South Florida to Face Belmont in Nashville
South Florida opens its first road game of the season against Belmont at the Curb Event Center on Friday night.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Basketball
South Florida women's basketball plays Belmont at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Curb Event Center in Nashville. The game opens the 2026 Multi-Conference Opening Weekend Showcase, a four-team event.
Why it matters
The matchup pits South Florida, 1-0 after an 80-54 home win over Furman, against Belmont, 0-1 after a 63-52 loss at Princeton. Both teams open a showcase weekend that features schools from four conferences.
South Florida's 80-54 win over Furman came on 51.6 percent shooting, against Furman's 33.3 percent. Belmont returns 19.8 percent of its scoring from a 20-12 team, and Kenley McCarn scored 15 points in her Belmont debut.
The players
Bart Brooks
Bart Brooks is the head coach of the Belmont women's basketball program, entering his 10th season with a career record of 218-80.
Kenley McCarn
Kenley McCarn is a Belmont guard who scored 15 points in her debut for the program.
The details
South Florida is making its first road trip of the season and leads the showcase game wire-to-wire in its opener at home against Furman. Belmont, coached by Bart Brooks in his 10th season with a career record of 218-80, opens against a South Florida side it has met before, a 74-55 South Florida win in 2007 in Cancun, Mexico.
Timeline
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026: South Florida beats Furman 80-54; Belmont loses at Princeton 63-52.
Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: South Florida plays Belmont at the Curb Event Center at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026: South Florida plays Rhode Island in Nashville to end the showcase weekend.
Season Trajectory
The Multi-Conference Opening Weekend Showcase brings together schools from the American, Atlantic 10, Ivy League and Missouri Valley conferences in a single early-season event. For both programs, Friday's result will help set early positioning in a season that opens with South Florida at 1-0 and Belmont at 0-1.
For fantasy and bracket watchers, the showcase gives an early look at two rosters that both open the season in Nashville. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, which is the broadcast source for fans who cannot attend in person.
The takeaway
Early-season showcase games give programs a first look at their rotations against unfamiliar opponents, and results in November can shape how teams are seeded for their conference play.
What happens next
South Florida plays Belmont on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Curb Event Center, and plays Rhode Island on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, to close the showcase.
Further reading
Find more coverage in the Basketball section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tampa Free Press.
