SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Back on the Hilltop following their first road trip of conference play last week, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (16-4, 3-2 WCC) will aim to defend their home court this weekend when they welcome two Bay Area foes to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center as the Dons are set to battle Saint Mary's (15-4, 3-1) on Thursday, Jan. 27 before a showdown with Santa Clara (12-7, 2-2 WCC) on Saturday, Jan. 29. 

GAME 21 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 – 7:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Saint Mary's (15-4, 3-1 WCC) 
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center (San Francisco, Calif.) 
Watch: Stadium 
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson + Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast 
 
GAME 22 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022- 4:00 pm PT 
Opponent: Santa Clara (12-7, 2-2 WCC) 
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center (San Francisco, Calif.) 
Watch: Stadium 
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson + Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• In their last time on the hardwood, the Dons raced out to an early 15-4 lead on No. 1/1 Gonzaga in Spokane on Thursday, Jan. 20, but USF ultimately fell victim to a second half surge from the Bulldogs as the nation's top team hung on, 78-62, to extend their home winning streak to 62 consecutive games. Just two days later, USF got back in the win column in dominating fashion as the Dons routed Pepperdine in Malibu, 71-45, while holding the Waves to their lowest point total of the season.
• Heading into Thursday, USF currently ranks No. 34 in the NCAA's Net Rankings and No. 35 in KenPom as the Dons are one of four schools in the WCC to rank in the top 40 of both of these rankings.
• Scoring at an elite level, Jamaree Bouyea has recorded nine 20+ point performances so far this season, good for first in the conference. Overall, three Dons average double figures: Bouyea (17.9 ppg), Yauhen Massalski (13.8 ppg), who also ranks second in the WCC in rebounds (8.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (61.8) and Khalil Shabazz (12.4 ppg), who also leads the conference in steals per game (1.9 spg). 

SCOUTING THE GAELS:

• Riding a three-game win streak into Thursday night's matchup, Saint Mary's swept both conference games last week as they downed Santa Clara, 73-65, on Thursday, Jan. 20 before cruising past Loyola Marymount, 83-51, on Saturday, Jan. 22. Overall, SMC has scored at least 73 points in all three of their conference wins so far.
• Spreading the wealth, the Gaels tallied 20+ assists for the third time this season in their win over LMU as SMC has lost just six times in the last three-plus seasons when tallying at least ten assists in a game.
• Rewarded for his hot shooting, Alex Ducas was named WCC Player of the Week on Monday, Jan. 24 after tying for the team-lead with 17 points in a win over Santa Clara, which was then followed by a 22-point outing in a victory over Loyola Marymount. Notably, Ducas has scored 10+ points in five straight contests as he became the third Gael to win Player of the Week this season, joining teammates Dan Fotu and Logan Johnson.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Last week, Santa Clara split their two WCC contests as the Broncos fell at Saint Mary's before squeezing past San Diego, 78-74, in overtime. Continuing this week, SCU will play four games in eight days as they will host BYU on Thursday night before making the trip to San Francisco on Saturday evening.
• As a team, the Broncos currently rank in the top 30 in Division I in field goal percentage (21^st) and three-point field goal percentage (29^th). Overall, Santa Clara is 11-1 in games in which they have scored at least 78 points, with their only loss coming at the hands No. 1/1 Gonzaga.
• Finding their rhythm offensively, all five Bronco starters (Parker Braun, Keshawn Justice, PJ Pipes, Josep Vrankic and Jalen Williams) are averaging over 10.0 points per game in conference play. Notably, Justice leads the WCC and is ranked sixteenth nationally in three-point percentage (44.6) having hit two or more threes in 16 of his 19 games. Impressively, Justice has reached double figures in all but one game this season as he has also logged six double-doubles, good for first in the conference and 36^th nationally. 

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's meeting between the Gaels and Dons will mark the 186^th matchup all-time between the two schools as USF currently holds a 101-84 lead over SMC. Recently, Saint Mary's has defeated San Francisco in four straight with the Dons last victory coming on Jan. 3, 2019 in a 76-72 win on the Hilltop.
• Saturday's meeting between the Broncos and the Dons will mark the 163^rd matchup all-time between the two schools as Santa Clara and USF are currently tied at 81-81. Notably, the Dons have taken care of SCU in their previous three contests as San Francisco has toppled the Broncos in five of their last six meetings. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Thursday's contest will air live on Stadium and on KNBR 1050 at 7:00 pm PT. Barry Tompkins and Doug Gottlieb will have the call live on Stadium while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will air on KNBR 1050 from the Hilltop. Live streaming, live audio and live statistics are available above and via the team's schedule page.
 
Saturday's contest will air live on Stadium and on KNBR 1050 at 4:00 pm PT. Barry Tompkins and Dan Belluomini will have the call live on Stadium while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will air on KNBR 1050 from the Hilltop. Live streaming, live audio and live statistics are available above and via the team's schedule page.
 
TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

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.