SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Following a two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (16-6, 5-2 WCC) returns to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center this week as the Dons will welcome San Diego (12-10, 2-5 WCC) to the Hilltop on Thursday night before hosting Pacific (6-16, 0-7 WCC) on Saturday evening.

GAME 23 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024
Time: 8:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: San Diego (12-10, 2-5 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
GAME 24 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Pacific (6-16, 0-7 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• After nearly upsetting Gonzaga in Spokane last Thursday, Jan. 25, San Francisco got back in the win column on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Portland with a 76-64 victory against the Pilots. Jonathan Mogbo earned Player of the Game honors, nearly recording a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in 26 minutes of action. Ndewedo Newbury also tied his career-high with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, cashing in three times from distance.
• Newbury has been on fire in conference play, as the junior is shooting 60.0 percent from the field (fourth-best in the WCC) and 45.7 percent from three in WCC action.
• Mogbo grabbed 23 rebounds across USF's two road contests last week, bumping his season average to 10.6 boards per game, good for ninth-most in the nation. Mogbo remains second in Division I in field goal percentage as he is currently shooting at a 67.9 percent clip, trailing only FGCU's Keeshawn Kellman (71.6).
• San Francisco is 10-1 at home on the Hilltop this season, with USF's only loss coming to current conference leader Saint Mary's on Jan. 20. Notably, the Dons are 14-0 this season when reaching 73 points and 13-0 when shooting 48 percent or better from the floor.
• As a unit, the green and gold are also second in the WCC in scoring offense (78.5 ppg) and scoring defense (63.7 ppg). Additionally, San Francisco has been excellent from two-point range this year, making 58.8 percent of their shots, which leads the conference and is eighth in Division I.
• Defensively, USF leads the WCC in turnover margin at +2.7 as the Dons generate 18.3 points per game off turnovers - good for first in the conference and 22nd nationally. According to KenPom, the green and gold are second in the country (Appalachian State is first) in block percentage at 5.4 percent.

SCOUTING THE TOREROS:

• Following an 0-5 start to WCC play, San Diego bounced back last week with two close road victories, taking an 85-81 win at Portland last Tuesday followed by a thrilling 69-67 win at Pepperdine on Saturday. In the victory against the Pilots, senior PJ Hayes led the Toreros with 33 points on 9-of-14 shooting from three-point range, tied for the most threes made in one game by a WCC player this season and the third-highest scoring performance in the WCC all season. On Saturday against the Waves, junior Steven Jamerson II posted a career-high 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go along with a career-best 12 rebounds.
• Guard Kevin Patton Jr. earned WCC Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season on Monday, Jan. 29 after averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in San Diego's two victories last week. Overall, Patton Jr. leads all WCC freshmen in assists per game (2.5), blocks per game (1.4) and steals per game (1.3) along with ranking second among freshmen in points per game (9.5) and rebounds per game (5.0) behind Portland's Tyler Harris.
• Getting the job done when it's close, San Diego is tied with Nicholls St. for the best record (7-1) in Division I this season in games decided by five points or fewer. With a win over San Francisco on Thursday night, the Toreros would notch three consecutive WCC road victories for the first time since 2007-08 (won five in a row).
• With no set lineup so far this season, USD is currently averaging the most bench points per game in the WCC this season (26.3). Overall, 11 different players have started a game for San Diego this year as no one has started all 22 games for USD.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• Pacific is seeking its first conference win of the season this week after losing to Saint Mary's in Moraga in a 76-28 contest last Thursday, Jan. 25 before suffering a 82-73 home loss to Gonzaga on Saturday, Jan. 27. Despite the defeat, the Tigers put up a fight against the Zags at home as Pacific held a 35-34 lead after the first 20 minutes of action. The game was knotted at 56 with 7:30 to play in the second half before Gonzaga went on a 20-7 run in the final six minutes to seal the contest.
• Entering the week, Moe Odum is second in the WCC in assists per game overall (4.7) and third in the WCC in assists per game (5.3) during conference play. Notably, Odum is one of two players in the WCC to have multiple games this season with double-digit assists, most recently notching ten assists against the Dons on Jan. 4 in the opening week of conference action.
• Before heading west to the City by the Bay, the Tigers will host Portland on Thursday night in Stockton at Alex G. Spanos Center.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's meeting between San Francisco and San Diego will mark the 93rd meeting all-time between the two programs as the Dons currently hold a 51-41 lead in the all-time series. Notably, USF was victorious in the first matchup of the season between the two teams as San Francisco downed the Toreros, 83-63, in San Diego on Jan. 11.
• Saturday's game between San Francisco and Pacific will mark the 114^th meeting all-time between the two programs as the Dons currently lead the all-time series 81-32. Having won the last five meetings against the Tigers, the two teams met in Stockton earlier this year as USF squeezed out a 92-88 overtime victory on the road in Stockton on Jan. 4.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Thursday night's contest will air live on CBS Sports Network at game time with Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau on the call. Saturday night's contest will air live on ESPN+ at game time with Chris Sylvester and Dior Lowhorn on the call. Both games will also air live on KNBR 1050 with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli on the call. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links are available above and via the team's schedule page.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Planet Orange - 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.