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Game Day: USF Squares Off Against BYU in Semifinals of WCC Championships

Game Day: USF Squares Off Against BYU in Semifinals of WCC Championships
Avry Holmes scored 19 points in USF's quarterfinal win over San Diego.
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West Coast Conference Championships • Semifinals
#3 USF Dons (21-10, 13-5 WCC) vs. #2 BYU Cougars (22-10, 13-5 WCC)
Monday, March 10, 2014 • 8:30 p.m. PT
Orleans Arena • Las Vegas, Nev.
Series Record: BYU leads, 10-6
Last Meeting: BYU 68-63 (Feb. 8, 2014 in Provo)
Audio Stream: USFDons.com (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming; Play-by-Play; Sean Farnham, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

The Dandy Dons
  • Improved to 21-10 overall after defeating San Diego, 69-60 in the quarterfinals of the WCC Championships on Saturday...Avry Holmes scored a team-high 19 points while Tim Derksen added 15.
  • Making it ninth appearance in the semifinals of the WCC Championships...are 2-6 in previous semi's.
  • Have won a season-high six straight games and are 10-2 since suffering back-to-back losses at Saint Mary's (1/11) and vs. BYU (1/16)...current winning streak is the longest since the 2004-05 season (7).
  • Enter the WCC Championship as the No. 3 seed, matching its highest-seeding ever (1994, '97, '03, '11)...are 16-26 all-time in WCC Championship play...have reached the championship game twice (1997 and '98) and won its lone tournament title in 1998 as the No. 5 seed.
  • USF's 21 wins are the highest single-season total under head coach Rex Walters and are the most single-season victories since 1981-82 (25-6).
  • The Dons' 13 conference wins are the most since the Bill Cartwright-led 1976-77 team won the conference title with a 14-0 record...this marks the fourth time in program history the Dons have won 13 or more conference games.
  • Were swept by BYU in the regular season...dropped a 83-76 decision in San Francisco and fell 68-63 in Provo...marks the first meeting between the two schools in WCC Championship play.
  • Are 8-5 away from Memorial Gymnasium this season (7-5 road; 1-0 neutral).
  • USF is 98-92 in six seasons under head coach Rex Walters...Dons are 75-55 (.576) under Walters since the start of the 2010-11 season...Walters is first USF coach to win WCC Coach of the Year since Pete Barry (1980-81).
  • Averaging 75.1 points a game to rank as the WCC's fourth-highest scoring team...have scored 80+ points three times in conference action, including two overtime victories.
  • Rank second in the WCC and 26th nationally in field goal percentage at 47.7 percent...have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 14 games this season.
  • Are 108-for-185 (58.3) from the line over its last seven games...rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.9.
  • Have held its last eight opponents to under 70 points (493 total; 61.6)...allowing just 59.7 ppg and limiting opponents to 39 percent shooting from the floor during current six-game winning streak.
  • Are +35 on the boards over the last three games and are 17-4 on the season when outrebounding the opponent...rank fourth in WCC rebounding at 35.5.
  • Avry Holmes is averaging 19.0 ppg (76 total) over the last four games, including a career-best 25 vs. Loyola Marymount on March 1
  • With 1,208 career points and 730 rebounds, Cole Dickerson is is one of 13 players in USF history to score 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds...he ranks 12th on USF's all-time rebounding list and 20th on the school's all-time scoring list.

TIP-OFF: USF (21-10, 13-5 WCC) will face the BYU Cougars (22-10, 13-5 WCC) in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Basketball Championships Monday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Dons advanced to the semifinals after defeating San Diego, 69-60 on Saturday while the Cougars downed Loyola Marymount, 85-74 in another quarterfinal matchup. Monday's game will be televised on ESPN2 with Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham calling the action from courtside.

SERIES HISTORY: BYU leads the all-time series with USF, 10-6. The Cougars won the first game of the season series, 83-76 in San Francisco and completed the season sweep with a 68-63 win in Provo. The two teams split last year's season series, with each winning on the other's home court. The Cougars claimed an 80-76 decision in San Francisco on Jan. 4 only to see USF bounce back to post a 99-87 win in Provo on Feb. 9. The teams have met once in NCAA Tournament play, with the Dons scoring a 86-63 victory in a second round game played in Tucson, Ariz. in 1979.  Monday marks the first meeting between the two schools in WCC Championship competition.

FIRST MEETING WITH BYU: USF dropped a 83-76 decision to BYU on Jan. 16 inside Memorial Gymnasium. Cole Dickerson had 26 points and a season-high 14 rebounds to pace four Dons in double-figures. However, USF committed 16 turnovers that led to 19 BYU points and watched as the Cougars knocked down 28-of-37 free throws. A tightly contested first half saw 10 lead changes before the Dons took a 37-34 decision into the break.  BYU was nursing a 51-50 lead wit 12:28 left before going on a 12-4 run to seize control of the game. Kyle Collinsworth had 19 points to pace five Cougars in double-figures

SECOND MEETING WITH BYU: USF dropped a 68-63 decision to BYU on Feb. 8 in Provo. The Dons rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to build a five-point, 52-47 lead with 10:13 left, only to see the Cougars use a 14-3 run to take a 61-55 advantage at the 4:27 mark. BYU extended its lead to seven at 67-60 before winning by the final score of 68-63. BYU outrebounded USF, 47-29 and took advantage of 20 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second chance points. Tim Derksen led USF in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. Tyler Haws and Kyle Collinsworth paced the Cougars with 19 points each.

TWO-GAMES VS. BYU: Five USF players - Cole Dickerson (18.0), Avry Holmes (13.0), Mark Tollefsen (11.5), Tim Derksen (11.0) and Kruize Pinkins (10.5) - are averaging in double figures vs. BYU this season. The Dons have held the Cougars to 75.5 ppg - nearly 10 points below their season average - and 44.2 shooting from the floor. However, USF has been outrebounded 76-69 and has committed 29 turnovers in the two games.

USF IN THE WCC CHAMPIONSHIP:  USF is 16-26 all-time in the WCC Tournament dating back to the first event in 1987. The Dons are 2-6 in semifinal games, with wins in 1997 and '98.  The Dons lone tournament title came in 1998, when USF scored a 80-67 victory over Gonzaga. Last season, fifth-seeded USF dropped its opening round game to the No. 8 seed Loyola Marymount Lions, 61-60 in overtime

THE RECORD: Saturday's win over San Diego improved USF's overall record to 21-10. The 21 victories are the most by a USF team since the 1981-82 squad finished the season with a 25-6 record en route to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Dons' 13 conference wins were the most since the 1976-77 team went 14-0 in the conference while spending most of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. The 2013-14 season marks the second 20-win campaign  for the Dons under head coach Rex Walters (20-14 in 2011-12). USF's 21 wins are the fourth highest total in the conference behind Gonzaga (26-6), BYU (22-10) and Saint Mary's (22-10). The Dons swept season series with Portland, San Diego, Santa Clara, Pacific, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, split with Saint Mary's and were swept by Gonzaga and BYU.

USF BASKETBALL UNDER WALTERS: USF is 98-92 in six seasons under head coach Rex Walters, including 48-45 in WCC play. After going 23-37 over his first two seasons, Walters has guided the Dons to a 75-55 (.576) record over the last four seasons. Walters led the Dons to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2010-11 (College Insider.com) and 2011-12 (College Basketball Invitational).

SIX STRAIGHT: USF has won six straight games, marking the team's longest winning streak since the Dons won seven straight games from Dec. 4 to 23 during the 2004-05 season. The Dons closed the regular season with a five-game winning streak, marking the first time since the 1977-78 season USF closed a regular season on a winning streak of at least five games. USF won its last seven regular season games in 1977-78 before extending its streak to eight with a 68-64 victory over North Carolina in the NCAA West Regional in Tempe. Avry Holmes is averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game during the streak while Cole Dickerson is hauling down 10.0 rebounds per game.

BALANCED SCORING: USF has four players on its current roster averaging in double figures with senior Cole Dickerson topping the team's scoring chart with a 14.6 point per game average. The top six scorers on the current roster are averaging between 14.6 and 7.8 ppg. Seven different players have taken game-high scoring honors at some point this season. The Dons have had four players score in double figures in the same game 16 times this season.

FROM THE FLOOR: The Dons rank second in the WCC and 25th nationally in field goal percentage at 47.7 percent. Four USF players - Mark Tollefsen (7th; 53.6), Tim Derksen (9th; 53.1), Kruize Pinkins (10th; 52.9) and Cole Dickerson (11th; 51.6) - are ranked in the top-11 leaders in WCC field goal percentage. No other team in the conference has has more than two players in the top-11 in field goal percentage,

ON THE LINE: USF is shooting just 64.9 (505-778) percent from the line this season, which ranks last in the WCC. If the season ended today, USF's current free throw percentage would be the lowest mark since the 1985-86 team shot 62.4 percent (328-for-426) from the line.

BOARD WORK: USF is +35 on the boards over its last three games against Pepperdine (40-29), Loyola Marymount (42-27) and San Diego (37-38). The Dons are 17-4 this season when outrebounding the opponent and rank fourth among WCC teams in rebound average at 35.5. Four players - Cole Dickerson (7.6), Kruize Pinkins (6.4), Matt Glover (5.8) and Mark Tollefsen (4.0) - are averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game. All four players have pulled down 10 or more rebounds in at least one game this season.

DEFENSIVELY: The Dons have held its last eight opponents under 70 points and are yielding just 61.6 (493) total during that stretch. The Dons have not allowed more than 68 points in its last eight games and that was to BYU, the WCC's highest scoring team averaging 85.0 points per game. During the Dons current six-game winning streak, USF is yielding just 59.7 ppg while limiting opponents to just 39.0 percent shooting from the floor, including 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.

DICKERSON AMONG USF's TOP REBOUNDERS: With 730 career rebounds, Cole Dickerson ranks 12th on USF's all-time career rebounding list. He needs seven more to tie Joe Ellis (1963-66) for 11th on the all-time list.

DICKERSON ON USF's ALL-TIME SCORING LIST: With 1,208 career points, Cole Dickerson ranks 20th on USF's all-time career scoring list and needs and 29 more points to tie Ali Thomas (1997-01) for 19th.

GOOD COMPANY: With 1,208 career points and 730 career rebounds, Cole Dickerson is one of 13 players in USF history to score a 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds.
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