COLUMBIA, S.C. - Southern women's basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history, and for the second year in a row.

Last season, the Lady Jags became the first SWAC program to win a NCAA Tournament game when they beat UC San Diego in a First Four matchup. They'll get a chance to do the same thing exactly 365 days later when they face Samford in the same "play in" style game.

Southern is no stranger to playing in big arenas against tough opponents. Earlier this season, the Jags beat two power conference opponents in back-to-back games when they took down Arizona and Houston.

The Jags take on the Bulldogs on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT in Columbia, South Carolina. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

If Southern wins the First Four game, they'll face top-seeded South Carolina in the First Round on Saturday.