The University of San Francisco men's basketball looks to end its two-game skid on Saturday. To do it they will have to defeat host Portland on the road.  The Dons (11-5/0-1 WCC) will take on the Pilots (8-8/0-1 WCC) at 7:00 p.m. live from the Chiles Center. Saturday's game will be televised on NBC Sports Northwest with Bryan Sleik and Jazmine Dallas on the play-by-play.  Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call courtside on the official home of USF Dons Basketball, KNRB 1050-AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 04, 2020 – 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: Portland Pilots (8-8/0-1 WCC)
Site: Chiles Center
TV:  NBC Sports Northwest
STREAM: WatchStadium.com/live
Talent: Bryan Sleik (play-by-play) and Jazmine Dallas (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
WATCH PARTY
For fans not making the trip to Portland, a watch party hosted by our partners at KNBR will be located at The Public House.
 
USF AT A GLANCE
•  USF is 11-5 on the year.  After starting 7-0 the Dons are 4-5 and are riding a two-game losing streak.  It is their second such streak of the season.
• Last time out: The Dons defense did a good job holding the league's top scorer below average but USF's offense was stagnant at times as visiting Saint Mary's defeated the Dons 69-58 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 
• USF is 3-2 on the road this year - they average 73.8 points per game on the road and boast a +4.4 scoring margin.  The Dons are shooting .452 away from home (135-for-299).  Four players are averaging better than 10 points a game on the road for the Dons - Jamaree Bouyea leads the team with a 12.4 average.  In 28 career road games Charles Minlend averages 12.1 points per contest.
• Opening up WCC Play:  All-time the Dons are 37-27 on opening night of WCC play. 
• The NET:  In the latest update to the NCAA Evaluation Tool, the Dons enter Saturday's contest with a NET ranking of 106 - they fell two spots after falling to Saint Mary's on Saturday.  Portland is ranked 251.
• Scoring Abundance:  USF is 26th in the nation averaging 80.6 points per game - they are one of six teams in the WCC who are +9.0 or better in scoring margin.  The Dons rank 89rd in the nation at +9.1 in scoring margin. 
• From the Field:  USF is shooting .448 percent from the field - they have three games this season where they have shot .500 or better three times this season. USF is 10-2 when shooting .400 or better, the two losses came at Hawaii and on Monday night against Harvard.
• Strong First Impression:  Todd Golden's 11-4 mark (.733) is tied for fifth-best among the 61 new head coaches this season - he trails Arkansas's Eric Musselman (11-1, .917), St. John's Mike Anderson (11-2, .846), Michigan's Juan Howard (10-3, .769), and Virginia Tech's Mike Young (10-3, .769) - he is tied with BYU's Mark Pope.  Golden trails only Howard among first year head coaches.
• Second Half Success:  The Dons have scored 1,290 points this season - over half (52.9%) have come in the second half - 676.

THE SERIES VS. PORTLAND
Saturday will be 90th meeting between the Dons and Pilots.  All-time, USF is 62-27 against Portland and has won eight in a row.  In the Rose City, the Dons are 25-17 all-time. At the Chiles Center, which opened in 1984, the Dons are 21-13 - but have won nine-straight.  Last year, the Dons won both contests, starting with a 22 point win at home on Jan. 24, 2019 and followed that up with an overtime win on Feb. 16, 2019 - 68-63.  During the Dons eight-game winning streak, USF's average margin of victory has been 12.5 points - however, the Pilots have battled the Dons tight in a two of the last three contests.
 
About the Pilots
Under fourth year head coach Terry Porter, the Pilots are 8-8 and 0-1 in the WCC after falling to No. 1 Gonzaga 85-72 at the Chiles Center, a game the Pilots were leading at halftime.  Following the loss to the Bulldogs, the Pilots are mired in a five-game losing streak that dates back to a 73-63 home loss against Jackson State at the Diamond Head Classic the Pilots went 0-3 falling to Houston, Boise State, and Ball State in the annual Christmas tournament.  As a team, Portland is averaging 68.6 points per game and shooting 45.2 percent from the field (388-859).  Their opponents are averaging 66.8 points per game and shooting 40.5 percent from the floor (400-988). Two players are averaging in double figures, leading the team is Isaiah White at 13.3 points per game.  The Pilots average 33.2 rebounds per game with no player averaging better than 5.0 rebounds per contest.  Leading the team in rebounds is Jakob Tryon with 4.8.
 
Last Time Out Versus Portland
USF needed a little extra time. But in the end, they got the result they were looking for, leaving the Chiles Center with a 68-63 win in overtime on Feb. 16, 2019 to complete the season sweep over the Pilots.  Frankie Ferrari was the catalyst, finishing with a game-high 20 points. In overtime, the Dons couldn't miss.  USF was 6-for-8 overall and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the extra period – two of those coming from Charles Minlend who had 10 of his 15 after the intermission.
 
UP NEXT
The Dons will return home when they host longtime rival Santa Clara on Thursday, January 9 at 8:00 p.m. The Dons and Broncos game will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area, with the Dons radio broadcast airing live on KNBR 1050.