The edge: Buffalo vs. South Florida

It will be a battle of the Bulls in the first round of the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament. Buffalo will take on the Southern Florida Bulls on March 17, airing on ESPN2 with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m.

Buffalo (27-5, 16-2 Mid-American Conference) will be heading to Tallahassee, Florida for the program’s second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Buffalo hasn’t gone to a tournament since 2016, when they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes (26-6, 13-3 Big Ten Conference) in the first round before bouncing back and outscoring the Buckeyes in the second round. Buffalo comes in off the program’s winningest season in the MAC and the program’s first at-large bid. See who has the edge in each position in The Spectrum’s breakdown:

Center: Southern Florida

Buffalo doesn’t lack talent in any position –– but neither does Southern Florida (26-7, 13-3 Atlantic Athletic Conference). In a battle of top talent, UB senior center Cassie Oursler is going to have trouble against the forwards of Southern Florida. Southern Florida does not have a true center, but instead has a group of guards and forwards that can attack the boards. Oursler did not see much play in the MAC Tournament and played less than 20 minutes in all three games. While she was often benched, teams were able to exploit three-range shooting when she was on the court.

Oursler had several 20-point games, and she has the ability to have an outstanding game on Saturday. If Oursler can use her size to out-rebound Southern Florida, she could be the x-factor. Expect Southern Florida junior redshirt guard Laura Ferreira and freshman forward Tamara Henshaw to try and team up on Oursler at the glass. Southern Florida has seen stronger rebounding in recent games, so expect Buffalo to have trouble.

Forward: Southern Florida

Despite Southern Florida taking the edge, Buffalo has developed some depth at the three and four spot. Sophomore Summer Hemphill has come into her own this season, averaging over 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Junior Courtney Wilkins has found her shot from behind the three-line, something she showed in the final of the MAC Tournament going 2-for-2 in the fourth quarter from behind the line.

Buffalo’s biggest problem is challenging Southern Florida’s several talented players. Henshaw is a hard forward to cover off the bench, often leaving games with 10 rebounds or more. Senior forward Maria Jespersen is the deadliest forward in the game, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game. Southern Florida has even more forwards it can call off the bench if needed. The Buffalo Bulls won’t look helpless at the three and four spot, but they will need tight defense if they don’t want Southern Florida’s forwards to have great games.

Guard: Buffalo

If Buffalo can expect one position to show up, it is the guards. Senior guard Stephanie Reid and junior guard Cierra Dillard are coming off strong MAC Tournament performances, with both being named to the all-tournament team. Junior guard Autumn Jones, Liisa and Katherine Ups help give Buffalo even more shooting from deep. Buffalo has scored over 70 points in their past nine games, and Saturday should be no different. Southern Florida has had a hard time this season against the nation’s top offenses.

If Buffalo can keep the transition play fast, it could start scoring streaks against Southern Florida. Expect strong play from Southern Florida guards junior Kitija Laksa and sophomore Laia Flores. Laska can make any team suffer. She scored 41 points in Southern Florida’s 84-65 win over Ohio State earlier this season. Still, Buffalo presents too many scoring threats at the position.

Coaches: Buffalo

Southern Florida head coach Jose Fernandez has been coaching the team since 2000 and has gotten them to the dance in the past four seasons. Fernandez has never made it farther than the second round with the Southern Florida. But Buffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has had too strong a year to be denied. She has given the program its best season ever in the MAC, a merit strong enough that it got the team into the NCAA without the conference championship.

If Legette-Jack can get her team comfortable and confident, Buffalo has a chance to go to their first second-round in the NCAA Tournament. This is easier said than done, but expect Buffalo to fight until the final seconds of the game.

Thomas Zafonte is the senior sports editor and can be reached at thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com and @Thomas_Spectrum.

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