The University of San Francisco men's basketball plays its final regular season game on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Gersten Pavilion on the campus of Loyola Marymount.  The Dons (19-11/8-7 WCC) and Lions (10-19/4-11 WCC) will be streamed live on Stadium Sports Network.  The broadcast will feature duel analysts with Ari Wolfe and Doug Gottlieb providing broadcast duties. As always, Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call on the official home of USF Dons basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 29, 2020 – 5:00 p.m.
Opponent: Loyola Marymount Lions (10-19/4-11 WCC)
Site: Gersten Pavilion    
TV:  Stadium Sports Network
Talent: Ari Wolfe (analyst) and Doug Gottlieb (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: LMULions.com
 
USF AT A GLANCE
• USF is 19-11 on the year and 8-7 in the WCC.  On the road, the Dons are 6-6 this season. Over the last 10 games, the Dons are 5-5. A win on Saturday would give USF 20 wins for the fourth-straight season. The Dons have not won 20 or more in four straight seasons since the program suspended in 1982.
• Staring Down a 20-win Season:  With one game to play the Dons have a chance to earn their 20th win prior to the WCC Tournament.  The last time USF posted four-straight 20-win seasons came when did it seven-straight years from 1975-76 to 1981-82.
• A win on Saturday would give the Dons a 9-7 record in WCC play, it would be the fourth straight season with nine or more wins. You have to go back to 1976-77 to 1981-82 the last time USF had a similar run.
• With a win on Saturday, USF would also secure the No. 5 seed in next week's WCC Tournament.  Gonzaga and Pacific have already locked up the one and four seed.  The Dons who are currently tied with Pepperdine with an 8-7 record would win the fifth seed by virtue of USF's tie breaker over the Waves. As the fifth seed, the Dons would be play next Friday at 6:00 p.m. at the Orleans Arena playing the winner of the 8-9 seed.    
• Last time out: The Dons jumped all over Portland in the early going running out to a 24-7 run in the first half.  The Dons went into the lockeroom leading 40-20 - early in the second half the Pilots flipped the script on USF and cut the Dons' lead to three before USF responded and went on to win by 16.  USF had five players in double figures led by Jimbo Lull and Jamaree Bouyea's team-high 16.
• Senior Day: The Dons said farewell to a trio of special seniors: Jimbo Lull, Remu Raitanen, and Jordan Ratinho.  The three have gone a combined 82-51 (.614) in their career and with at least two games to play could finish the regular season with 20-wins.  They are the winningest class since the program was brought back in 1985. 
• Doubling Up: Jimbo Lull recorded his fourth double-double of the season and fifth in his career with 16 points and 13 rebounds against the Pilots on Thursday.  As a team, the Dons have had 12 double-doubles - USF is 7-3 when a player records a double-double this season. Twice, USF has had two players record a double-double in the same game that happened against Santa Clara on Feb. 13 and against Yale on Nov. 11.
• The NET:  In the latest update to the NCAA Evaluation Tool the Dons are up to 97th - they are fourth in WCC behind Gonzaga (3), BYU (14) and Saint Mary's (32).  The Dons are fourth in the WCC in Avg. Net Win at 173 - Gonzaga is third in the WCC at 163, SMC is tied at 163, and BYU is first at 145. 
• Quadrant:  The Dons boast a 4-7 record in quadrant 1 and 2 games this year.  USF is 1-5 in Q1 games, 3-2 in Q2 games.
• The Dons are averaging 74.9 points per game which ranks 85th in the nation - they are +5.0 in scoring margin which is 99th in the nation.  The Dons are 64th in the nation in adjusted efficiency on offense at 107.9 according to KenPom.com
• From the Field:  USF is shooting .437 percent from the field which is 133rd in the nation. USF is 17-5 when shooting .400 or better. When the Dons outshoot their opponent, they are 13-0.
• Deep Bench: Over the last two games the Dons' bench has accounted for 51 points - in that time USF's reserves have outscored their opponents 56-18.  Against the Pilots, the Dons' bench outscored Portland 31-16.  Khalil Shabazz leads USF bench, averaging 10.4 ppg.
 
VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Series
The Dons and Lions is one of USF's oldest rivals, dating back to 1924 when the Dons were known as The Grey Fog and the University was called St. Ignatius. Saturday's contest marks the 161st time the two teams have squared off with the Dons owning a 114-46 advantage in the series according to LMU.  In Los Angeles, the Dons are 49-24 against the Lions.  The series is also known for trading points - of the 81 times the Dons have scored 100 points in a game, they have done it 15 times against LMU. On Feb. 4, 1990 the two sides combined to score 272 points - the most combined points scored in a game in USF history.  The 157 points USF surrendered that day are the most they have allowed in program history - however, the eight points allowed by the Dons in the first ever match up are also the fewest.  Earlier this year, USF held on to defeat the Lions 61-53 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
About the Lions
The Lions are 10-19 overall after falling to Pacific at home 60-53 on Thursday.  At home, the Lions are 7-8 this season.  They are averaging 64.2 points per contest, but hold their opponents to 67.4.  From the field, LMU shoots 46.4 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.  Leading the Lions in scoring is Eli Scott who is averaging 15.8 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per contest.  He is the only player in double figures for the Lions.
 
Last Time Out Versus LMU
Charles Minlend and Jamaree Bouyea finished with 19 and 10 respectively as the Dons offense did just enough to earn a gritty 61-53 win over LMU on Jan. 18.  Eli Scot finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.  The Lions outrebounded the Dons 33-28. USF outshot the Lions from the field - defensively, USF did a tremendous job holding the Lions to 5-for-23 from beyond the arc.
 
UP NEXT
Saturday's game will be the regular season finale. USF will be either the fifth or sixth seed at the WCC Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas next week.  The fifth seed plays the winner of 8-9 game on Friday at 6:00 p.m.  The sixth seed gets the winner of the 7-10 game at 8:00 p.m.