IRVING, Texas – On the heels of a regular season that saw South Florida go 15-1 in American Athletic Conference play, the Bulls have earned the No. 1 seed for the 2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, which takes place March 6-9 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

The Bulls, who have advanced to The American Championship final six times in the tournament’s first nine years, will look for their second tournament title. South Florida last won the tournament championship in 2021. 

The latest tournament information can be found online at The American’s Championship Central by visiting www.TheAmerican.org/wbb. Tickets for the championship are on sale through Ticketmaster.

South Florida (26-5), which is ranked No. 22 in this week’s USA Today coaches’ poll, won The American’s regular-season title in convincing fashion as the Bulls won 15 of their 16 regular-season conference games to earn the No. 1 seed for the second time in the last three seasons. South Florida’s 26 overall wins are tied for the second-most in program history, while the 15-1 conference mark stands as the team’s best in league play. The Bulls, who earned a first-round bye in the tournament for the ninth time in 10 seasons, will begin play Tuesday in the quarterfinal round against either No. 8-seeded Wichita State (16-13) or No. 9-seeded Temple (11-17). The Shockers and Owls will kick off the tournament Monday at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.

Memphis (19-9) earned the No. 2 seed in the championship for the first time after the Tigers registered a program-best second-place finish in the conference standings, thanks in large part to a seven-game winning streak to close the regular season. Memphis, which has a bye to Tuesday’s quarterfinals, will await the winner of Monday’s first-round matchup between No. 7-seeded Tulsa (17-12) and No. 10-seeded UCF (13-14). The Golden Hurricane and Knights will play at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT Monday in a rematch of tonight’s regular-season finale, won by Tulsa.

East Carolina (20-9) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after the Pirates were projected for a last-place finish in The American’s preseason coaches’ poll. East Carolina, which has registered its first 20-win season since the 2014-15 campaign, will play its tournament opener Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT against either No. 6-seeded Tulane (17-12) or No. 11-seeded Cincinnati (9-20). The Green Wave and Bearcats close Monday’s first round with a 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT tip.

Houston (13-15) and SMU (16-11) claimed the last two first-round byes in the championship by virtue of top-five finishes in the conference standings. The Cougars will be the No. 4 seed after they overcame a slow start to the regular season to go 10-5 in The American, including a 71-69 victory at South Florida Feb. 12 that stood as the Bulls’ only conference loss. The Mustangs are the No. 5 seed as they finished percentage points ahead of Tulane and Tulsa in the final standings. Houston and SMU will meet in a quarterfinal game Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.

Wednesday’s semifinals are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. and 6 p.m. CT).

The March 9 championship final will be televised on ESPNU, while all games of the 2023 American Championship will be available on ESPN+

The winner of the 2023 American Women’s Basketball Championship will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
March 6-9
Dickies Arena | Fort Worth, Texas