COMPLETE RELEASE
USF TRAVELS TO LAS VEGAS: San Francisco travels to the desert for two more tough battle-tested opponents. The Dons take on No. 11/10 San Diego State in Las Vegas Tuesday, December 21 in the opening round of the Jerry Tarkanian Holiday Hoops Classic (12/21/10) at the South Point Arena. The Aztecs remained unbeaten in 2010-11 with a 90-64 drubbing of UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Dons wrap up tournament play against IUPUI Thursday. The Jaguars own a 5-7 slate after dropping a 81-54 decision Saturday at Duquesne.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: USF and San Diego State square off for the first time in more than three decades Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The Dons posted a convincing 91-77 triumph at the San Diego Sports Arena against Tony Gwynn's Aztecs Dec. 22, 1979, avenging a 77-75 loss at War Memorial Gym the previous Dec. 5.
MICHAEL WILLIAMS HEATS UP: Sophomore guard Michael Williams is off to a torrid start to the 2010-11 season and leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game on .489 (22-45) from 3-point range. The Southern California native made the game-winning free throws in USF's 83-81 overtime win versus Colorado (11/20/10). Williams turned in a career day in the Green and Gold's 50-48 overtime triumph against Montana (12/12/10) scoring 23 points with 13 rebounds in 42 minutes. Williams posted a game-high 19 points with seven rebounds at Washington (12/18/10).
PERRIS BLACKWELL A FORCE IN THE PAINT: Sophomore forward Perris Blackwell is quickly asserting himself as a force on the USF front line. In his last two ball games, Blackwell posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in an overtime win against Montana (12/12/10) and matched his career-high with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds at Washington (12/18/10).
USF AT A GLANCE - 2010-11 SEASON BULLETS
- USF is one of the youngest teams in Division I basketball this season with just seven years of returning Division I experience. The Dons' 2010-11 roster features nine newcomers, seven freshmen, one redshirt freshman and one transfer
- USF is averaging 66.0 points and 39.2 rebounds per game after 10 contests
- The Dons have won eight of their last 11 contests at War Memorial Gym including overtime wins vs. No. 13/8 Gonzaga 81-77 (1/30/10) and Colorado 83-81 (11/20/10)
- San Francisco dished 20 assists vs. Seattle U. (11/12/10) the most against a Division I foe since recording 20 at Holy Cross (12/27/08) and recorded 10 steals for just the second time in three seasons USF has recorded 10 vs. a Division I opponent
USF DONS BASKETBALL ON GREEN 960 AM: USF men's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2010-11 season and all games will be available live at USFDons.com, with the bulk of the schedule available on Green 960 AM. Join Pat Olson for the play-by-play in his 20th year behind the microphone courtside. USF Hall-of-Famer Jim Brovelli will join Olson on selected broadcasts. Other features available on USFDons.com include live scoring via Primetime, courtesy of PrestoSports and live streaming video of all non-televised home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast.
FINDING THE DONS ON THE DIAL: Due to scheduling conflicts, eight USF games will be carried on alternate stations. Alternate broadcast locations for Dons basketball runs below.
KNEW (910 AM) Broadcasts KDIA (1640 AM) Broadcasts
11/12 – vs. Seattle U 1/20 – vs. Portland
11/27 – vs. Loyola Chicago 1/27 – at Loyola Marymount
2/12 – vs. Saint Mary's 2/10 – vs. San Diego
2/26 – vs. Loyola Marymount 2/24 – vs. Pepperdine
SCOUTING NO. 11/10 SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs are on an absolute tear to start the 2010-11 season and improved to 12-0 with a 90-64 pasting of UC Santa Barbara Saturday at Viejas Arena. San Diego State has posted impressive wins at Gonzaga (79-76), against Saint Mary's (69-55) and at Cal (77-57). Junior forward Kawhi Leonard leads four Aztecs in double-digit scoring at 16.0 per game to go along with 9.6 rebounds, while senior guard D.J. Gay adds 11.7 points and 3.4 assists. SDSU shoots a sizzling .504 from the field and limit opponents to 60.1 points per game. Steve Fisher is in his 12th season as the chief Aztec and owns a 210-149 record in San Diego and a 394-231 career record in his 20th campaign. Fisher has led SDSU to seven postseason berths including three NCAA Tournaments. The Aztecs posted a 25-9 record last season and went back to the NCAA Tournament, where it fell 62-59 to Tennessee in the opening round.
SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars have been up and down during the non-conference portion of the schedule and enter action in the 2010 Jerry Tarkanian Holiday Hoops Classic with a 5-7 record. Prior to heading to the bright lights of Las Vegas, IUPUI dropped a 81-54 decision at Duquesne on Saturday. Junior forward Alex Young leads three Jaguars in double-digit scoring at 17.3 per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds, while senior guard Leroy Nobles adds 15.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. IUPUI shoots .439 from the field, while opponents manage a .459 clip. The Jaguars rank in the top-10 nationally in free throw percentage connecting at an impressive .772 (169-219) rate. Ron Hunter is in his 17th season as the top Jaguar and owns a 240-212 record in Indianapolis and overall. Hunter guided IUPUI to a 25-11 record last season and a runner-up Summit League finish at 15-3. The Jaguars earned a berth in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament.
