SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Primed for a pivotal regular season finale, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (23-7, 13-4 WCC) will host Gonzaga (22-8, 13-4 WCC) in a battle for the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament as the Dons and Bulldogs are set to square off on Saturday night at Chase Center.

The winner of Saturday night's contest will clinch the No. 2 seed and a quadruple-bye in the upcoming 2025 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship, with the loser locking in the No. 3 seed in Las Vegas.

GAME 31 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Gonzaga (22-8, 13-4 WCC)
Location: Chase Center / San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN (Dave Flemming, Dan Dickau)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here | Student Section Ticket Link

DONS AT A GLANCE:

• In its final regular season road contest, San Francisco pulled out a 74-72 victory at Oregon State on Wednesday night. Trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Dons utilized a 21-0 run to work their way back into the game, with clutch heroics from Marcus Williams and a game-winning three-pointer from Veniamin Abosi sealing the victory for the green and gold in Corvallis.
• On fire as of late, Williams has shot 9-for-17 from three-point land in the last three games, including cashing in a career-high-tying five three-pointers against Oregon State on Wednesday.
• With the win over Oregon State, San Francisco has at least tied the 2013-14 Dons squad (13-5/.722) for the program's best conference win percentage since 1981-82 (11-3/.786). A victory in Saturday night's regular season finale would tie the program record for the most conference wins in one season at 14 (14-0 in 1955-56 and 1976-77).
• San Francisco is looking to snap a two-game skid at Chase Center, having lost its last two games at the home of the Golden State Warriors. Most recently, USF fell to Memphis earlier this season, 68-64, on Nov. 21, 2024. Since the arena's opening in 2019, USF holds a 3-3 record at Chase Center as the Dons look to avenge last season's loss against Gonzaga.
• Inching its way up the rankings, San Francisco (60) has cracked the top 60 of the NCAA's NET Rankings, just seven spots behind Santa Clara (53), with a Quad 1 opportunity looming on Saturday night against Gonzaga (8).
• With a chance to make history, a San Francisco win would give the Dons their highest seed in the WCC Tournament in program history since the tournament's adoption in 1987, having had the No. 3 seed six times in tournament history, including last season.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Gonzaga has won six of its last seven games, avenging its Jan. 18 home loss against Santa Clara with a dominant 95-76 victory at SCU on Tuesday. The Bulldogs utilized a 51-point second half to clinch a top three seed in the WCC Tournament, with Graham Ike and Khalif Battle leading the way scoring 24 and 21 points on a combined 19-of-28 shooting from the floor.
• In the win over the Broncos, senior Ryan Nembhard tied a career-high 15 assists, passing Saint Mary's alum Emmett Naar (284) for the most assists in a single season in West Coast Conference history. In total, he enters the contest with a Division I-leading 295 assists.
• One of the most dominant offensive teams in the nation throughout the season, Gonzaga ranks in the top five in Division I in assists per game (first, 19.8), points per game (second, 87.4),  field goal percentage (second, 50.2 percent), scoring margin (third, 17.5) and free throw percentage (fourth, 80.2 percent).
• Continuing to excel in the metrics, Gonzaga is the highest ranking WCC team in the NCAA's NET Rankings (8), KenPom (9), and Bart Torvik (11).
• Despite being in a tie for second place heading into Saturday night's matchup, Gonzaga's four conference losses this season are the most for the program since 1997-98 (10-4 WCC), Gonzaga's last season without an NCAA Tournament appearance before their active 25-year streak of making March Madness. Notably, this was also the same season that saw San Francisco's last WCC Tournament championship.
• A loss in Chase Center's regular season finale would lock Gonzaga as the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 2025 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship, which would mark the program's first time without a top two seed in the conference tournament since the 1997 WCC Tournament (No. 5).

SERIES HISTORY:
San Francisco will have another crack to end a 13-year skid against Gonzaga as the Bulldogs hold a 75-22 all-time series advantage against the Dons, having won each of the last 31 games. In the first meeting this season, the Bulldogs surged in the second half to outlast San Francisco, 88-77, on Feb. 13 in Spokane.

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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.