SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Ready to begin the new year, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (0-0) is set to tipoff the 2024-25 season on Tuesday night as the Dons will host Cal Poly (0-0) at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS:
Opponent: Cal Poly (0-0)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Watch: ESPN+ (Chris Sylvester, Ben Braun)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last season, San Francisco finished 23-11 overall and 11-5 in conference play, good for third in the final WCC regular season standings, as the Dons earned an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), their second postseason appearance in three years. Notably, the green and gold also reached the semifinal round of the West Coast Conference tournament for the third consecutive season in 2024-25.
• Excluding the COVID-shortened season in 2020-21, San Francisco has won 20+ games in the past seven full seasons dating back to 2016-17. Leading the charge, Chris Gerlufsen heads into his third season as head coach of the Dons as the Philadelphia native has recorded a 43-25 record through his first two seasons on the Hilltop.
• San Francisco will return seven student-athletes from last season's roster, including All-WCC First Team selection Marcus Williams, reigning WCC Freshman of the Year Ryan Beasley and WCC Honorable Mentions Ndewedo Newbury and Malik Thomas.
• New to campus, San Francisco brought in four transfers this offseason in Carlton Linguard Jr. (UTSA), Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt), Isa Silva (Long Beach State) and Drew Ardouin (Cuesta College). San Francisco also welcomes four freshmen in Tyrone Riley IV (Watts, Calif.), James O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Veniamin "Ben" Abosi (Heraklion, Greece) and Karl Poom (Tartu, Estonia). Notably, the four freshmen in USF's 2024 signing class are the most for the program since the 2020-21 season.
• Released on WCC Media Day in October, San Francisco was picked to finish fourth in the 2024-25 WCC Preseason Poll behind No. 6 Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara, but the Dons were one of only three teams to receive a first place vote. Additionally, Marcus Williams, who earned All-WCC First Team honors after averaging 14.0 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 2023-24, was named to the 2024-25 Preseason WCC All-Conference Team.
• With a chance to make some noise early, the Dons will play a 13-game nonconference slate that features five teams ranked in the top 100 of the preseason KenPom rankings - Boise State (45th, Nov. 9), Memphis (42nd, Nov. 21), Clemson (24th, Nov. 25), Loyola Chicago (78th, Dec. 15), and Bradley (92nd, Dec. 18). For San Francisco, the green and gold head into the season opener at No. 84 in the KenPom rankings. 

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS:

• Cal Poly comes into the 2024-25 campaign under new head coach Mike DeGeorge, who is making his Division I head coaching debut after six seasons at Division II Colorado Mesa.
• DeGeorge looks to rewrite the script for Cal Poly this year as the Mustangs compiled a 4-28 overall record last season, including a winless record in Big West action. Cal Poly was picked to finish last in the conference in the 2024 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Most recently, the Mustangs returned to the floor on Oct. 25 for an exhibition game against Division III Caltech, cruising to a 110-53 victory.
• With an 18-man roster, Cal Poly sees seven players returning from last season's squad, including Jarred Hyder. Last season, the guard averaged 10.3 points per game, good for second on the team.

SERIES HISTORY:
Tuesday's game between San Francisco and Cal Poly will mark the eighth meeting all-time between the two programs as the Dons hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series. Previously, the two programs last met two seasons ago on Nov. 10, 2022 when San Francisco secured a 60-48 victory on the Hilltop.
 
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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.