Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (11-6, 1-3 WCC) vs. BYU Cougars (12-5, 3-1 WCC)
Thursday,  Jan. 12, 2017 • 6:00 p.m. PT
Marriott Center • Provo, Utah
Series Record: BYU (15-6)
Last Meeting: Feb. 11, 2016 (BYU 114-89)
Television: BYUtv (Dave McCann, Play-by-Play; Blaine Fowler, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Audio Stream: USFDons.com/TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (11-6, 1-3 WCC) travels to Provo, Utah to meet the BYU Cougars (12-5, 3-1 WCC) on Thursday night at the Marriott Center. USF is coming off a pair of losses last week to No. 5 Gonzaga (95-80) and No. 19 Saint Mary's (63-52) while the Cougars earned a split in its two conference games, dropping an 81-68 decision at Saint Mary's before taking out Pacific, 91-62 in Provo. Thursday's game will be broadcast on BYUtv with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler calling the action from the Marriott Center.

The Dandy Dons

• Now 11-6 overall and 1-3 in the WCC after dropping home games to Gonzaga (95-80) and Saint Mary's (63-52) last week...have lost three straight and four of last five.
• Are off to its best 17-game start since the 2004-05 team was 13-4 at the same point of the season...were 9-8 at the 17-game mark last year (9-9 after 18 games)...USF's 10 non-conference wins were the most since 2011-12 (10) and marked the fourth time since 1985-86 the Dons had won at least 10 non-conference games.
• Meet BYU for the first time this season on Thursday in Provo...Dons are 6-15 all-time vs. the Cougars and have dropped seven straight in the series dating back to last win on Feb. 9, 2013.
• Are 1-2 on the road this season...picked up a win at UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 16 and have dropped games at Eastern Washington and Santa Clara.
• Now rank third in the WCC in scoring at 75.9 points per game...averaging 67.5 ppg in four WCC games after averaging 78.5 in 13 non-conference games.
• Rank third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 47.3...shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six of the first eight games of the season and have eclipsed the 50 percent mark twice in last seven games...shot 50 percent or better in just six games last year...shooting 41.4 percent (140-for-338) over last six games.
• Lead the WCC and are tied for 14th nationally in three's made per game (9.6)...have made 10 or more three's in eight games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah...have slipped to fifth in 3PT field goal percentage at 38.4 after shooting 27.6 (37-for-134) from distance over last six games.
• Four players - Charles Minlend (31), Ronnie Boyce (31), Jordan Ratinho (28) and Chase Foster (24) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance.
• Rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.4 percent...shooting 61.0 (100-for-161) from the line over the last nine games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 318 points over the last eight games and have outscored the opponent's bench 573-308 (+265) over the last 16 games.
• Senior Ronnie Boyce has scored 20 or more points five times this season and 11 times in his career...he leads the Dons in scoring with a 16.0 per game average.
• With an 10.6 ppg scoring average, Charles Minlend ranks as the second-highest scoring freshman in the WCC. behind BYU's TJ Haws (13.1).
• Return home to face the Pacific Tigers on Saturday...tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on the Hilltop.

Worth Watching

• The WCC's two highest scoring freshmen will be on the floor Thursday night in USF's Charles Minlend (10.6) and BYU's TJ Haws (13.3).
• BYU is the WCC's second-highest scoring team, averaging 83.8 points a game…the Cougars scored over 100 points against the Dons in both games last season, winning 102-92 in Provo and 114-89 in San Francisco. USF is coming off a solid defensive effort against Saint Mary's, holding the 19th-ranked Gaels to 63 points on Saturday night.
• The Cougars were a combined 32-for-57 (56.1) from three-point range in posting two wins over USF last season and have averaged 12.5 three-pointers vs. the Dons over the last two seasons.
• The Dons last win over the Cougars came in Provo on Feb. 9, 2013, when USF nailed 14 three-pointers in claiming a 99-87 decision.
• The Dons employed their fifth different starting lineup of the season last Saturday against Saint Mary's, with two freshmen (Charles Minlend and Jordan Ratinho) joining three sophomores (Matt McCarthy, Nate Renfro and Mladen Djordjevic) to start the game…a total of nine players have drawn starts this season.

Scouting Report

About BYU
Brings a 12-5 overall record and a 3-1 WCC mark into Thursday night's game with USF…are 9-1 at home in the cavernous Marriott Center, with the lone setback coming to Utah Valley, 114-101 on Nov. 26…split a pair of games last week…dropped a 81-68 decision at Saint Mary's but bounced back to defeat Pacific, 91-62 two days later in Provo…are the WCC's second-highest scoring team averaging 83.8 points a game…averaging a conference-high 44 rebounds and 4.6 blocked shots a game…return three starters from last year's 26-11 squad which reached the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament and received a big boost with the return of 6-10 forward Eric Mika, who spent the last two years on a church mission in Italy…Mika, who averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 2013-14 as a freshman, ranks second in the WCC in scoring with a 20.4 ppg average…he also ranks second in rebounding (9.1) and is tied for sixth in field goal percentage at 54.6…sophomore guard Nick Emery, who averaged 16.3 ppg as a freshman last season, is scoring at 15.1 clip this season…he also leads the WCC in steal average at 2.1…freshman TJ Haws is one of three ESPN Top-100 recruits on the Cougar roster…Haws, the younger brother of BYU's all-time leading scorer Tyler Haws, played on four 5A state championship teams at Lone Peak High School before serving a two-year church mission in France…he is currently averaging 13.1 points a game, third-highest on the team…6-8 freshman Yoeli Childs has started 11 games this season and ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage at 59.2…under the direction of head coach Dave Rose, who is in his 12th season in Provo…he ranks second all-time among BYU coaches in wins and winning percentage…he also ranks eighth among active coaches in the NCAA in career winning percentage…he played at Houston under Guy Lewis from 1980-83 and served as co-captain on the famous "Phi Slamma Jama" team that featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler…he helped the Cougars to the nation's No. 1 ranking and the NCAA title game in 1983.

USF-BYU Series History
BYU leads the all-time series with USF, 15-6. The Cougars have won seven consecutive games in the series dating back to the Dons last victory on Feb. 9, 2013, when USF nailed 14 three-pointers in a 99-87 victory in Provo. USF is 1-10 vs. BYU since the Cougars joined the WCC for the 2011-12 season. BYU won both meetings last season, claiming a 114-89 decision in San Francisco and 102-92 in Provo (see below). The teams have met once in NCAA Tournament play, with the Dons scoring a 86-63 victory in a second round game played in Tucson, Ariz. in 1979 and once in WCC Championship action, with BYU prevailing 79-77 in overtime in 2014.

Last Year's Meetings With BYU 
BYU made 15-of-30 of its three-point tries and defeated USF, 102-92 on Jan. 9 in Provo. The Dons had five players score in double figures, led by Devin Watson's 25 points, shot 48.5 percent from the field and outrebounded the Cougars, 40-38 but could not overcome a hot-shooting BYU team. Three Cougars - Chase Fischer (25), Nick Emery (21) and Zac Seljaas (20) - combined for 56 points and accounted for 14 of the team's 15 three-pointers. USF enjoyed a five point lead in the first half but trailed at the break, 51-45. Tim Derksen (20), Ronnie Boyce (13), Matt McCarthy (10) and Nate Renfro (10) also finished in double-figures for the Dons.

In the return game in San Francisco on Feb. 11, BYU made 17 three-pointers en route to a 114-89 victory over USF on the Hilltop. Six Cougars scored in double figures, led by Nick Emery, who made 10-of-12 three-point attempts and finished with a game-high 37 points. Chase Fischer added 22 while Kyle Collinsworth chipped in with 17 to go along with eight assists. Devin Watson led all USF scorers with 29 points, Tim Derksen finished with 25 and Ronnie Boyce added 15. No other Don player managed to score more than five points on the night. The Cougars shot 57.6 percent from the field for the game, including a staggering 63.0 percent from long distance. USF trailed by just eight points at 29-21 with 9:16 left before intermission but a pair of three-pointers by Emery and one by Fischer keyed a 9-0 run which opened the Cougars lead to 17 at 38-21 with 7:48 left in the first. The Cougars enjoyed as much as a 26-point lead at 99-73 with 7:53 left before cruising to the 114-89 victory. The 114 points were the most allowed by a USF team since the Dons dropped a 117-73 decision at Duke on Jan. 26, 1993.

Last Time Out: Saint Mary's 63, USF 52 
USF gave the nation's 19th-ranked Saint Mary's all it could handle for 34 minutes before falling, 63-52 in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. With Saint Mary's nursing a 52-49 lead with 6:56 remaining, Tanner Krebs and Dane Pineau hit back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 48 seconds to give the Gaels all the breathing room they needed to win for the 22nd time in 23 games against the Dons. Saint Mary's outscored USF, 11-3 run down the stretch as the Dons were able to connect on just one of their last 10 shots from the floor. Saint Mary's center Jock Landale led all scorers with 21 points while Pineau (14) and Joe Rahon (13) also reached double figure. The Gaels held a decisive edge on the boards, outrebounding USF, 43-27. Ronnie Boyce was the only USF (11-6, 1-3 WCC) player to reach double figures with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field.

Up Next
USF will return to the Hilltop on Saturday night to face the Pacific Tigers beginning at 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised on CSNBA with Kate Scott and Kelenna Azubuike calling the action from courtside. Tickets for the Pacific game are available on-line at USFDons.com/tickets.