SAN FRANCISCO/SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Fresh off a victory in their last regular season game on the Hilltop, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (22-7, 11-3 WCC) looks to close out the campaign on a high note as the Dons are set to face No. 23/22 Gonzaga (22-6, 11-3 WCC) on Thursday night at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, before closing out the regular season on Saturday evening at Santa Clara (18-11, 9-5 WCC).

GAME 30 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
Time: 8:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: #23/22 Gonzaga (22-6, 11-3 WCC)
Site: Chase Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Ticketmaster
 
GAME 31 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Santa Clara (18-11, 9-5 WCC)
Site: Leavey Center
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Bouncing back from a narrow defeat to then-No. 18 Saint Mary's, San Francisco claimed their 15th home victory on Saturday night in the final regular season game at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center as the Dons routed Pepperdine, 92-68. Six Dons scored in double figures for the second time this year, with Ndewedo Newbury leading the green and gold in scoring with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. As a whole, USF shot 59.7 percent from the floor and 48.0 percent from deep.
• On Monday, Feb. 26, Ryan Beasley earned WCC Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season as the San Ramon native averaged 9.5 points per game. Overall, he shot 6-of-11 across the two games, including knocking down 3-of-7 from distance.
• Heating up at the right time, Marcus Williams has been the highest-scoring Don across the last two weeks as the guard is averaging 17.3 points per game on 55.0 percent shooting from the floor and 47.1 percent shooting from distance across USF's last three contests.
• Jonathan Mogbo remains the only player in the conference averaging a double-double, as the three-time WCC Player of the Week posts a 16.1-point, 10.1-rebound per game average in conference play, shooting 65.7 percent from the floor.
• Nationally, San Francisco ranks in the top 25 in Division I in field goal percentage (49.7/5th, scoring margin (13.7/11th) and opponent points per game (24th/65.3).
• In WCC action, USF leads the conference in free throw percentage (77.5), turnovers forced per game (12.4), and steals per game (7.8). The Dons also rank second in the WCC in points per game (81.0) and field goal percentage (49.8) in league play.
• Saturday night's win against the Waves gave San Francisco its eleventh conference win of the season, marking the highest single-season conference win total for the green and gold since the 2013-14 campaign (13-5 WCC). A victory this week would clinch the Dons' highest single-season conference win percentage in 42 years, when USF posted a .786-win percentage (11-3) in WCAC play en route to an NCAA Tournament berth.
• San Francisco has clinched, at worst, a double bye in the 2024 West Coast Conference Tournament, which is slated to begin on Thursday, Mar. 7 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Based on the results of this week's games, the Dons could hold the No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. Finishing with the No. 2 seed would give USF the coveted triple bye in the WCC tournament, which would require only two victories in Vegas for the Dons to clinch an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. A second-place regular season finish would also be the green and gold's highest finish in program history since the birth of the WCC/WCAC tournament in 1987.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Last time out, Gonzaga avenged its upset Jan. 11 defeat at Santa Clara by defeating the Broncos last Saturday, Feb. 24 in a 94-81 victory in Spokane. Graham Ike led both teams in scoring with a season-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting in the win.
• Riding a six-game win streak, including a Quad 1 road victory against then-No. 17 Kentucky on Feb. 10, Gonzaga returned to both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls for the first time in seven weeks.
• Forward Braden Huff has been one of the conference's best freshmen this season, having been awarded WCC Freshman of the Week four times this campaign, tied with Portland's Tyler Harris for the most in the league. In WCC play, the redshirt freshman has averaged 9.8 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting for the Zags off the bench.
• Across conference play, the Bulldogs lead the WCC in points per game (88.3), field goal percentage (54.6), and blocks per game (4.21).
• Overall, Gonzaga ranks in the top 10 in Division I in field goal percentage (2nd/51.6),  scoring margin (4th/17.0), points per game (6th/86.1) and rebound margin (8^th/8.9), as the Zags currently sit at No. 21 in the NCAA's NET Rankings.
• Currently in second in the conference standings, Gonzaga will head into the conference tournament holding either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. A third-seed finish for the Bulldogs would mark the first time since 1997 that the Zags finished outside of the top two in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.
• Following Thursday's headliner at Chase Center, Gonzaga will stay in the Bay to close out its regular season against No. 17/17 Saint Mary's on Saturday night in Moraga.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• In their last time on the hardwood, Santa Clara had a three-game win streak snapped in Spokane as Gonzaga topped the Broncos, 94-81, at McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Broncos had a season sweep of the Zags within reach, trailing by just five points early in the second half, but Gonzaga was able to pull away and secure a thirteen-point home victory.
• Leading scorer Adama-Alpha Bal returned from a three-game absence last Thursday in the Broncos' victory over LMU as the Arizona transfer is averaging 13.7 points per game in conference play. Not far behind Bal in the scoring column is forward Johnny O'Neil, who is averaging 13.6 points on 48.6 percent shooting in league action.
• The Broncos have dominated the glass in WCC play, leading the conference in rebounds per game (39.3) and offensive rebounds per game (12.3) along with ranking first in the league in opponent three-point percentage (28.9)
• Currently holding a 9-5 conference record, Santa Clara will finish at either No. 3 or No. 4 heading into the WCC tournament, marking the third consecutive season where the Broncos will finish as a top four team heading in the conference tournament.
• Prior to hosting the Dons at the Leavey Center on Saturday, SCU will conclude a two-game road-trip against Portland on Thursday night at Chiles Center.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's contest at Chase Center will mark the 95^th all-time meeting between San Francisco and Gonzaga as the Bulldogs leading the all-time series 72-22. The green and gold are seeking their first victory over Gonzaga in 12 seasons, after falling just short against GU in Spokane earlier this season.
• San Francisco and Santa Clara will face-off for the 235^th time in program history on Saturday as the Dons currently hold a 119-115 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams saw a thriller in their last meeting on Jan. 10, when USF overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Broncos, 71-70, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

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:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Provident Credit Union - 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.