CHICAGO- For the third time in its seven-year history, Conference USA has advanced three men's soccer teams to the NCAA Tournament. This year's tournament has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, all of whom are vying for a spot in the NCAA Men's College Cup, Dec. 14 and 16 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Conference USA was one of six leagues nationally to have at least three teams qualify for the tournament.

No. 3 Saint Louis, the tournament's sixth overall seed, earned a first round bye and will meet the winner of the Missouri-Kansas City-Wisconsin-Milwaukee match on Sunday at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis. The Billikens are making their fifth straight tournament appearance and 15th in the last 16 seasons. SLU is led by a pair of Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year candidates - senior DIPSY SELOLWANE and sophomore BRAD DAVIS. The duo was named Most Valuable Forward and Most Valuable Midfielder, respectively, after leading Saint Louis to its second straight Conference USA Tournament title last weekend in Tampa. Selolwane leads the nation with 24 goals, including the last six game-winners. Davis leads C-USA with 12 assists. This is the Billikens' 40th NCAA Tournament appearance, where they are 58-28-4 with 10 national titles and 16 Final Four appearances.

UAB is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its fourth since 1994. The 13-5 Blazers face Furman (17-4-0) on Friday in Columbia, S.C., with the winner set to face the host Gamecocks on Sunday. UAB defeated then-No. 13 Furman, 2-1 on Oct. 14, which was the Blazers' sixth straight win at that point in the season. Four of those six matches was decided by one goal. UAB has been slowed by injuries this season, as at least four starters missed each of the final three regular season matches. Freshman goalkeeper CLINT BAUMSTARK (0.84 GAA), the league's Freshman of the Year, directs the UAB defense.

This is the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six years for South Florida (14-6-0), who meets Akron (10-6-1) Friday in University Park, Pa. The winner moves on to face host Penn State on Sunday. The Bulls jumped to an 8-0-0 start, their best since 1983. USF went undefeated (4-0) in overtime matches and won nine of its 11 one-goal contests. South Florida had five players named to the three C-USA all-league teams - JASON CUDJOE and JEFF THWAITES (first team), JARED VOCK (second-team and all-freshman) and TROY PERKINS and GABRIEL SALGADO (third-team).

The three bids to this year's championship gives Conference USA a seven-year total of 17 NCAA bids. Twice, C-USA has advanced a team to the College Cup (Charlotte in 1996 and Saint Louis in 1997).