USF Travels Down South to Take on San Diego
By Josh Horton
Jan 18, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Dons forward Mark Tollefsen (23) hugs guard Avry Holmes (12) after Holmes hit a game winning shot against the San Diego Toreros at War Memorial Gymnasium. The San Francisco Dons defeated the San Diego Toreros 64-62. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco (14-9, 7-4) at San Diego (13-11, 4-7)
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2014
Location: Jenny Craig Pavillion, San Diego, Calif.
Time: 7:00 PM PST
TV: CSNBA, FOX SPORTS SAN DIEGO
Video: thew.tv
LiveStats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=33942
Last Matchup: San Francisco won a 64-62 nail bitter thanks to a game-winning jumper by Avry Holmes.
PROJECTED STARTERS
San Francisco
San Diego
LIVESTREAM (Subject to Blackout) *video courtesy of thew.tv:
Before losing to Pacific on Saturday, San Diego was playing its best basketball of the season. The Toreros went through a stretch where they were narrowly defeated by Gonzaga in Spokane, and notched consecutive victories over Portland and Saint Mary’s. It is inexplicable as to why the Toreros faltered against Pacific, considering how well they were playing up to that point.
San Francisco is in a similar situation. The Dons were on a roll, winning three straight games against San Diego, Santa Clara and Portland. The Gonzaga Bulldogs crashed their party, defeating the Dons by 10 points.
Which team can get back on track? This game has the potential to send one team into a complete rut while the other could gain steam and put together a streak.
Keys to the Game
San Diego
Johnny Get Buckets: Johnny Dee has been phenomenal as of late and has energized this squad. He needs to keep this stellar play up in order to beat the talented Dons.
Dee needs to stay assertive on the offensive end of the court, fight through screens and find the weaknesses in the defense.
San Francisco
The Forwards: The Dons have a distinct advantage in the post that they need to exploit tonight. Mark Tollefsen, Cole Dickerson and Kruize Pinkins are all capable scorers and defenders, and Matt Christiansen is a reserve that can contribute at select times.
With the Toreros lack of a post presence, the Dons can attack this on the offensive and defensive end of the court.
Prediction
Against teams not named Saint Mary’s, BYU or Gonzaga, San Francisco has been flawless this year. The Dons have too many weapons for the Toreros to keep up, even though they are playing in front of their home crowd in the “slim gym”. San Francisco 82, San Diego 72.