MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and event agency, announced today that the University of San Francisco men's basketball team will participate in the MKE Tip-Off, a college basketball tripleheader located at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum on Dec. 15, 2024.
 
For San Francisco, the Dons will square off against Loyola Chicago at the home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Overall, the field consists of Akron, Georgia Tech, Loyola Chicago, Milwaukee, Northwestern and San Francisco.
 
Notably, San Francisco and Loyola Chicago last faced off on Jan. 6, 2022 as the Ramblers squeezed past the Dons, 79-74, in a neutral site matchup at Salt Lake City Community College in Salt Lake City, Utah. This game came about two days before tipoff as both teams announced the matchup after each program had to cancel previously scheduled games due to COVID-19 protocols. The first meeting between the Ramblers and Dons came in 1949, when San Francisco won the 1949 NIT Championship. Loyola Chicago currently holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time series between the two programs.
 
Additionally, Milwaukee will square off against Akron while Northwestern will battle Georgia Tech on Dec. 15. Final game times will be announced at a later date. Tickets for the event, which will be good for all three games of the tripleheader, will go on sale this fall, but fans can log on to the MKE Tip-Off event hub to learn more and to register for early presale access.
 
For San Francisco, this appearance marks the second event of the season the Dons are scheduled to participate in as the green and gold will first suit up for the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Nov. 25 + 26, 2024.
 
Overall, San Francisco finished 23-11 in 2023-24, which included an 11-5 mark in conference play. USF eclipsed 20+ wins for the seventh straight full season (excluding 2020-21 COVID shortened season) in addition to notching 10+ conference victories for the second time in three seasons. Third-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen will aim to continue the momentum he has built after guiding the Dons to the semifinal round of the WCC Tournament for the third straight year while also helping San Francisco earn a selection to the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) this past season.
 
Looking at the roster, San Francisco will return seven student-athletes from the 2023-24 team in addition to newcomers Veniamin Abosi (Heraklion, Greece), James O'Donnell (Centre of Excellence), Carlton Linguard Jr. (UTSA), Karl Markus Poom (Tartu, Estonia), Tyrone Riley Jr. (St Pius X-St. Matthias) and Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt).
 
For updates and more information on the USF men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.