Dons (20-13) Tip-Off Second Straight Postseason Trip vs. Cougars (15-16) at War Memorial Gym
(San Francisco, CA) – San Francisco men's basketball will make its second straight postseason trip when it hosts Washington State Tuesday, March 13 at War Memorial Gym to open the 2012 CBI Presented by Zebra Pen. Tip-off against the Cougars (15-16, 7-11 Pac-12) is set for 7:00 PM in a game carried nationally on HDNet and on USFDons.com via Stretch Internet.
USF (20-13, 8-8 WCC) host a postseason opening round for the second consecutive season. The Dons advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The contest against WSU will be the fifth postseason tournament game ever hosted at War Memorial Gym.
The winner of the USF vs. WSU game will take on the winner of the North Dakota State at Wyoming winner Monday, March 19. The Dons dropped a 73-65 loss to the Bison in the 2011-12 season opener.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for USF's 2012 CBI Presented by Zebra Pen opening round game against Washington State are available for purchase online at USFDons.com or by calling the USF Ticket office at (415) 422-2873.
Postseason Ticket Pricing: $100 Courtside, $50 Baseline $35 Lower Reserve, $25 Adult General Admission, $10 Child General Admission, Free for USF Students.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars enter the 2012 CBI Presented by Zebra Pen with a 15-16 overall record and a 7-11 slate in the Pac-12. WSU fell 69-64 in the opening round of the Pacific Life Pac-12 Tournament to Oregon State. WSU went 3-1 against the West Coast Conference in 2011-12, with wins against Portland (83-73), Pepperdine (67-56) and Santa Clara (93-55) and a loss to Gonzaga (89-81).
SERIES RECORD/STREAK: WSU leads 1-0/WSU won 1
SERIES NOTES: First postseason meeting between the two schools... second overall meeting and first since 1950-51 season
LAST MEETINGS: WSU 53, at USF 45 (12/23/50)
USF AGAINST THE PAC-12: San Francisco owns a 90-134 overall record against Pac-12 foes and owns winning records against four members: Arizona (4-1), Colorado (3-1), Oregon State (7-3) and Utah (7-2). Last year the Dons went 0-1 against the then Pac-10, falling 80-52 at Washington (12/18/10). The Dons last triumph against a sitting Pac-10 foe came in a 59-50 victory against Cal (12/2/97). San Francisco dispatched Colorado in a 83-81 overtime thriller November 20, 2010 while the Buffs were in their last season as a Big-12 program.
USF VS. THE PAC-12 - POSTSEASON: San Francisco owns an 8-7 record against current Pac-12 members in the postseason. The Dons own winning postseason records vs. California (1-0), Colorado (1-0), Utah (3-1) and are 1-1 vs. Oregon State. San Francisco is 2-5 vs. longtime NCAA Tournament nemesis UCLA. The Dons won the first two NCAA postseason meetings against the Bruins in 1956 and 1963, but UCLA eliminated USF from the NCAA Tournament in 1964-65, 1973-74 and 1979.
DONS IN THE POSTSEASON
- USF appears in its 23rd overall postseason appearance and first in the CBI.
- The Dons and Cougars square off for the first time in postseason play and just the second time ever.
- San Francisco advances to its third postseason since 2005 (NIT) and fourth since 1982.
- USF makes its second straight postseason for the first time since 1980-81 (NCAAs)
- San Francisco owns an overall postseason record of 29-19 in 22 postseason trips.
DONS 2011-12 SEASON BULLETS
- At 20-13, the Dons posted their first 20-win campaign since 1981-82 (25-6)
- Since opening the 2010-11 season at 4-9, San Francisco owns a 35-19 mark
- San Francisco posted 18 wins in the 2011-12 regular season, the most since the
- 1999-00 squad registered 19
- At 10-4, USF posted its best non-conference record since 1999-00 (12-1)
- Dating to the start of West Coast Conference play last season, the Dons own an 13-5 record in games decided by three points or less or in overtime, including 6-4 mark this season
- USF owns a remarkable 10-2 record in overtime games under Coach Walters
- San Francisco is 25-8 at War Memorial Gym since the start of the 2010-11 season
- The Dons have set the program 3-pointer record for the second straight season with 231 and counting. USF made 227 from long distance in 2010-11.
- USF owns a 1070-773 advantage in paint scoring through 33 games
- The Dons lead the league in turnover margin (+2.6) and rank second in scoring (75.4) and steals (8.4)
- Four Dons have cracked the USF Career Scoring chart in 2011-12
- USF also ranks in the top-four in the WCC in field goal percentage (.470/3rd), scoring margin (+4.9/4th), 3-point field goal percentage (.353/4th), 3-point field goals (7.0/3rd), assists (13.8/3rd) & assist/turnover ratio (13.8/13/2 - 1.0/4th)
ABOUT THE CBI: A unique feature of the CBI is its best-of-three Championship Series, which begins on Monday, March 26 and continues on Wednesday, March 28. Should a third game be necessary, it will be played on Friday, March 30. Every game of the 2012 CBI presented by Zebra Pen will be played on campus, providing fans the opportunity to follow and support their team. To view the 2012 CBI presented by Zebra Pen bracket, please CLICK HERE. Once again, HDNet will serve as the primary television outlet for the CBI presented by Zebra Pen. HDNet, which is owned and was founded by Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban, reaches in excess of 23 million homes.
The CBI presented by Zebra Pen is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Sports Classic, TicketCity Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, and the All-American Championship. The Gazelle Group is a member of USA Basketball. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit http://www.gazellegroup.com/home/.
