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Good Enough For A Final Four Team: Is USF WBB Schedule A Sign of The Season To Come?

USF Women's Basketball is going to have an exciting non-conference schedule, but does that signal a sign for what the season will hold for Jose Fernandez's 2024 bunch?

By Dylan Spaulding

USF guard Sammie Puisis returns to the Bulls after missing most of last season with a knee injury. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
USF guard Sammie Puisis returns to the Bulls after missing most of last season with a knee injury. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
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The USF women's basketball team recently announced its 2024 non-conference schedule, and it may be one of the best in the NCAA.

That portion of the Bulls schedule features five nationally prominent teams.

They’ll have home games against Vanderbilt and Duke and a neutral-site game in
Orlando against Louisville. They have a daunting road test at UConn, which was in the
Final Four last year and is led by superstar Paige Bueckers, and defending national
champion South Carolina.

The team will also participate in the Cayman Islands Classic in late November to
fill what will be a daunting schedule for Jose Fernandez’s group.

Bethune Cookman, Mount St. Mary’s, UT Rio Grande Valley, Jacksonville,
Merrimack and Northwestern State round out the non-conference portion of the
schedule.

USF struggled with injuries last season but still won 19 games after qualifying for
the NCAA Tournament in 2023. the Women’s Bulls Basketball team’s non-con
campaign is testament to where this program and this may go in 2024/25.

Facing perennial championship teams such as South Carolina and UConn allows
for the Bulls to get mentally prepared for the challenge of playing teams at that level.


Despite the challenge, the Bulls believe they have the core to tackle these
assignments.

For starters, 6-foot-1 guard Sammie Puisis returned to the team after missing
nearly all of last season because of a left knee injury. Puisis brings long-range
shooting ability and matchup problems for opponents.

Vittoria Blasigh returns after a monster freshman season, where she was named
the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week six times. She was also
named the AAC Freshman of the Year.

This schedule truly emphasizes where Fernandez sees the team competing this
season. It should help the Bulls prepare for the American Athletic Conference slate and, hopefully, a strong run in the postseason.

And with the Women’s Final Four scheduled for Tampa in 2025, why not aim
high?

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