The University of San Francisco men's basketball team is back in the Bay Area, the 9-2 Dons make the short trip to Stanford, Calif., to take on the 9-1 Stanford Cardinal at 6:00 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion.  Tuesday's game against Stanford will be televised on Pac-12 Network with Ted Robison and Mike Montgomery handling play-by-play duties.  Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call live courtside on the home of USF Dons basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.   
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec. 17, 2019 – 6:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Stanford Cardinal (9-1/0-0 Pac-12)
Site: Maples Pavilion (7,233)  
TV:  Pac-12 Network
Talent: Ted Robinson (play-by-play) and Mike Montgomery
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: GoStanford.com
 
USF AT A GLANCE
•  USF is 9-2 after defeating Cal State Fullerton 91-69; it is the seventh time this season USF has scored 80 or more - they are 7-0 in those contests.  The win over the Titans improves USF's road record to 2-1 on the year.
 
• The NET:  The NCAA released its first NET ranking – the Dons are ranked 79^th in the inaugural poll, one of five teams from the WCC in the top-100. Joining the Dons in the top-100 are Gonzaga (6^th), BYU (42^nd), Saint Mary's (64^th), and Santa Clara (91^st). Other notable teams in the top-100 are USF opponents Stanford (9^th), Arizona State (30^th), and Yale (60^th).
 
• In the win over the Titans, USF was led by sophomore Dzmitry Ryuny who had a career-high 18 points - he is the seventh different player to lead the Dons in scoring in 11 games this season.
 
• The 9-2 start in Golden's first year is tied for second best start by a first year head coach through Dec. 15.  Golden trails Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman (9-1, .900).  He is tied with St. Johns' head coach Mark Anderson who is also 9-2.
 
• Against the Pac: Tuesday will be the Dons third game against the Pac-12 this season; they enter the game 1-1 with a loss against Arizona State and a win at Cal which took place back-to-back nights on Dec. 3 and 4th.  All-time, USF is 91-142 against the Pac-12 they are 4-3 over the last four years.
 
• Scoring Abundance:  The Dons are led by coach Golden - the defensive coordinator from last year's team. This year the Dons are scoring.  A lot.  USF entered this week averaging 84.6 points per game which ranks eighth in the NCAA. The Dons are 39th in the nation in scoring margin at +14.3.  USF has five wins by 16 or more this season.
 
• Dons For Three:  USF is one of the Nation's elite 3-point shooting teams.  The Dons are 7th in three point field goals per game at 10.9 — ninth in 3-point field goals made with 120.  Against the Titans, the Dons made 11 threes, their 7th game this season making 10 or more 3-point field goals. 
 
THE SERIES VS. STANFORD
The series between USF and Stanford goes all the way back to 1913-14 before basketball was a recognized sport at USF. Saturday's contest will be the 69th meeting between the two schools with Stanford holding a 46-22 advantage in the series. In the first meeting between the two schools, Stanford defeated the "Grey Fog" 22-20 on the Farm in 1913-14. On the road, the Dons are 10-29 all-time. Last time out at Stanford the Dons fell to the Cardinal 71-59 at Maples Pavilion on Dec. 17, 2017. Last season, USF hosted the Cardinal at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, coming away with a 74-65 win on Dec. 22.
 
About the Cardinal
The Cardinal enter Tuesday's game with a 9-1 overall record and are off to their best start since the 2011 season.  In the initial NET rankings that were released on Monday, Stanford is ranked ninth in the nation.  At Maples, the Cardinal are 7-0 this season.  As a team, Stanford is averaging 75.8 points per game and shooting 50.4 percent from the field.  Their opponents are averaging 57.7 points per game and shooting 38.7 percent from the field.  Three players are averaging 10 or more and are led by Oscar da Silva's 17.4 points per game.
 
Last Time Out Versus Stanford
On Dec. 22, 2018 the Dons hosted the Cardinal for the first time since the 1987 season.  USF's defense was on display, holding the Cardinal to 19 points in the first half.  USF led by as much 17 and led for 35 minutes total.  The Dons had four players in double figures and was led by Charles Minlend's game-high 19 points.  Frankie Ferrari added 11 and Jimbo Lull had his first career double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.  Jamaree Bouyea got the Dons going with a series of momentum grabbing steals early in the first half.
 
UP NEXT
The Dons will return home for a Saturday afternoon contest against UC Davis.  The Dons and Aggies will tip off at 2:00 p.m. Saturday's contest will be streamed live on the WCC Network.