The University of San Francisco men's basketball team returns home on Saturday when BYU comes to the Hilltop in a battle for second in the WCC.  Saturday's game against the Cougars will be televised on NBCS Bay Area with Barry Tompkins and Kelenna Azubi­uke handling play-by-play duties.  Saturday's radio broadcast will be simulcast on 95.7-FM The GAME and 1550-AM The GAME with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli calling the game courtside.
 

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 19, 2019 – 8:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: BYU Cougars (12-8, 3-1 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Television: NBCS Bay Area
Talent: Barry Tompkins (play-by-play), Kelenna Azubiuke (analyst)
Radio:  95.7-FM The GAME / 1550-AM The GAME
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: USFDons.com
Game Notes: USF vs. BYU
 
USF AT A GLANCE

• At 15-3, USF is off to their best start through 18 games since the 1981-82 season when the Dons opened the year 16-2.  USF has started the season 15-3 or better 10 times, with the previous nine teams all advancing to the post season.
• At home the Dons are 9-1 this season - their only loss came last week at the hands of No. 5 Gonzaga.  USF is averaging 78.8 points per game and shooting 45.3 percent at home.  The Dons are +15.2 in scoring margin at home, holding their opponents to 36.6 percent from the field. 
• Following a loss, USF is 3-0 this season. The Dons are averaging 77.6 points per game and holding opponents to 66.0 points per contest for a +11.5 scoring margin.
• USF improved to 3-0 this season when scoring less than 70 points.  Under Kyle Smith the Dons are just 13-21 when scoring less than 70 points. The 53 points scored by the Dons is the fewest in a win since they defeated Radford 52-41 on Dec. 19, 2017 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
• In the latest NET rankings, the Dons fell to 48th from 47th.  The Dons are one of two WCC teams in the top-50 of the all-important NET.  USF ranks ahead of 11 of 12 Pac-12 teams.  Washington is lone Pac-12 team that ranks ahead of the Dons at No. 40.
• In the latest Mid-Major Poll, USF checks in at ninth, falling two spots from the previous week.  The WCC has two-teams in the top-10 of the Mid-Major poll with Gonzaga taking the top spot.
• Jordan Ratinho is currently two back from third place all-time in made 3-point field goals. with 183 he trails John Cox by two.  The all-time leader at USF is Ali Thomas with 236.  Ratinho set the single season record last year with 86 made 3-point field goals.

THE SERIES
Saturday will be the 26th time the Dons and Cougars have squared off.  All-time, BYU owns a 19-6 advantage in the series that dates back to Dec. 20, 1946 when the Dons fell to the Cougars 46-34 at the Nevada Invitational. The Cougars are 13-1 against the Dons since joining the WCC in 2011, and have won 11-straight. The Cougars won their seventh straight contest in War Memorial with a 69-59 win over the Dons on Jan. 4.  Last time out, the Cougars came back to force overtime against USF in Provo, where they ultimately prevailed, winning 75-73 on Feb. 10, 2018.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
BYU enters Saturday's game riding a hot streak having won four of their last five, including three straight.  On Thursday they pulled away from Pepperdine late to win 87-76 in Malibu.  As a team, the Cougars are averaging 83.5 points per game, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field.  Yoeli Childs leads the team in scoring at 22.2 points per game, he is one of three players in double figures. Second on the team is TJ Haws at 18.0 ppg, against the Waves on Thursday he scored a career-high 34 points.
 
LAST GAME AGAINST BYU
At the Marriott Center last year the Dons held a six point lead with 39 seconds left in regulation.  Unfortunately for the Dons, the Cougars evaporated that lead in a matter of seconds, Elijah Bryant hit a 3-point field goal with four seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, from there the Cougars held on to send the Dons home with a 75-73 loss on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. USF needed just one more scorer that afternoon as only two players for Dons finished in double figures. Former guard Souley Boum led the team with 21 points followed by Frankie Ferrari with 16.  BYU had three players in double figures led by Haws' game-high 26 points.  Free throws plagued USF who was 11-for-18 from the charity stripe, meanwhile BYU went 18-for-23.
 
UP NEXT
The Dons will stay in the City when Portland comes to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. Thursday's game against the Pilots will be streamed online on TheW.tv. For tickets visit Dons Ticket Central.