USF gets NCAA Tournament bid for first time in 20 years

After a 20 year drought, the USF mens' basketball team is finally going to the NCAA Tournament.

One of the last four of the 68 teams invited, USF will play California Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio in a 9 p.m. tipoff. The winner takes on fifth seed Temple on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee in a Midwest Bracket game.

USF (20-13) had to sweat it out. The Midwest was the last region announced and it was uncertain whether the Bulls would get in after losing their Big East Conference Tournament game last week to Notre Dame.

Working in USF's favor had to be that it beat Louisville and Cincinnati, which played in the Big East tournament championship game and the Bulls 12 conference wins. All 69 previous Big East teams with 12 league victories were invited to the NCAA.