SAN FRANCISCO/SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Returning from a two-game road trip, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (13-4, 3-1 WCC) looks to bounce back from its first conference loss as the Dons will host Portland (5-12, 0-4 WCC) on Thursday night before heading to the South Bay for a rematch at Santa Clara (10-6, 2-1 WCC) on Saturday afternoon.

GAME 18 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Portland (5-12, 0-4 WCC)
Location: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center / San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+ (Ben Braun, Ben Ross)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
GAME 19 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Santa Clara (10-6, 2-1 WCC)
Location: Leavey Center / Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+ (Anthony Passarelli, Henry Caruso)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last week, San Francisco played its first two road games of WCC play as the Dons held on for an 89-81 victory at Pacific last Thursday, Jan. 2 before falling on the road at Washington State, 91-82 on Saturday, Jan. 4.
• After averaging 29.0 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting last week, Malik Thomas earned a league-leading fourth WCC Player of the Week award on Monday, Jan. 6. Continuing to establish himself as one of the nation's best, the guard was then named one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
• USF's backcourt has shined in WCC play so far as Thomas leads the conference in scoring (27.8 points per game) while Marcus Williams is close behind ranking eleventh in scoring (16.3). Additionally, Williams has been orchestrating the offense efficiently as he enters the new week fourth in the league in assists per game (5.3).
• As a unit within WCC play, San Francisco ranks in the top three in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2^nd, 11.3), points per game (3^rd, 84.5) and offensive rebounds per game (3^rd, 12.3). In the NCAA's NET Rankings, San Francisco currently sits at No. 61, the third-highest ranked WCC team behind Gonzaga (7) and Saint Mary's (45).

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• Portland has struggled to begin conference play, losing its first four games of WCC action, all by double digits, after a 5-8 start to the season in nonconference play. Last week, Portland fell to Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, losing by an average of 27 points.
• Leading the Pilots offensively, Australian freshman Austin Rapp has averaged 13.6 points per game this season, shooting 39.3 percent from beyond-the-arc and 92.3 percent from the foul line. Rapp has earned two WCC Freshman of the Week honors so far, most recently earning the first award of conference play on Dec. 31. Notably, he is one of three freshmen in the conference to earn the award twice this year: Rapp, Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary's) and Jaxon Olvera (Pepperdine).
• Despite its struggles this season, Portland has been one of the nation's best teams from the free throw line as the Pilots lead the WCC in free throw percentage in conference play (84.6 percent) while also ranking 35^th overall across Division I from the charity stripe (77.1 percent).

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• After its overtime loss in San Francisco last Monday, Santa Clara squeezed out a narrow 81-80 victory at San Diego last Thursday, Jan. 2 to regain a winning record in conference action. Carlos Stewart Jr. led the Broncos in scoring with 20 points on four made three-pointers against the Toreros.
• Dominating offensively through three conference games, Santa Clara leads the WCC in both scoring (88.7 ppg) and three-pointers made per game (12.7).
• Consistent from distance, Johnny O'Neil leads the conference in three-point percentage in WCC play heading into the week as the forward is shooting 66.7 percent from beyond-the-arc in SCU's three conference games.
• The Broncos will first host Oregon State on Thursday night before welcoming the Dons on Saturday evening. 

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday night's contest between San Francisco and Portland will mark the 101^st all-time matchup between the two programs as the Dons hold a 70-30 advantage in the all-time series. The Dons and Pilots last met in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 WCC Tournament on Mar. 9, 2024, with San Francisco taking a comfortable 72-51 victory at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
• San Francisco and Santa Clara will close out their regular season series this weekend as the two teams will face off for their 237^th all-time meeting. Overall, the Dons hold a 120-116 lead in the all-time series heading into Saturday. Previously this season, San Francisco took the first matchup in overtime as the Dons defeated the Broncos, 97-94, on Monday, Dec. 30 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 - BSN Sports - 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.