USF Travels to Arizona for Matchups vs. GCU, ASU

Saturday, December 18

Phoenix, Ariz.

4:30 PM

University of San Francisco

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Christina Leung

12/17/2021 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Back on the road following another successful stint at home, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (10-0, 0-0) will aim to keep their record unblemished as the Dons travel to Phoenix for showdowns with Grand Canyon (9-2, 0-0) and Arizona State (5-6, 1-1) this weekend.

GAME 11 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 – 4:30 p.m. PT
Opponent: Grand Canyon (9-2, 0-0 WAC)
Site: Footprint Center (Phoenix, Arizona)
Video: FloSports (Subscription Needed- Ty Collins, Bill Herenda, Tauli Anderson)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson + Jim Brovelli)

GAME 12 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021 – 3:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Arizona State (5-6, 0-0 Pac-12)
Site: Desert Financial Arena (Tempe, Arizona)
Video: Pac-12 Network (Daron Sutton + Don MacLean)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson + Jim Brovelli)

DONS AT A GLANCE:

Last time out, the Dons battled from behind to pull off a gritty 71-63 win over Fresno State on Wednesday, Dec. 8 to improve to 10-0 . In the win, Jamaree Bouyea exploded for 25 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as the guard was named Player of the Game after finishing 11-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond-the-arc. Additionally, the fifth year Don also added six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block for USF. Finding his rhythm down low, forward Yauhen Massalski logged double figures for the fourth straight game after pouring in 20 points on 9-of-11 while also tallying four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.
This past Monday, the West Coast Conference officially announced that Bouyea was named the WCC Player of the Week. Notably, this honor marks the second straight week in which the guard was tabbed the conference player of the week as he also becomes the first student-athlete in the conference to earn the award twice this season. Heading into the weekend, Bouyea currently leads the WCC in scoring (20.0 ppg) and is second in total points (200), second in made three-pointers per game (3.2), second in three-pointers attempted per game (6.8) and third in minutes per game (35.4).
Through Dec. 16, USF is currently ranked No. 26 overall in the NCAA NET rankings having tallied four wins over schools in the top 80: UAB (33), Davidson (48), Fresno State (73) and Towson (77).
Head coach Todd Golden is now 43-26 (.623) through his first 69 games at the helm of the Dons. Overall, the Dons have won their first seven contests of the year in three of the last four seasons (dating back to 2018-19).

SCOUTING THE LOPES:

In their last outing on the hardwood, GCU handled Ottawa University (Ariz.), 81-53, on Saturday, Dec. 11. Notching their seventh victory at home so far this year, the Lopes were led offensively by three student-athletes who finished in double figures: Holland Woods (13 points), Jovan Blacksher Jr. (12 points) and Sean Miller-Moore (10 points). Prior to this matchup, GCU dropped just their second game of the season when they fell on the road at Arizona State, 67-62, on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Coming into Saturday, the Lopes currently rank second nationally in rebounds per game (43.9) and offensive rebounds per game (15.5) while also placing eighth in rebound margin per game (plus-11.5) and thirteenth in opponent field goal percentage (37.1%).
Making the short trip to Footprint Center, GCU will compete in the Jerry Colangelo Classic for the third time in program history as the Lopes faced Nevada in 2018 and Liberty in 2019 in downtown Phoenix. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS:

Putting together a noteworthy streak of their own, Arizona State pushed their winning streak to three consecutive games this Tuesday as the Sun Devils edged Creighton, 58-57, in a battle that came down to the wire on Dec. 14. Prior to this victory, ASU also won on the road at Oregon, 69-67, on Sunday, Dec. 5 and at home against GCU, 67-62, on Thursday, Dec. 9.
As a team, Arizona State comes into the contest in the top five in the Pac-12 in three-point field goal attempts (250, second), total steals (64, third) field goal defense (40.2, fourth), total blocks (52), blocked shots per game (4.7, fifth) and total assists (135). Individually, DJ Horne (13.1 ppg) and Kimani Lawrence (10.7 ppg) lead the charge on the offensive side of the ball while Luther Muhammad (15 steals) and Alonzo Gaffney (17 blocks) provide support defensively. Notably, Lawrence also leads the Sun Devils in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
Overall, Sunday's matchup will mark the second of the season against a WCC opponent for the Sun Devils as ASU cruised past Portland, 76-60, in Tempe on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

SERIES HISTORY:

Saturday's matchup between the Dons and the Lopes will mark the second meeting all-time between the two programs. In their lone showdown, USF topped GCU, 68-65, last season on Dec. 20, 2020 in Las Vegas.
Sunday's matchup between the Dons and the Sun Devils will mark the eleventh meeting all-time between the two schools. Currently, ASU holds a 6-4 advantage over USF, including a 71-67 road win in San Francisco in their last battle on Dec. 3, 2019.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Saturday's contest will air live on FloSports (subscription needed) and on KNBR 1050 at 4:30 pm PT. Ty Collins and Bill Herenda will have the call live on FloSports while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will air on KNBR 1050 from Footprint Center. Live streaming, live audio and live statistics are available above and via the team's schedule page.

Sunday's contest will air live on Pac-12 Network and on KNBR 1050 at 3:00 pm PT. Daron Sutton and Don MacLean will have the call live on television while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will air on KNBR 1050 from Desert Financial Arena. Live streaming, live audio and live statistics are available above and via the team's schedule page.

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for non-conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. Tickets for West Coast Conference opponents are now also on sale and can be purchased here.

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.