University of South Florida women’s basketball takes a 1-0 record into Friday’s matchup with Belmont in the 2026 Multi-Conference Opening Weekend Showcase. Belmont enters at 0-1 after a 63-52 loss at Princeton on Monday. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and will stream on ESPN+.
Belmont brings strong recent record
Belmont went 20-12 overall and 16-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, finishing second in the league. The Bruins have won at least 20 games in 11 consecutive seasons, were picked third in the Missouri Valley preseason poll and are ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com preseason Mid-Major Top 25.
Belmont led Princeton 44-43 with about 7:30 remaining before dropping its season opener by 11 points. Kenley McCarn scored 15 points in her Belmont debut, while freshman Chelby Jordan added 13 points and four steals. Bart Brooks is in his 10th season as Belmont’s head coach and has a 218-80 record.
South Florida enters after strong opener
South Florida opened the season with an 80-54 win over Furman on Monday at the Yuengling Center. The Bulls led wire to wire, and six players scored in double figures. Stefanie Ingram led the way with 15 points and five assists, while Hannah Kohn scored 13 points, Kendall Puryear had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Kate Novik added 11 points off the bench.
South Florida outrebounded Furman 48-25 and outscored the Paladins 50-26 in the paint and 18-3 in fast-break points. The Bulls shot 51.6 percent from the field and held Furman to 33.3 percent shooting. Puryear also recorded four assists and three steals in her South Florida debut.
Kohn made 193 of her 226 career field goals from 3-point range, with 3-pointers accounting for 85.4 percent of her career field goals. South Florida leads the all-time series with Belmont 1-0 after a 74-55 victory on Dec. 19, 2007, at a neutral site in Cancun, Mexico. Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the teams on Belmont’s home floor.
Showcase continues Sunday
Friday’s game opens a four-team, cross-conference event involving South Florida, Belmont, Rhode Island and Columbia. The showcase is part of a new two-year scheduling partnership among the American Conference, Atlantic 10, Ivy League and Missouri Valley Conference that runs through the 2027-28 season. South Florida is one of two American Conference programs selected for the event, while Rice plays at the partnership’s other site in Richmond, Virginia.
South Florida will remain in Nashville to face Rhode Island on Sunday, Nov. 8, and close the showcase. The Nashville site brings together one team from each participating conference. South Florida’s game against Belmont is the first of the two scheduled contests at the event for the Bulls.
FSB Take
South Florida’s 48-25 rebounding edge and six double-figure scorers provide a clear foundation entering the Nashville opener. Belmont’s 20-win history and preseason rankings point to a notable early challenge, even though the Bruins opened with a loss at Princeton. South Florida will also need to manage the showcase’s two-game format, with Rhode Island awaiting Sunday in Nashville.
Source: Original report