Video: Where Tradition Meets Today
SAN FRANCISCO - USF basketball will return to its original home on Tuesday, Dec. 6, when the Dons meet San Francisco State at historic Kezar Pavilion, located on Stanyan Street in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park.
 
Tip off for the tussle between the two city schools is set for 8 p.m. The game will be preceded by the women's contest between USF and San Jose State, slated to start at 6 p.m.
 
USF will pay tribute to the Legends of Kezar by honoring members of its teams which made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1955-57. Members of those teams will be on hand take photos with fans and the NCAA Championship trophies prior to the start of the men's game.
 
As part of the festivities, fans are encouraged to dress in 1950's attire and enjoy special throwback concession prices.
 
Kezar Pavilion was the Dons primary home court from 1924-58 until Memorial Gymnasium was opened on Dec. 4, 1958. The Dons used the venerable facility to its advantage en route to winning the 1949 National Invitation Tournament championship along with back-to-back NCAA Championships in 1955 and '56, along with a third consecutive Final Four appearance in the 1956-57 season. The legendary Bill Russell made his collegiate debut for the Dons in Kezar Pavilion on Dec. 1, 1953, scoring 23 points and blocking 13 shots to lead an unranked USF team to a 57-33 victory over 10^th-ranked California. Other USF legends such as K.C. Jones, Gene Brown, Mike Farmer, Ross Giudice, Cap Lavin, Don Lofgran and Willie "Woo Woo" Wong, along with coaching greats Pete Newell and Phil Woolpert, all left indelible marks inside Kezar Pavilion.
 
Sixteen of the Dons' 60 consecutive victories from 1954-56 came on the Kezar Pavilion hardwood, including win No. 59, a 57-52 triumph over Seattle on Dec. 8, 1956.  USF last played a game in Kezar Pavilion on March 4, 1958 when the Dons posted a 69-59 win over Pacific.