SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Following their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team is hungry to begin their journey back to March as the Dons will kick off their 2022-23 season with two home games this week.
 
On Monday, Nov. 7, USF will open the year with a 7:00 pm matchup against another tournament team from last season- Texas Southern. Just a few days later, the Dons will welcome Cal Poly to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center for another 7:00 pm battle.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS:
Date: Monday, Nov. 7, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm PST
Opponent: Texas Southern (0-0)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif. 
Watch: WCC Network
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
GAME 2 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm PST
Opponent: Cal Poly (0-0)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: WCC Network 
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Fresh off their first NCAA Tournament since 1998, the Dons are hungry to get back to the Big Dance after a successful season in 2021-22 that saw the green and gold compile a 24-10 overall record, including a 10-6 mark in West Coast Conference play.
• This year, USF's non-conference schedule is highlighted by seven home games, including another battle with Pac-12 foe Arizona State. Additionally, the Dons will return to Chase Center for the third time in the last four seasons, with USF set to take on Utah State on Sunday, Dec. 4 in a neutral site matchup.
• Notably, the Dons will also compete in the 2022 Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City over the Thanksgiving week as the team will square off against Northern Iowa on Monday, Nov. 21 at T-Mobile Center. Depending on the outcome of this matchup, USF will face the winner or loser of Grand Canyon/Wichita State. Overall, the four-team field proves to be an impressive bunch as these four teams combined for 82 wins while also each finishing in the top 100 of the final NCAA NET rankings last season.
• Beginning towards the end of the calendar year, USF will embark on their 16-game conference slate on Thursday, Dec. 29 when they make the trip to the South Bay for a showdown at Santa Clara. Notably, the Dons will wrap up their conference schedule on Saturday, Feb. 25 with a road trip to Provo, Utah for a matchup with BYU.
• USF will return eleven letterwinners from the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament team: Khalil Shabazz, Julian Rishwain, Isaiah Hawthorne, Josh Kunen, Justin Bieker, Zane Meeks, Ndewedo Newbury, Bryce Whitaker, Jonas Visser, Volodymyr Markovetskyy and Jake Cioe.
• Overall, head coach Chris Gerlufsen enters his first year at the helm of the green and gold after taking over for former USF head coach Todd Golden. Taking over the reins, Gerlufsen possesses a wealth of experience at the Division I level having made stops at Hawaii, San Diego, Hartford and The Citadel. Prior to coming to the Hilltop, Gerlufsen served as the top assistant to head coach Eran Ganot at Hawaii. While at UH, he oversaw the guards and served as the Rainbow Warriors' offensive coordinator. Gerlufsen also served as the acting head coach for Hawaii's first 13 games in the 2019-20 season, including leading UH to upset wins over previously undefeated USF and West Coast Conference foe Pacific.
• This past year, Gerlufsen was in charge of the offense for the Dons as he guided USF to finishing eleventh in the country in total three-point field goals made (327), sixteenth in three-point field goals per game (9.6) and thirty-second in scoring margin (9.6). Notably, Jamaree Bouyea and Yauhen Massalski, who Gerlufsen originally recruited at San Diego, earned First Team All-WCC Honors this season while Khalil Shabazz was named Second Team All-WCC.
• Last season, Khalil Shabazz became the 40^th student-athlete in program history to eclipse 1,000 points as the two-time All-WCC guard currently ranks 25^th all-time at USF with 1,199 total points. Additionally, the Seattle native also ranks third all-time in three-pointers made (204) and three-pointers attempted (588). Defensively, Shabazz sits fourth all-time in program history in steals (163). 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• Similar to the Dons, Texas Southern competed in the NCAA Tournament last season as the Tigers knocked off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Four before falling to eventual national champion Kansas in the first round. Notably, Texas Southern also made the tournament in 2017-18 and 2020-21, where they won both of their first round matchups. 
• Following this success, the Tigers were picked to finish first in the 2022-23 Preseason SWAC Poll as the duo of Karl Nicholas and John Walker III earned preseason honors individually. Last year, Nicholas was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning All-SWAC First Team Honors. Additionally, Walker III earned preseason honors for the second straight year.
• Led by fifth-year head coach Johnny Jones, Texas Southern has won the past two SWAC Tournament Championships. Last season, the Tigers finished with a 19-13 overall record, including a 13-5 mark in conference action.
• In 2021-22, Texas Southern faced off against two WCC opponents, falling on the road at Saint Mary's on Nov. 12 and at BYU on Nov. 24.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS:

• Cal Poly returns five starters, nine letterwinners and 80.5 percent of their scoring from last season as the Mustangs also welcomed four Division I transfers to the program this offeseason. Last year, Cal Poly finished 7-21 overall, including a 3-12 record in Big West play.
• In their 72-60 exhibition win over Division II Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 3, senior Alimany Koroma led four Mustangs in double figures with 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds in route to his first double-double of the new year. Additionally, senior Trevon Taylor added 11 points himself while Camren Pierce and Bryan Penn-Johnson each poured in 10 points apiece.
• Overall, Cal Poly will begin their season with a Monday night meeting with Bethesda before making the trip north to square off against USF on Thursday evening. Following their showdown with the Dons, the Mustangs will trek to Stanford for a Friday night battle on Nov. 18.
• In 2021-22, Cal Poly faced off against three WCC opponents, falling on the road at Santa Clara (Nov. 19), San Diego (Dec. 5) and Portland (Dec. 13). 

SERIES HISTORY:

• Monday's matchup between the Dons and the Tigers will mark the second meeting all-time between the two programs. Previously, Texas Southern took down USF, 73-65, in a neutral site matchup at University Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Nov. 27, 1994.
• Thursday's matchup between the Dons and the Mustangs will mark the eighth meeting all-time between the two programs. Overall, USF hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series. This matchup will mark the first time the programs have met since Dec. 4, 2020, when the Dons defeated Cal Poly, 88-60, in San Luis Obispo. Notably, USF last defeated the Mustangs at home on the Hilltop in a 73-62 win on Nov. 13, 2009. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Live streaming of both contests will be available via the WCC Network and the team's schedule page. Live statistics are also available via Statbroadcast or the team's schedule page. Tickets to all games can be purchased at usfdons.com/tickets.
 
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.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.