Complete Release (PDF) I Game Central I Tickets

Portland Pilots (5-14, 2-4) vs. San Francisco Dons (12-9, 2-5)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012
Tip-off: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Television: CSN Northwest
Radio: 800 AM
Overall Series: 25-48
At UP: 17-17
At USF: 7-29
At Neutral: 1-2
Last: USF 104, POR 70 (Jan. 12, 2012 at San Francisco)

COMING UP
• Portland (5-14, 2-4 WCC) looks to avenge a road loss from Jan. 12 when the San Francisco Dons (12-9, 2-5) visit the Chiles Center on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
• The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest with Scott Lynn and Bob Weiss calling the action.
• All Portland basketball games will be broadcast live on True Talk 800 AM, with a 30-minute pregame show. Bill Johnson will call the action courtside and an audio simulcast will also be available on www.PilotsVideo.com.
 
TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
• The Pilots will welcome back all men’s basketball alumni for a pre-game gathering in the Pilot Club as well as in-game recognition. It is also CYO day and all kids that show up in their uniform will get in for FREE!
• Tickets are still available for all Portland home games through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com, or through the Pilot Box Office (M-F, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Tickets may also be purchased at the door 90 minutes prior to tipoff each game. Call the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525 with any questions.

GAME TIME CHANGES
• Fans are encouraged to check portlandpilots.com for updated game times as many times have changed from the originally printed pocket schedule and on season tickets. A reminder that the home game versus San Francisco on Saturday is now be a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
LAST OUTING
• San Diego 82, Portland 63 (Portland, Ore.): Kevin Bailey scored a season-high 22 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a torrid shooting Toreros squad. Ryan Nicholas collected his third double-double of the season for the Pilots. The Toreros tied a school record with 14 three-pointers made on 19 attempts (.737) and shot 55 percent from the field overall. The Pilots made 2-of-12 three-pointers and finished at 43 percent from the floor. Despite the record shooting performance, the game remained close until the final minutes as a layup by Nicholas pulled the Pilots within five at 64-59 with 5:22 remaining. USD quickly answered with an 11-0 run capped by a steal and dunk from Ken Rancifer, who led the Toreros’ balanced attack with 15 points, including 3-of-4 three-pointers. Nicholas finished with 10 points and matched his career-high with 13 rebounds. Bailey was 9-for-10 at the free throw line en route to his career high. Eric Waterford provided a second half spark off the bench with four points and four steals. The Pilots dominated the boards and came away with a 36-23 rebounding margin, but committed 17 turnovers in the game.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots dropped their third straight game with the loss to San Diego on Thursday. Sophomore F Ryan Nicholas recorded his third double-double of the season and freshman G Kevin Bailey tallied a season-high 22 points in the loss.
• San Diego made 14-of-19 three-pointers versus the Pilots, exactly one week after San Francisco converted 13-of-18 threes against Portland.
• Nicholas leads the Pilots in scoring (11.5) and rebounding (7.7).
• UP underclassmen are accounting for 77 percent of the minutes played and 79 percent of the team’s scoring thus far.
• Portland has outrebounded 11 of 19 opponents this year.
• In the Pilots’ two league wins, Portland held Santa Clara and Pepperdine both under 40 percent shooting from the field. In all five Pilot wins this year, the team has held opponents under 40 percent shooting each game.
• The Pilots played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the nation, including nine of 13 games away from the Chiles Center. Portland’s strength of schedule entering Friday is No. 8 nationally, according to KenPom.com.
• Sophomore C Riley Barker (knee) has missed the last 12 games due to injury and will not be available on Saturday.
• Head coach Eric Reveno and all three assistant coaches return for their sixth year together on The Bluff, the longest current stretch of any Division I coaching staff in the nation.
• Portland is coming off of back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time ever.
• The Pilots were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) for the third consecutive season in 2011.
• Portland returns two starters and nine lettermen from last year’s team that finished 20-12 overall and 7-7 in the WCC.
• All nine UP graduates in the last two years and have gone on to play pro ball.
• The Pilots were picked to finish seventh in the nine-team West Coast Conference, while senior G Nemanja Mitrovic was named to the preseason all-conference team.
 
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
• The Dons (12-9, 2-5 WCC) dropped a 74-63 decision at Gonzaga on Thursday to snap a two-game winning streak.
• USF knocked off Pepperdine (78-63) last Saturday after posting a 104-70 win over the Pilots last Thursday at War Memorial Gymnasium.
• The Dons drilled 13-of-18 three-pointers and established UP opponent season-highs in points and field goal percentage (.672) in the win.
• USF rattled off a 10-4 non-conference record, including a narrow loss to currently ranked Murray State (70-67) at the Great Alaska Shootout.
• The Dons best win came at Montana by a 65-62 margin.
• USF is led by senior F Angelo Caloiaro (14.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and sophomore F Perris Blackwell (11.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
• Senior G Rashad Green (11.2 ppg) and junior G Michael Williams (10.8 ppg) were both named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• The Dons were picked fourth in the WCC Preseason Poll after returning all five starters from last year’s surprise squad that finished 19-15 overall and third in the WCC with a 10-4 league record.
• Former Kansas and NBA standout Rex Walters returns for his fourth year as head coach of the Dons.
 
WATERFORD PROVIDES SPARK
• Senior PG Eric Waterford was one of the bright spots in Thursday’s loss at San Diego. He played a season-high 15 minutes off the bench, all in the second half, and established a career-high with four steals.
• Waterford also made both of his shot attempts to finish with four points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out an assist with zero turnovers.
• The Modesto, Calif. native battled calf and ankle injuries earlier this season.
• Waterford started 23 games as a junior last year and averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 assists.

GETTING DEFENSIVE?
• In home wins over Santa Clara and Pepperdine, both teams shot under 40 percent shooting from the field.
• In all five Pilot wins, opponents have shot under 40 percent from the field and averaged 36.3 percent. In UP’s 14 losses, opponents have shot 51.2 percent with no opponent converting less than 42 percent from the floor.
• Portland is allowing 61.4 points in wins and 82.7 points in losses.
 
LINEUP NOTES
• Sophomore C Riley Barker has missed the last 12 games (knee) and will not be available on Saturday.
• Head coach Eric Reveno has used six different starting lineups this year.
• Sophomore Ryan Nicholas is the only Pilot to start all 19 games this year, while 10 different Pilots have started at least one game.
• Three different freshmen have started at least four games.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s highly-touted four true freshmen have each appeared in all 19 games and are all averaging more than 15 minutes per game.
• Thomas van der Mars (Gouda, Netherlands) has started the last 14 games and is averaging a freshman-best 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. He also is fourth in the WCC in field goal percentage (.534).
• Kevin Bailey (Clovis, Calif./East Clovis HS) has started the last 11 games and has reached double figures six times this season. He recorded a season-high 22 points on Thursday vs. USD, including 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
• Dorian Cason (Fontana, Calif./Summit HS) is the team’s third leading rebounder (4.3) and scored a season-high nine points at San Francisco on Jan. 12.
• David Carr (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) started the first four games at guard and is averaging 15.5 minutes per game. He recorded a career-high 11 points to go with three rebounds against Santa Clara on Jan. 5.
• Redshirt freshman F John Bailey (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson HS) played a season-high 10 minutes against SCU on Jan. 5 and responded with highs of seven points, five rebounds and a blocked shot.
 
NICHOLAS’ TIME IS NOW
• After sitting behind All-WCC forward Luke Sikma and four-year starting center Kramer Knutson last season as a freshman, Ryan Nicholas is having a breakout year.
• Nicholas is averaging team-highs of 11.5 points (12th in the WCC) and 7.7 rebounds per game (fourth in the WCC). He is also 11th in the league in FG percentage (.494).
• He recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opener against FAU. He has since recorded two more double-doubles, including 10 points and 13 rebounds versus San Diego on Thursday.
 
NOT AN EASY ROAD
• The Pilots have played one of the most challenging schedules in the nation.
• Ken Pomeroy lists Portland’s strength of schedule No. 8 nationally entering Friday.
• UP faces eight teams that made the post-season last year, while nine of the team’s 13 non-league games were away from the Chiles Center.
• Road games included: at Washington, at #2 Kentucky, at #23 Saint Louis, at Nevada, at UC Santa Barbara, at Utah and at Boise State.
• Entering Friday, UP’s non-conference D-I opponents are a combined 134-78 (.632).
 
HOME SWEET HOME
• Portland has rattled off a 41-10 home record since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• The Pilots’ 19-game home win streak was snapped by Gonzaga last February.
• Signature home wins have come against Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Saint Mary’s three times.
• Portland finished the 2010-11 regular season with a 13-2 record at the Chiles Center for the second straight season.
 
MITROVIC MAKES ALL-TOURNEY TEAM 
• Senior G Nemanja Mitrovic was named to the World Vision Classic All-Tournament Team after leading the Pilots to a 2-1 record and averaging 12.0 points per game.
• Mitrovic finished last season No. 6 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.463) and 20th in three-pointers made per game (2.9).
• One of only two seniors on the roster, Mitrovic was voted a team captain this year along with sophomore PG, Tim Douglas.
• A native of Toronto, Mitrovic played just 43 minutes as a freshman and 312 minutes as a sophomore before averaging 13.5 ppg and earning All-WCC honors last year.
 
STAFF STABILITY
• Eric Reveno was named the 2009 WCC and District 9 Coach of the Year after leading UP to a 10-win improvement during the 2008-09 season.
• Now in his sixth year on The Bluff, Reveno credits the stability of his coaching staff as key to the program’s turnaround.
• All three assistants that joined Reveno when he was hired in April of 2006 have remained on the Portland bench ever since.
• No other current Division I coaching staff in the nation has retained the same four-member coaching staff longer than Reveno and his staff.
• Reveno is the third longest tenured WCC coach behind Gonzaga’s Mark Few (13) and Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett (11).
 
THREE-POINT THREATS
• Portland was the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the nation over the previous three seasons combined (.412, 752-1825).
• The Pilots led the nation in three-point percentage in 2009 (.418), were No. 5 in 2010 (.407), and No. 3 in 2011 (.412).
• Portland is struggling this season far from beyond the arc (.307, 90-293).
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s 2011-12 roster features only three upperclassmen in seniors Nemanja Mitrovic and Eric Waterford, along with junior Derrick Rodgers.
• The six-player sophomore class played significant minutes as freshmen last year.
• Freshman G Kevin Bailey is the first top 100 recruit that the Pilots have landed, while freshman G David Carr is the first local Portland product to sign with the Pilots since Reveno took over the program.
• Underclassmen have accounted for 77 percent of the minutes played and 79 percent of the team’s scoring this year.
 
OREGON STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SIGNS WITH PILOTS
• Portland signed the reigning Oregon ‘5A’ State Player of the Year, Jake Ehlers, to a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 9.
• Ehlers (6-7, 200) led Corvallis High School to a 27-1 record and the Oregon ‘5A’ state championship as a junior last season while averaging 22 points per game.