The University of San Francisco men's basketball team returns home and will play back-to-back home contests against Pac-12 foes Arizona State (4-2) and California (5-2) on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The Dons (7-1) look to remain perfect on the Hilltop and continue the strong start of the Golden Era.  Both contests are slated for an 8:00 p.m. tip and will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Steve Lappas handling play-by-play duties, John Schriffen will be the sideline reporter. As always Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call courtside on KNBR 1050-AM the home of USF Dons Basketball.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec. 3, 2019 – 8:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Arizona State Sun Devils (4-2, 0-0 Pac-12)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center  
TV:  CBS Sports Network
Talent: Rich Waltz (play-by-play) Steve Lappas (analyst), and John Schriffen (sideline)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec. 4, 2019 – 8:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: California Golden Bears (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center  
TV:  CBS Sports Network
Talent: Rich Waltz (play-by-play) Steve Lappas (analyst), and John Schriffen (sideline)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
USF AT A GLANCE
• USF is 7-1, their seven game win streak was snapped on Friday with an 85-75 road loss at Hawaii.  The Dons are 6-0 at home this season and 2-0 on Tuesdays.
 
• The 7-1 start in Golden's first year is the third best start by a first year head coach this season.  Golden trails Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and Michigan head coach Juan Howard who have started the year 7-0 as of Dec. 1.
 
• Back-to-Back Against the Pac-12?: When looking at the schedule many people scratched their head when the Dons announced they were playing ASU on the third followed by a game against California on the fourth - it's actually the fifth time in program history the Dons have gone back-to-back on Dec. 3 and 4th against Pac-12 teams.  The Dons are 5-3 in those contests.
 
• Scoring Abundance:  The Dons are led by coach Golden - the defensive coordinator from last year's team - this year the Dons are scoring.  A lot.  USF is averaging 87.1 points per game which ranks third in the NCAA.  USF is 35th in the nation in scoring margin at +15.9  
 
• Streak Ends at Seven: For the second consecutive year, the Dons opened the year with a seven game winning streak and for the second consecutive year it was halted in the eighth game on the road.  Last year it was in Northern Ireland at the hands of No. 21 Buffalo.  This year it came in a true road game at Hawaii. 
 
• Jimbo For Three!: Senior center Jimbo Lull has unleashed a new weapon to his game.  The 7-footer is 5-for-7 from long distance this year.  Against the Rainbow Warriors, Lull was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
 
• As a team, USF is fifth in the nation in 3-point field goals per game at 11.1, ninth in 3-pt fg attempted at 240, and fifth in made threes with 89.0. 
 
• Getting Second Chances:  Thanks to USF's tremendous offensive rebounding production, the Dons are averaging 14 second chance points per game.  Against Hawaii, the Rainbow Warriors flipped the script on the Dons - scoring 16 second chance points while holding USF to just 12.  The Dons have allowed just 49 second chance points all season (6.1 per game).
 
• Deep Bench:  USF's bench has been instrumental in the Dons team average of 87.1 points per game. The USF reserves are averaging 28.8 points per contest - in the loss to Hawaii the bench was uncharacteristically quiet, scoring just three points.  Khalil Shabazz leads the Dons bench with 10.0 points per game. 
 
• Up Tempo Ball:  Through eight games this season the Dons love to push the tempo.  As a team, USF is averaging 14.8 fast break points. Their opponents are averaging just 4.0.  Against Hawaii - the Dons were held to seven fast break points while the Rainbow Warriors tallied 12.
 
THE SERIES VS. ARIZONA STATE
Tuesday's game against the Sun Devils will be the 10th in the series history.  All-time the Sun Devils are 5-4.  The series dates back to Jan. 30, 1965 when the Dons defeated ASU 91-75 in Tempe.  At War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, the Dons are 1-1 against the Sun Devils.  Arizona State has won four-straight against the Dons, including the last match-up on Dec. 2, 2017 when ASU defeated the Dons 75-57 in Tempe. 
 
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
The Sun Devils enter Tuesday's game with a 4-2 overall record.  Arizona State has spent the last two weeks on the road, traveling to Connecticut and New Jersey. The Sun Devils are 4-2 overall with losses against Colorado (11/9) and vs. No. 7 Virginia (11/24).  Last time out, the Sun Devils defeated Princeton 67-65 on a last second 3-point field goal on Nov. 26. As a team, ASU averages 75.6 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field. Junior Remy Martin is averaging 19.4 points per game to lead the team in scoring with a 48.6 percent mark from the field.

LAST TIME OUT VS. ARIZONA STATE
On Dec. 2, 2017 the Dons traveled to Tempe to take on the then 20th ranked Sun Devils. The Dons trailed 40-25 at the half - a deficit they could not overcome.  USF shot 28.6 percent from the field in a cold shooting contest: the Dons shot 27.5 percent (11-for-40) from three-point range.  Jordan Ratinho led the Dons with a game-high 20 points.  Frankie Ferrari had 11 and Remu Raitanen had 10. ASU had five players in double figures, led by Romello White's 16 points.  Remy Martin scored 12 points in that contest.
 
THE SERIES VS. CALIFORNIA
This Bay-Area rivalry has been evenly matched since the 1949-50 season, with the Dons and the Golden Bears each grabbing 22 wins in the process. The two teams have played 21 games on USF's home court since 1949, where the Dons have a 12-9 advantage. These two teams last played last December at Haas Pavilion and USF nearly led wire-to-wire in a 79-60 win. Charles Minlend led the way for the Dons with a double-double (17 points and 11 rebounds) while Jimbo Lull chipped in 14 and Jordan Ratinho brought home another 12. USF has split the last four meetings with Cal, though Cal has won seven of the last 10. USF has not won back-to-back matchups against California since the 1986 and 1987 seasons.
 
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS
After defeating UC Davis 72-66 at home last week, Cal enters Wednesday's contest with a 5-2 mark under new head coach Mark Fox.  Wednesday's game will be Cal's first true road game this season, they are 0-2 in neutral site games, falling to Duke and Texas in the 2k Empire Classic.  As a team, California is averaging 69.5 points per game and giving up 70.5 points a game.  Cal is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from beyond the arc.  Leading the team in scoring is sophomore guard Matt Bradley who is averaging 18.7 points per game.   
 
LAST TIME OUT VERSUS CAL
On Dec. 12, 2018 the Dons made the short trip to Haas Pavilion. A 15-3 run midway through the first half gave the Dons a 10 point lead and their first separation of the evening going on to win 79-60.  USF led by as much as 29. USF forced 12 turnovers, which turned into 20 points.  Charles Minlend paced the Dons with a game-high 17 points.  Jimbo Lull (14) and Jordan Ratinho (12) joined him in double figures.  USF had 10 players score at least two points. 
 
UP NEXT
The Dons will go back on the road, traveling to Fullerton, Calif., to take on Cal State Fullerton on Sat. Dec. 14.  The game is slated for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.