Men's Basketball Readies for Neutral Site Matchup Against Utah State

Saturday, December 16

Salt Lake City, Utah

1:00 pm PST

University of San Francisco

Utah State

Photo by: Christina Leung

Men's Basketball Readies for Neutral Site Matchup Against Utah State

12/15/2023 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - In a battle of two teams in the top 50 of the NCAA's NET rankings, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (8-3) will face off against Utah State (10-1) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon.

GAME 12 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm PST/2:00 pm MT
Opponent: Utah State (10-1)
Site: Delta Center
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Watch: Mountain West Network
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: SIDEARM Sports

DONS AT A GLANCE:

Last time out, San Francisco edged Seattle U, 62-59, on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at home on the Hilltop. Leading the way offensively, Mike Sharavjamts and Marcus Williams each finished with a team-high 18 points while Malik Thomas made an impact off the bench with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Notably, the Dons rallied back from a fifteen-point first half deficit to record their third consecutive win.
Nationally, the green and gold continue to rank among the nation's best defensively as USF is currently 21^st in Division I in scoring defense (62.6 points per game) and 50^th in turnovers forced per game (15.36).
Heading into Saturday, Jonathan Mogbo remains one of the most effective big men in the country as the forward is currently tied for fifth in Division I in total rebounds (111), tied for 10^th in double-doubles (5), 12^th in field goal percentage (67.71) and 14^th in rebounds per game (10.1).
Since Coach Gerlufsen arrived on campus prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, San Francisco is 10-8 in neutral site matchups. Notably, USF's last neutral site matchup in Salt Lake City came on Jan. 6 when the Dons fell to Loyola Chicago, 79-74, at Salt Lake City Community College.
Similarly, the green and gold are 5-3 against Mountain West opponents since the start of 2021-22. This year, USF's lone matchup against a MWC program was a 63-58 loss on the road at Boise State on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES:

In their last time on the hardwood, Utah State squeezed by Santa Clara, 84-82, on the road at Leavey Center, on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Despite the loss, Ian Martinez (28 points), Darius Brown II (23 points) and Max Agbonkpolo (10) all scored in double figures for the Aggies.
Enjoying success so far this season, USU currently ranks in the top 50 in the nation in field goal percentage (.515/10^th), assists per game (18.82, 14th), scoring margin (+17.00, 21st), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.59, 22nd), rebounding margin (+8.64, 33rd), points per game (83.81, 33rd), defensive three-point field goal percentage (.291, 47th) and blocks per game (4.82, 48th).
Impressively, the Aggies also lead the nation with eight games shooting 50 percent or better this year while Brown II leads the country in assists per game (7.91) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6.69).

SERIES HISTORY:
Sunday's meeting between the Dons and the Aggies will mark the tenth meeting all-time between the two programs as San Francisco holds a 8-4 lead in the all-time series. The two teams last met last season in San Francisco at Chase Center as the Aggies defeated the Dons, 84-62, on Dec. 4, 2022.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Saturday's contest will now air live on the Mountain West Network and KNBR 1050 at game time. Tip off from the Delta Center is set for 1:00 pm PST/2:00 MT. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links are available above and via the team's schedule page.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.

MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Coca-Cola - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.