USF Hosts North Dakota State Friday Night - University of San Francisco Athletics

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Men's Basketball continues its season-opening five-game homestand on Friday at 7 p.m. against North Dakota State from War Memorial Gym at Sobrato Center. The Dons are looking to start the campaign at 2-0 after beating Radford in the season opener Monday night.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Barry Tompkins and Dan Belloumini on the call, with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli on the radio call on KNBR.

Tip-Ins
20
Newcomer Dylan Bordón made an immediate impact in his first collegiate game, scoring 20 points along with seven assist in the win over Radford.

6
With the win over Radford on Monday, the Dons have now won their last six consecutive season openers, all with head coach Chris Gerlufsen on the coaching staff.

1.5
Prior to last Monday's season opener, Aidan Braccia had accounted for all 1.5 points per game from returners from the 2025-26 roster.

USF Men's Basketball Game Notes

SIX IN A ROW IN SEASON OPENERS:
San Francisco tipped off the 2026-27 season with a 76-62 win over Radford Monday night from War Memorial Gym. The victory was the sixth season-opening win in a row for the Dons, every year that head coach Chris Gerlufsen has been on the coaching staff.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE ON TAP:
The second game of USF's season-opening five-game homestand features North Dakota State heading to the Hilltop for Friday night's game on ESPN+. North Dakota State and USF have met once before, an NDSU victory, 73-65, on Nov. 11, 2011 at USF.

DYLAN STARTS WITH 20:
Making an immediate impact in his first collegiate game, Dylan Bordon paced the Dons with a team-best 20 points in Monday's win over Radford. The Argentinian guard also chipped in with a game-high seven assists. Not shy with the ball, Bordon took 16 shots. On the defensive end, he contributed two steals.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DIAGNE:
Gonzaga transfer Ismaila Diagne collected a double-double in his first game with the Dons, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds. Diagne forced the Highlanders to foul him a lot as he connected on six of his nine free throw attempts.

OOSTERBAAN GETS IT DONE AT BOTH ENDS:
Another transfer addition this year. Ben Oosterbaan made his presence felt with 10 points and three steals. In one sequence during the win over Radford, Oosterbaan caused a turnover and on the offensive trip at the other end took a pass from Dylan Bordon and drilled a three-pointer.

GUS IS LOOSE:
Gustav Knudsen was all over the court against Radford on Monday. In 37 minutes played, he scored 13 points with six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. A forward, Knudsen is not afraid to play like a guard and drive to the hoop as he did multiple times during Radford for key buckets. A steady presence, he only committed two fouls in playing nearly the entire game.

AIDAN AIDES FROM THREE:
One of only two returners from last season, Aidan Braccia got some quality minutes against Radford and drilled two key three-pointers to assist in the win. His three-pointers came at a time in the game when the Highlanders were hanging tough with the Dons, and the treys from Braccia swung the momentum back to USF.

WELCOME BACK CHIPS:
A friendly face for all the Dons faithful, Ndewedo "Chips" Newbury returned to action on Monday against Radford after missing all of last season and most of 2024-25 due to injury. In 11 minutes of action, the London native notched a block, a rebound and an assist.

THIRD IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL:
USF was tabbed third in the annual West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason poll. The Dons earned 58 points for third place, marking the second straight year, and four times in the last five years, that USF was tabbed third in the conference preseason poll.

CHIPS ON THE WCC PRESEASON TEAM:
Ndewedo Newbury was recognized as an honoree on the West Coast Conference's 10-member preseason team on Oct. 15. Newbury returns after missing all of last season due to injury. In 2024-25, before suffering a season-ending injury in December, Newbury started 11 games, averaging 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.1 minutes played per game. Newbury's recognition gives the Dons a player on the conference preseason team for three consecutive years.

FIVE-GAME HOMESTAND TO START:
USF will play in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym for the first five games of the season. Following Friday's matchup against Radford, the Dons will host Montana (Nov. 10), Portland State (Nov. 14) and Louisiana (Nov. 18) all at home before hitting the road. The Dons will only play two true road games during non-conference play - at Fresno State on Dec. 12 and at Texas State on Dec. 16.

DONS ON NATIONAL TV:
USF will appear on national television seven times during conference play as part of the West Coast Conference national television conference matchup schedule. Both meetings against Santa Clara and Saint Mary's will appear on the ESPN platform, while the Jan. 19 home game against LMU and both games against Pacific will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. In addition, the Dons will also appear on CBS Sports Network for neutral site games against Oregon State, George Washington and Tulsa. The game against Fresno State will be broadcast on the USA Network.

NEUTRAL SITE TESTS:
For the second straight season, San Francisco will return to Palm Desert for the Acrisure Classic during the week of Thanksgiving at Acrisure Arena. USF is scheduled to first play Nevada on Monday, Nov. 23 before meeting former two-year affiliate WCC rival Oregon State the next day on Tuesday, Nov. 24. In December, the Dons head to Texas for the Texas Legends Coaching Classic in Frisco, Texas from the Comerica Center. USF will play George Washington on Saturday, Dec. 19 and Tulsa on Monday, Dec. 21. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
With the West Coast Conference currently standing at 10 teams in the league, March's Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship will feature a new format when the tournament returns to Orleans Arena in Las Vegas from March 5-9. The reformatted 10-team, nine-game, four-round tournament will feature two first-round games on March 5 before the men's quarterfinals start on Sunday, March 7, with the semifinals slated for March 8 and the title game on March 9.

100 SEASONS OF USF MEN'S BASKETBALL:
The 2026-27 season marks 100 seasons of USF men's basketball. USF Athletics will be promoting the legacy and history of USF Dons Men's Basketball throughout the season on USFDons.com and through all social media channels.

UP NEXT:
USF remains on the Hilltop for the next three games. Next up, the Dons will face Montana on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Players Mentioned

Aidan Braccia

Ismaila Diagne

Gustav Knudsen

Ndewedo Newbury

Ben Oosterbaan

Footer

Related News