The University of San Francisco men's basketball team is back on the road for a Thursday night showdown against San Diego. The game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be televised on NBC Sports California with Steve Quis and Dave Miller on the call.  It will be the only time the Dons (15-7/4-3 WCC) take on the Toreros (8-14/1-6 WCC).  Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call on the home of USF Dons Basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 30, 2020 – 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: San Diego Toreros (8-14/1-6 WCC)
Site: Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100)
TV:  NBC Sports California (and other regional networks)
Talent: Steve Quis (play-by-play) and Dave Miller (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: USDToreros.com
 
USF AT A GLANCE
• USF is 15-7 on the year and 4-3 in the WCC.  Since falling to Portland, the Dons have gone 4-1 -their lone loss during that stretch a 58-48 loss at Saint Mary's.
• Last time out: USF, led by career nights from guards Jamaree Bouyea and Khalil Shabazz defeated BYU 83-82 on Saturday.  Shabazz shined scoring 32 going 10-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from 3-point range.
• Shabazz for 30: In the win over BYU Khalil Shabazz scored a career-high 32 points - he becomes the first player to score 30 or more since Ronnie Boyce, III scored 30 in the loss against Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament on Mar. 4, 2017.  Shabazz's 32 surpasses his previous career-best of 28 which he recorded in his second career-game playing for Division II's Central Washington.
• The NET:  In the latest update to the NCAA Evaluation Tool the Dons climbed up to 95.  They are one of five teams from the WCC in the top-100. 
• Road Trip: The Dons are 4-4 on the road this year. Winning every other contest - if that trend continue the Dons are due to end their four-game skid against the Toreros. Last time on the road, USF fell to Saint Mary's.  For the year, the Dons are averaging 70.1 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent from the field.  Charles Minlend leads the team in points, averaging 12.9 a game on the road. 
• The Scoreboard:  On Saturday night against BYU, the Dons lit up the board for 83 points - their 11th time scoring 80 or more - the Dons are 10-1 in those contests.  USF is averaging 77.5 points per game which ranks 43rd in the nation and third in the WCC.  They are 83rd in the nation in scoring margin at +7.1
• From the Field:  USF is shooting .45.4 percent from the field which is 90th in the nation - they have seven games this season where they have shot .500 or better. USF is 14-3 when shooting .400 or better, the three losses came at Hawaii, Harvard, and Portland.
• Two over 20:  With the win over the Cougars the Dons had two players over 20 points. Khalil Shabazz scored a career-high 32, followed by Jamaree Bouyea's career-best 23.  The last time the Dons had two players in the 20s or better came on Feb. 2, 2019 in a loss at Saint Mary's.  Frankie Ferrari and Charles Minlend both finished with 22 that game.
• Bouyea In the Conference Leaders:  Junior guard Jamaree Bouyea is the only player in the WCC who ranks in the top-15 in the following categories: scoring 11th (13.9), FG% 6th (54.1), Assists 8th (3.8), blocked shots 8th (0.8), steals 1st (1.8), Assist/TO Ratio 7th (1.8), Minutes Played 7th (33.5).
• Of the 61 first year head coaches in the NCAA - Golden entered this week tied for second-best with a .682 winning percentage - at 15-7 Golden is tied with Mark Pope (BYU). They trail Arkansas's Eric Musselman (.789 - 15-4).
 
VS. SAN DIEGO
Series
Thursday night will be the 84th matchup between the Dons and Toreros. The series dates back to Nov. 30, 1973 when the Dons defeated the Toreros 76-60 on the Hilltop. All-time, the Dons are 42-41 against USD. However, USD is riding a four-game winning streak over USF after defeating the Dons 91-90 in overtime at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center last season.  On the road, USF is 16-24 all-time against the Toreros. At this arena last season, the Dons could not hold on to a 14-point halftime lead and lost to USD, 67-63. 
 
About the Toreros
San Diego is a drastically different team than the one USF is used to seeing. USD graduated three stellar players from last year's roster that gave the Dons fits. This season, the Toreros return one starter from last year's surprise NIT team. In 2019-20 the Toreros are 8-14 and are just 1-6 in the WCC, at home they are 5-5. They are averaging 66.5 points per game and shooting 41.6 percent from the field. Their opponents are averaging 71.0 points per game and shooting 44.0 percent from the floor. Leading the team in scoring is newcomer Braun Hartfield, a transfer from Youngstown State, who is averaging 13.2 points per game and shooting 42.0 percent from the field. Second on the team is Joey Calcaterra at 12.7 points per game.
 
Last Time Out Versus USD
In the second-to-last regular season game of the 2018-19 campaign, the Dons were in a battle at home against USD. The Toreros, thanks to the play of their trio of Isaiah Pineiro, Olin Carter III, and Isaiah Wright led USF 41-36 at halftime. The Dons outscored USD 46-41 in the second half, but let a half-court buzzer beater by the Toreros sent the game into OT, where Pineiro took over. USD's trio scored 68 of USD's 91 points. The Dons had five players in double figures and were led by Charles Minlend's 22 - but it wasn't enough as USD played spoiler.
 
UP NEXT
USF returns home and will get their first look at the second ranked Bulldogs when Gonzaga comes to the Hilltop.  The Dons and Bulldogs are set to tip off at 1:00 p.m. with Saturday's contest being televised on NBC Sports Bay Area.  Kate Scott and Dan Belluomini will have the call.  
 

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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 Kyle Zimmer '12 (baseball), Joy Boyenga '92 (women's basketball), Jan Elberse '83 (men's soccer), Dior Lowhorn '10 (men's basketball), Dr. Geraldine Lauro will be admitted in a special category, and the 1963-64 and 1964-65 men's basketball teams will be inducted as one entry in the team category.  Tickets are available now at usfdons.com/halloffame.