SAN FRANCISCO – With the University of San Francisco men's basketball team safely back from their trip to Northern Ireland, momentum in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) holds strong.  Through games on Dec. 2, the Dons remain in the top-30.
 
As of Monday morning, USF checks in at No. 29 in the NET – second highest in the WCC behind Gonzaga who checks in at No. 2. Among the Bay Area schools, the Dons are in first, leading Stanford (96th), Saint Mary's (98th), Cal (208th), Santa Clara (308th), and San Jose State (312th).
 
After falling to No. 21 Buffalo at SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday, the Dons' defensive adjusted efficiency (one of the major components to the NET) is 34th in the nation according to KenPom.com – the highest it has ever been since Kenpom.com started tracking the metrics.
 
According Haslametrics.com, another sports metrics website, the Dons are a top-25 caliber team and rank 12th in the nation in their All-Play percentage which factors in offensive metrics and defensive metrics as well as quality of opponent and location. In this site, the Dons rank 2nd in defensive efficiency and are "one of the most menacing teams in the country."
 
The Dons return to the hardwood at 8 p.m. Wednesday when they travel to Berkeley, Calif., to take on the Golden Bears on the Pac-12 Network.