Tech in their first game. Then again, the only time the Bulls have ever reached the Super Regional came in 2006, when USF went to Gainesville and didn't even have to face the Gators, winning three straight to advance before getting swept at UCLA.

A date has not been set, but the double-elimination regional will begin play Friday, concluding Sunday.