The University of San Francisco men's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night, falling to Saint Mary's 58-48.  On Saturday, USF looks to extend a streak of its own while getting back into the win column when BYU comes to the Hilltop.  The Dons (14-7/3-3 WCC) are riding a two-game winning streak against the Cougars (14-6/4-2 WCC) after sweeping the season series last year.  Saturday's game is slated to tip off at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised on Stadium Sports Network with Noah Coslov and Dani Klupenger handling play-by-play duties.  As always, Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will call the action live courtside on the official home of USF Dons Basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 25, 2020 – 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: BYU Cougars (15-6/4-2 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
TV:  Stadium Sports Network
Talent: Noah Coslov (play-by-play) and Dani Klupenger (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
Suits and Sneakers
Saturday's game will be USF's annual Coaches Versus Cancer: Suits and Sneakers Game.  The Dons' coaching staff will be wearing matching white sneakers picked out by assistant coach Vinnie McGhee with yellow laces.  The annual Suits and Sneakers game helps to raise funds to support childhood cancer research, services, and awareness, as well as promote cancer prevention efforts targeting children.
  
 
USF AT A GLANCE
• USF is 14-7 on the year and 3-3 in the WCC.  In WCC play the Dons are 3-3 after falling to Saint Mary's Thursday night in Moraga. 
• Last time out: The Dons held the WCC's leading scorer, Jordan Ford to eight points and without a field goal - according to Saint Mary's, it was the first time in 73 games, however, it was enough as the Gaels overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the Dons 58-48 in Moraga.
• Power-outage:  The Dons average 77.3 points per game which is 52^nd in the NCAA and fourth in the WCC - but on Thursday night the Dons were held to 48 point in the loss at Saint Mary's.  The last time the Dons were held to less than 50 was on Feb. 1, 2018 at No. 13 Saint Mary's, 79-43.
• The NET:  In the latest update to the NCAA Evaluation Tool the Dons fell three spots to No. 100 - they are one of five WCC teams in the top-100.  BYU currently ranks No. 28 which is second in the WCC.
• Home-Sweet-Home:  The Dons are 10-3 at home this season.  At the friendly confines they are 81.7 ppg and shot 45.4 percent from the field. Four players are averaging better than 10.0 points per game, led by Charles Minlend's 16.5 points per game. 
• Battle of First Years:  Saturday will be the third time the Dons have squared off against a head coach in his first year with a school.  Earlier, USF defeated Southern Illinois and coach Bryan Mullins 76-60 in Carbondale on Nov. 16.  On Dec. 4, the Dons defeated California and Mark Fox 76-64.  If the trends continue, look for Jimbo Lull to have a big game against BYU who is led by new head coach Mark Pope - in those two contests, Lull averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 75.0 percent from the field.
• Kunen Back In the Lineup:  After starting the first 12 games of the season Josh Kunen was replaced in the starting lineup - during that stretch the Dons went 2-3 and has returned to the starting lineup.  In his return to the starting rotation - he is averaging 8.0 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game in 28.5 minutes played.
• Dons For Three:  USF is one of the Nation's elite 3-point shooting teams.  The Dons are 22nd in the nation 3-point field goals per game, averaging 9.8 - they are sixth in the nation in 3-point field goals made with 205 and 93rd in 3-pt field goal percentage at .352. USF is 5-7 when they make nine or fewer 3-point field goals this season. They are 9-0 when making 10 or more a contest. Five different players have made 20 or more 3-point field goals this year.
• On the Glass:  The Dons were +9 in rebounds against the Gaels on Thursday night but came away with the loss.  The last time the Dons were +9 or better in rebound and lost came on Mar. 4, 2017 when USF fell to Santa Clara 76-69 in the WCC Tournament. 
• Getting Second Chances:  USF is averaging 11.2 second chance points per game -they are holding their opponents to just 7.7.  USF is 10-4 when getting 10 or more second chance points. Against SMC, USF had 17 second chance points.
 
VS. BYU
Series
Saturday will be the 28th time the Dons and Cougars have squared off and the 17th time since BYU joined the WCC in the 2011-12 season.  All-time the Cougars are 19-8 against the Dons and are 7-5 against USF at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.  The first matchup between these two teams took place on Dec. 12, 1952 with the Cougars defeating USF 53-52 in Provo.  Last season, the Dons did something they have not done since BYU joined the conference, swept the season series.  USF beat the Cougars 82-63 at home on Jan. 19, 2019 - the second largest win ever by the Dons over the Cougars and followed that up with a 77-71 win over BYU in Provo on Feb. 21, 2019 - a rare win by an opponent at the Marriott Center.
 
About the Cougars
The Cougars are led by first year head coach Mark Pope - Pope is one of 61 new head coaches in the NCAA this season and BYU's 15-6 start makes him one of the most successful first year head coaches.  As a team, the Cougars are averaging 78.4 points per game and are shooting 49.6 percent from the field. Their opponents are averaging 67.8 points per game and shooting 43.2 percent from the field.  BYU does a tremendous job defending the three, holding opponents to 29.9 percent from beyond the arc which is 50th in the nation. On the road this year, BYU is 2-4.  In conference play, the Cougars are 4-2 with wins over LMU, Portland, San Diego and at Pacific.
 
Last Time Out Versus BYU
Trailing by 14 with eight minutes to play the Dons rallied, going on an epic 28-8 run down the stretch to earn a 77-71 road victory over BYU on Feb. 21, 2019 at the Marriott Center. Frankie Ferrari was stellar, he finished with a career-high 23 points and willed the Dons back - the senior went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.  Ferrari was joined by Jordan Ratinho (11 points) and Matt McCarthy (10) points in double figures.  BYU was led by Yoeli Childs (28) and TJ Haws (25) but only had three other players score a point as the Dons defense did just enough down the stretch.
 
UP NEXT
Next week, the Dons will have another split road/home week.  USF opens the week at San Diego on Thursday night.  The Dons and Toreros will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area.  On Saturday, USF returns home for a date with No. 2 Gonzaga.  The Dons and Bulldogs will tip off at 1:00 p.m., that game will also be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area.
 

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Please mark your calendars for the Hall of Fame Dinner on February 21^st at 6:30 PM in the McClaren Conference Center on USF's campus. We will honor our Dons of the Year, Kevin and Susan Hanley, as well as our inductees that include Dior Lowhorn (men's basketball, 2010), Joy Boyenga (women's basketball, 1992), and Kyle Zimmer (baseball, 2012). Tickets are available now at usfdons.com/halloffame.