For the first time since 2010-2011, the Bulls will not participate in any postseason tournament. In the midst of a transition year, injury troubles hindered the Bulls’ postseason hopes.

The USF women’s basketball (19-14,10-8 AAC) season ended following a heartbreaking 58-56 loss to UTSA in the second round of the American Athletic Conference tournament on March 11.  

The loss essentially shut the door on the Bulls making their ninth NCAA tournament appearance in 12 seasons. 

Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said they would have accepted a Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) bid if the Bulls were selected.

However, due to their NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking —a statistic used to determine which teams make the postseason — of 109, their resume wasn’t strong enough.

Related: Is an automatic NCAA tournament berth still on the table for USF?

“With the current landscape and the number of postseason tournaments available, we decided to only participate in NCAA-sponsored postseason tournaments this year, which we were not selected for, unfortunately,” he said in a statement on social media.

Here’s an overview of the Bulls’ ups and downs this season. 

Season MVP(s) – Vittoria Blasigh and Romi Levy

Freshman guard Vittoria Blasigh and junior forward Romi Levy were bright spots for the Bulls in a down year, averaging 13.5 and 14.7 points per game, respectively. 

Blasigh put together one of the most storied freshman campaigns in program history. She scored 11 double-figure points and four 20-plus-point games. Her 72-made three-pointers ranked third in the nation among freshmen.

She won AAC Freshman of the Week on six occasions — the most in USF history. It culminated in her winning freshman of the year on March 8. 

In her first year as a Bull, Levy grew throughout conference play. 

Related: Romi Levy has quietly emerged as one of the Bulls’ top scorers

She averaged 20.1 points per game during conference games, which ranked fifth in the AAC. Levy also totaled 17 straight double-digit performances, and 20 plus points in five of the last seven games.

She was named AAC Newcomer of the Year and All-conference second team.

The duo could prove to be vital in USF returning to form next season and for years to come.

Game of the year – USF beats Tulsa 53-51, March 2

The Bulls looked to send their seniors out on a high note in their home finale against Tulsa.

Senior guard Maria Alvarez, who scored 10 points in her final game in the Yuengling Center said she felt emotional before tipoff.

“It’s been five years,” she said after the game. “It’s a lot of years, so having just been through so many different players here and teams, it was just really nice to see everything that I’ve been able to accomplish even though my ups and downs.”

This didn’t come without some fight from the Golden Hurricane.

The matchup featured five ties and six lead changes. Tulsa knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 51-all, forcing a Bulls timeout.

Then, with five seconds to go, Levy made a pull-up jumper in the paint that secured the USF victory, 53-51, as time expired.

“I didn’t want to lose this game,” Levy said. “I know I’m not going to lose this game and if I need to take that last shot of the game and knock it down, it is for the seniors.

The win was one of four during their last six games of the regular season.

Finding consistent offense outside of Blasigh and Levy

An indicator for the Bulls success this season was how many players reached double digits on a given night.

The Bulls were 7-4 when three performers scored in double figures. There were only two games this season in which four or more Bulls scored double-digit points, and they won both of those contests.

Senior guard Sammie Puisis could boost USF’s scoring should she remain healthy this upcoming season. She’ll be granted an extra year of eligibility.

Puisis averaged 15.6 points per game in 2022-23 and was named AAC Newcomer of the Year.

She scored 21 points in her lone appearance this season against Gardner-Webb before being sidelined with a left knee injury in December.

Puisis rejoining Levy and Blasigh could give the Bulls a consistent offensive trio similar to the 2022-23 season in which they won 27 games.

Puisis was joined by former Co-AAC players of the year Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu that year.

Looking ahead

The 2023-24 season could be the exception rather than the rule for the Bulls. USF could be poised to return to the NCAA tournament should they remain healthy next season.

Fernandez seems to think so.

“3/16/2025…keep this date open @yuenglingcenter for me and a friend of mine,” he said on social media. “Make sure we have a great TV feed.”

Grade: C+