LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Primed to tipoff its postseason journey, the fifth-seeded University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team (16-15, 8-10 WCC) will begin play in the 2026 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship against ninth-seeded Portland (15-18, 6-12 WCC) on Saturday night at Orleans Arena.

GAME 32 DETAILS:
Opponent: #9 Portland (15-18, 6-12 WCC)
Date: Saturday, Mar. 7, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Orleans Arena/Las Vegas, Nev.
Watch: ESPN+ (Roxy Bernstein, Dan Dickau, Mariluz Cook)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Ticketmaster

DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Ending the regular season on a high note, San Francisco picked up a much-needed win in its regular season finale last Saturday afternoon in Stockton, securing a 72-61 victory over Pacific to leapfrog the Tigers in the standings and grab the No. 5 spot in the WCC Championship.
• Nearly reaching his career-high in scoring, David Fuchs led the way with 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field against the Tigers, cashing in a career-high three made three-pointers. As a unit, the Dons limited Pacific to just two made threes for the game, the lowest three-point total for a USF opponent this season.
• As the regular season came to a close, three Dons received WCC All-Conference honors as Ryan Beasley, David Fuchs, and Tyrone Riley IV were all named to the All-WCC Second Team on Tuesday morning. Transferring to the Hilltop after two seasons at Rhode Island, Fuchs was also named WCC Newcomer of the Year, having established himself as one of the conference's best rebounders. Within conference play, the forward grabbed 7.9 rebounds per game, good for fourth-best in the league. Beasley earns his third conference honor after being awarded Freshman of the Year and an All-WCC Freshman Team selection in the 2023-24 season, and Riley IV earns his second conference honor after being named to the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2024-25.
• Heading into its fourth WCC Championship under head coach Chris Gerlufsen, USF holds the No. 5seed, bypassing the first two rounds of the conference tournament for a third consecutive year, having held the No. 3 seed in each of the last two seasons. The Dons have won their opening game of the WCC Championship in each of the last six seasons, and have reached the semifinals of the tournament in four straight years.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• Portland advanced into the third round of this year's WCC Championship with back-to-back wins to open tournament action, first securing a 77-68 victory over Pepperdine on Thursday night before holding off Washington State, 74-68, on Friday. In the most recent win over the Cougars, Garrett Nuckols poured in a season-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and one block in 32 minutes. Joel Foxwell also shone with a double-double, tallying 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game-high 38 minutes.
• The Pilots achieved a significant feat with the win over Washington State on Friday as Portland notched two wins in the WCC Championship for the first time since 1996. 20 years ago, the fifth-seeded Pilots ran the table in the conference tournament, defeating San Francisco (78-72), San Diego (65-52), and Gonzaga (76-68) to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. This was also the last time Portland made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
• The WCC recently announced its yearly awards on Tuesday, and Foxwell was one of ten student-athletes to be named to this year's All-WCC First Team. The guard also earned a spot on the All-WCC Freshman Team as he finished the regular season averaging 15.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. Impressively, he shot 79.6 percent from the free throw line while averaging 35.5 minutes per game.
• San Francisco will see a familiar face again tomorrow night as former Don James O'Donnell will suit up for the Pilots in Saturday's third round contest. The Sydney, Australia native averaged 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 32 appearances, including 21 starts, after transferring to Portland this past offseason. In the first matchup against his former team, O'Donnell finished with only one point, two rebounds, and one assist in 13 minutes.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Saturday night's matchup between San Francisco and Portland will mark the 103rd all-time meeting between the two programs, with San Francisco holding a 72-30 advantage in the head-to-head series. Last time out, USF outlasted the Pilots 73-68, at home on the Hilltop on Jan. 4, as Veniamin Abosi finished with a career-high 16 points and 9 rebounds while David Fuchs logged a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Beasley also added 14 points and 4 assists while tying his season-high with three steals in the victory.
• Two seasons ago, USF and Portland faced off in the WCC Championship Quarterfinals on Mar. 9, 2024, as the Dons routed the Pilots, 72-51, to advance to the semifinal round of the 2024 WCC Championship. Four Dons scored in double figures to lift the green and gold over the Pilots, including 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal from Ndewedo Newbury.

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MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - ABM - for their continued support of University 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.