*Edit: The Dons game against BYU has been moved from ESPN2 to ESPN*

The University of San Francisco men's basketball is back on the Hilltop on Saturday where they will take on the BYU Cougars. The Dons and Cougars are slated to tip off at 5:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.  Eric Rothman and Richie Schueler will have the call on the television side.  Pat Olson will have the call on the home of USF Dos Basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.  Saturday's game will be the second part of a day-night double header with the women taking on Gonzaga at Noon. 
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 16, 2021 – 5:00 p.m.
Opponent: BYU Cougars (10-3, 1-1 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
TV:  ESPN
Talent: Eric Rothman (play-by-play); Richie Schueler (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play)
Live Stats: USFDons.com


USF AT A GLANCE
• The Dons rallied back from eight down in the first half to earn a 17 point road win over Portland on Thursday night at the Chiles Center.  The Dons opened the game slow but caught fire thanks to the play of Jamaree Bouyea who had a career-high 28 points.
 
• 5 Who Have Played 15:  Following the Dons win over Portland on Thursday the Dons are one of five teams who have played 15 games as of Friday.  The five include: Oakland, Liberty, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, and Longwood - of those teams, only Liberty (11 wins) and Sam Houston State (10 wins) have a better record.
 
• Bouyea Closing In on 1,000:  Senior point guard Jamaree Bouyea is just 31 points shy of becoming the 39th player in USF history to score 1,000 points. Should Bouyea do it in the next two games he will accomplish this feat in his 117th or 118th game.  Bouyea averages 8.4 points per game for his career but over the last two seasons he has scored 686 points per game, averaging 14.0 per contest.  The last player to score 1,000 career points at USF was Charles Minlend on January 2, 2020.  The all-time leader in points at USF is Bill Cartwright with 2,116 points.
 
• Bombs Away:  In the Dons win over the Pilots Thursday night, the Dons went 13-for-38 from 3-point range. It is the 10th time this season they have made 10 or more 3-point field goals in a contest. USF is 8-2 in games in which they make 10 or more in a game.
 
• Free Throw Oddity:  In the Dons win over the Pilots USF made just four free throws - making the second consecutive game the Dons made five or less - since 2010-11 that has happened 33 times with USF going 13-20.  The last time USF went back-to-back games making five or less was in back-to-back losses at Saint Mary's on Feb. 2, 2019 and Gonzaga on Feb. 7, 2019.
 
• Three is the Magic Number: The Dons were 9-6 when making more 3-point field goals than their opponent and 26-13 in the Golden Era. USF is averaging 11.1 made 3s per game.  In the last two seasons USF has made 11 or more 3s in a game 18 times, they are 17-1 in those contents - the one loss came against Rhode Island this season.
 
• Bouyea in rare company:  According to CollegeBasketballReference.com there are only four players in the nation who have made 100 or more field goals and are shooting better than 50 percent from the field.  The West Coast Conference has two of them in Jamaree Bouyea and Gonzaga's Corey Kispert.  Bouyea has made 106 field goals and is shooting 54.6 percent from the floor, while Kispert has made 100 field goals while shooting 60.2 percent from the field.  The other two players are Iowa's Luka Garza and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis.
 
Series History: BYU Cougars
Saturday will be the 30th time the Dons and Cougars have squared off and the 19th time since BYU joined the WCC in the 2011-12 season.  All-time the Cougars are 20-9 against the Dons and are 7-6 at War Memorial at the Sobrato 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 teams split the season series with the home team coming away with the win each time.  At home last year, the Dons defeated BYU 83-82 thanks to a special night from Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea. The second contest of the year went to the Cougars with BYU winning comfortably 90-75 on Feb. 8, 2020. Head coach Todd Golden is 1-1 against the Cougars and BYU's head coach Mark Pope is 1-2 against the Dons - having lost a game at USF in the CBI when he was the head coach at Utah Valley.
 
About the Cougars
The Cougars come to the Hilltop sporting a 10-3 overall record and are 1-1 in the WCC after defeating Saint Mary's 62-53 at McKeon Pavilion on Thursday. The Cougar's put together an impressive resume with non-conference wins over St. Johns, Utah State, Utah and San Diego State. On the road this year the Cougars are 3-1.  As a team, they are averaging 76.8 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field.  Their opponents are averaging 67.6 points per contest and shooting 41.1 percent from the floor. Three players average double figures for BYU led by Alex Barcello's 16.1 ppg.
 
Last Time Out Versus BYU
The Dons opened the contest 0-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished 5-for-24.  BYU on the other hand was 12-for-25 from 3-point range while converting 16 USF turnovers into 22 points in a 90-76 win for BYU at the Marriott Center on Feb. 8, 2020.
 
USF had three players finish in double figures, Jimbo Lull led the team with 22 points in a tremendous effort.  The Dons' big man was 8-for-11 from the field and 6-for-8 from the line.  He also had a game-high seven rebounds. Khalil Shabazz had 16 – 14 in the second half.  Jordan Ratinho finished with 12.
 
NEXT UP
The Dons begin rivalry week beginning with a contests on the road at Santa Clara.  The Dons and Broncos are scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on NBC Bay Area.  On Saturday the Dons will host Saint Mary's for a showdown on CBS Sports Network. Saturday's game against the Gaels will tip off at 4:00 p.m.