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Game Information

     The University of Portland returns to the Chiles Center for its West Coast Conference home opener against the University of San Francisco Dons on Thursday at 8 p.m. The Pilots (9-7, 0-1) dropped a 67-50 decision at Gonzaga on Saturday to open conference play, while the Dons (8-9, 0-2) dropped a pair of home games to San Diego (65-50) and Saint Mary’s (66-54) last weekend.

Game Coverage

     The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest and CSN California. Tod Pickett and Bill Krueger will call the action. A live video stream is available at pilotsvideo.com. All UP games are also on the radio at 970 AM and simulcast live at portlandpilots.com.

Ticket Information

     The game is a Bi-Mart 2-for-1 night and fans will get two tickets for the price of one at the door. The team is playing on its marketing slogan of “All In” as the game is being termed “All In Night.” Tickets for all UP home games are available through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 224-4400.

About The Pilots

     Portland (9-7, 0-1) dropped a 67-50 decision at Gonzaga on Saturday to open WCC play. The Pilots held the Bulldogs to their third lowest point total of the season, but Portland struggled to 33 percent shooting from the field and had 16 turnovers in the loss. Sophomore G Jared Stohl came off the bench to lead the Pilots with 10 points.

Portland’s nine victories matched the team’s win total for each of the last two years and are the second most non-conference wins for Portland in 13 years. It is just the fourth time in the last 10 years that Portland has finished non-league play with a winning record. The 2004-05 Pilots posted an 11-4 non-league mark, but finished the year at 15-15.

Junior G Nik Raivio leads four Pilots averaging double figures and is fourth in the West Coast Conference in scoring at 15.8 points per game. Junior F Robin Smeulders is 10th in the conference in scoring (12.6). Sophomore C Kramer Knutson is shooting 67 percent from the field to lead the league, while Stohl paces the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.7).

Junior PG T.J. Campbell has been a strong addition to the roster and averages 10.1 points and 4.9 assists. A Glendale (Ariz.) Junior College transfer, Campbell is among the conference leaders in six statistical categories.

Portland leads the WCC in assists (15.0) and is second in field goal percentage (.465) and three-point field goal percentage (.372). The team’s 70.2 points per game average is third in the league and 7.1 points higher than last year’s average. Portland has not shot better than 46 percent in a season since 1983-84.

Head coach Eric Reveno returns 80 percent of the team’s scoring and 87 percent of its rebounding from last year’s squad. Picked to finish sixth in the WCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Reveno’s roster features eight underclassmen and no seniors.

One of the main focuses for the program throughout the offseason was improving in the weight room. The results are noticeable, as every player has either added good basketball weight or dropped pounds, if necessary. Reveno describes sophomore center Jasonn Hannibal as the “poster boy” for the strength and conditioning program. Hannibal dropped 30 pounds and reduced his body fat to below 10 percent.

The Pilots will be competing with perhaps the best returning core group of players in WCC basketball history. After a banner year in which the league sent a record three teams to the NCAA Tournament, 13 of 15 starters will be returning to those squads. Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and San Diego are the favorites to compete for the WCC crown again this year as the league moves the WCC Tournament to a neutral site (Las Vegas, Nev.) for the first time in history. The Pilots will play 11 total games this season against teams that advanced to postseason play last year.

About San Francisco

     The Dons (8-9, 0-2 WCC) opened league play with a pair of home losses to San Diego (65-50) and current No. 25-ranked Saint Mary’s (66-54) last weekend. Junior F Dior Lowhorn had 18 points and seven rebounds vs. the Toreros and finished with 22 points and nine boards against the Gaels. Lowhorn (20.3) is the leading scorer in the WCC for the second year in a row. A transfer from Texas Tech, Lowhorn is 19 shy of 1,000 career points with the Dons. Senior G Manny Quezada (11.4) and freshman G Kwame Vaughn (10.2) also average double figures and come of the bench for USF. As a team, the Dons lead the WCC in three-point field goal percentage (.383) and are second to Portland in three-pointers made (7.0). USF started the season by winning five of its first six games, but is just 1-5 over the last six contests. The Pilots and Dons have had just one common opponent during non-conference play. Both teams lost at California by double digits. USF dropped an 87-74 decision and the Pilots fell 81-61. Head coach Rex Walters is in his first year at USF after spending two seasons at the helm of Florida Atlantic. A seven-year NBA veteran, Walters also led the Kansas Jayhawks to the 1993 Final Four in his senior season.             

Portland-San Francisco Series Notes

All-Time: USF leads 45-21                               

At USF: USF leads 27-5                                    

At UP: USF leads 16-15                                    

At Neutral: USF leads 2-1

Current Streak: USF, 10 wins                         

Last Five: USF leads 5-0                                  

Last Meeting: San Francisco 73, Portland 60 (2/18/09, at San Francisco)