USF women's basketball
Coach: Jose Fernandez (189-184, 13th season)
Last season: 19-16, 8-8 Big East (ninth place)
Notable: Fernandez has been to the Women's NIT perhaps too often — seven times in the past nine seasons, including last year. He has a lineup that should put him in position for a better postseason as the Bulls seek their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, with twin guards Andrea and Andrell Smith among eight seniors on the roster. Andrea missed last season recovering from a torn ACL after leading the Bulls with 16.5 points per game in 2010-11, and the Bulls now have two deadly perimeter shooters in Smith and last year's leading scorer, Inga Orekhova (13 ppg). The Bulls have their best depth, with talented freshmen pushing the seniors for playing time. USF's return to the renovated Sun Dome has strong home bookends to the Big East schedule, opening with defending national runner-up Notre Dame and finishing with preseason No. 2 Connecticut.
Schedule
Saturday vs. Stetson, 2
Nov. 13 at Clemson, 7
Nov. 20 vs. Bradley, 5
Nov. 23 vs. North Dakota, 7
Nov. 28 at UNC-Asheville, 7.
Dec. 1 vs. North Florida, TBA
Dec. 5 vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 7
Dec. 8 at Jacksonville, 1;
Dec. 16 vs. Nebraska, 2
Dec. 21 vs. Nevada (in Cancun), 1
Dec. 22 vs. Creighton
(in Cancun), 3:30
Dec. 29 vs. Florida A&M, 2
Dec. 31 vs. Detroit-Mercy 2.
Jan. 8 vs. Notre Dame, 7
Jan. 12 at DePaul, 8
Jan. 15 vs. Cincinnati, 7
Jan. 19 at Villanova, 2
Jan. 22 at Seton Hall, 7
Jan. 26 vs. Marquette, 6
Jan. 30 vs. Louisville, 7
Feb. 3 at Pittsburgh, 1
Feb. 9 at Providence 2
Feb. 12 vs. St. John's, 7
Feb. 16 vs. Seton Hall, 7
Feb. 20 at Louisville, 7
Feb. 23 vs. Syracuse, 2
Feb. 26 at Rutgers, 7:30.
March 2 vs. Connecticut, noon
March 4 at Georgetown, 8.
Loading...