If the University of San Francisco men's basketball team wants to keep its winning streak against BYU alive, the Dons will have to get it done on the road.  USF (16-9/5-5 WCC) travels to Provo, Utah to take on the Cougars (18-7/7-3 WCC) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. PT at the Marriott Center.  Saturday's game will be televised on BYUtv with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler on the play-by-play, Spencer Linton will serve as the sideline reporter.  As always, fans can tune in to KNBR 1050-AM, the home of USF Dons Basketball, to hear Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli call all the action from courtside.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 8, 2020 – 6:30 p.m. PT.
Opponent: BYU Cougars (18-7/7-3 WCC)
Site: Marriott Center  
TV:  BYUtv
Talent: Dave McCann (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analyst), Spencer Linton (reporter)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: BYUCougars.com
 
USF AT A GLANCE
• USF is 16-9 on the year and 5-5 in the WCC.  They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and 2-3 over the last five.  USF is currently riding a two-game losing streak.  A loss on Saturday would match their season-worst three-game skid that occurred Dec. 30-Jan. 4
• Last time out: The Dons sluggish start was too much to overcome.  USF was held to 13 points and five field goals in the first half - both season-lows.  In the second half USF outscored the Tigers 35-31 but it wasn't enough as Pacific went on to win 60-48. 
• Holding a team to 60: Speaking of that 60 point defensive performance - over the last 10 years the Dons have held an opponent to 60 points or less 71 times – after Thursday's game they are now 66-5.  The last time USF lost when holding an opponent to 60 or fewer came on Feb. 23, 2017 when the Dons lost to LMU 53-51.
• The NET:  In the latest update to the NCAA Evaluation Tool the Dons fell to 100 - they entered the week at 83.  They are one of four teams from the WCC in the top-100 - they are fourth, behind Gonzaga (3), BYU (28) and Saint Mary's (32).
• At the Marriott Center: Saturday marks the ninth time the Dons have played at the Marriott Center - all-time USF is 2-7 at the home arena of BYU.  Last time out, the Dons defeated BYU 77-71 snapping a five game losing streak there.
• The Dons are averaging 76.1 points per game which ranks 64th in the nation - they are +6.6 in scoring margin which is 82nd in the nation.  On Thursday they were held to 48 points - the last time the Dons were held to less than 50 came on Jan. 23 in a 58-48 loss at Saint Mary's.
• From the Field:  USF is shooting .44.5 percent from the field which is 134th in the nation - they have seven games this season where they have shot .500 or better. USF is 15-4 when shooting .400 or better, the four losses came at Hawaii, Harvard, Portland, and Gonzaga. When the Dons outshoot their opponent they are 11-0, when they shoot worse than their opponent they are 4-9.
• Against the Tigers on Thursday, USF shot a season-low 27.6 percent from the field (16-for-58). The last time the Dons shot worse than 30.0 percent from the field came on Dec. 17, 2017 at Stanford - going 16-for-59 at Maples Pavilion.
• Battle of First Years:  Saturday will be the fourth 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. On Jan. 25 the Dons got the better of Mark Pope in the first match-up winning 83-82.
• Dons For Three:  USF remain one of the Nation's elite 3-point shooting teams.  The Dons are 30th in 3-point field goals per game, averaging 9.7 - they are 12th in the nation in 3-point field goals made with 232. USF is 6-9 when they make nine or fewer 3-point field goals this season. They are 10-0 when making 10 or more a contest. Five different players have made 20 or more 3-point field goals this year.
•Against the Tigers, the Dons shot a season-low 12.5 percent from beyond the arc going 3-for-24 - the Dons opened the contest 0-for-13 before Jimbo Lull hit a triple in the second half to give the Dons their first 3-point field goal.
• On the Glass:  The Dons were minus-19 on the glass on Thursday night.  USF allowed Jahlil Tripp and James Hampshire to grab 32 rebounds combined.  Pacific finished the game with 50 rebounds - 41 on the defensive side.  The last time USF gave up 50 rebounds to an opponent came on Feb. 11, 2017 - to BYU.
• Jimbo Lull leads the Dons, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game - he grabbed his 600th career rebound against Gonzaga last Saturday. The 500 rebounds is 170th most among active players. He had a team-high 10 rebounds against the Tigers.
• Getting Second Chances:  USF is averaging 10.9 second chance points per game -they are holding their opponents to just 7.3.  USF is 11-4 when getting 10 or more second chance points. Against Pacific, USF was held to two second chance points.
 
VS. BYU
Series
Saturday will be the 29th time the Dons and Cougars have squared off and the 18th time since BYU joined the WCC in the 2011-12 season.  All-time the Cougars are 19-9 against the Dons and are 9-2 at the Marriott Center.  The first match-up 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. Earlier this year, the Dons took round one of the season series, winning 83-82 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Jan. 25. The Dons are currently riding a three-game winning streak against the Cougars.
 
About the Cougars
Since falling to the Dons on the road on Jan. 25, BYU is on a three-game winning streak and boasts a +20 margin of victory during that stretch. On Feb. 1 the Cougars took down Saint Mary's 81-79 in Provo.  As a team, the Cougars are averaging 80.1 points per game, which currently ranks 16th in the nation.  They are shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from beyond the arc. Senior forward Yoeli Childs was recently named a finalist for the Senior Class award and the Karl Malone Award - he leads the team with 21 points a game and 8.9 rebounds per contest.  Jake Toolson is averaging 16.0 ppg and TJ Haws is averaging 13.8 ppg.  
 
Last Time Out Versus BYU
USF's back-court put on a shooting display as Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea had career days.  Shabazz was particularly deadly going 10-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 32 points, Jamaree Bouyea had 23.  USF was stellar in the second half as they erased a 14-point deficit in the final period - the second consecutive game against the Cougars in which the Dons came back from 14-down in the second half to earn the win. Four players scored 10 or more for the Cougars but it wasn't enough as USF won 83-82 on Jan. 25.
 
UP NEXT
The Dons return to the Bay Area for a Thursday night showdown against rivals Santa Clara. The Dons and Broncos will tip off at 6:00 p.m. from the Leavey Center.  Thursday's game will 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 McLaren 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.