BYU basketball taking confidence into big road game at San Francisco


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PROVO — The game that BYU basketball has had circled on its calendar all season is upon the Cougars.

And the opponent won’t be perennial West Coast Conference contenders Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s.

No, instead, the Cougars head to San Francisco for a 9 p.m. MST tipoff at War Memorial Gymnasium Saturday night in a battle of two of the top teams in the WCC (AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, KSL Newsradio).

Top teams? What?

If you haven’t been paying attention to WCC hoops to this point in the season, that’s understandable; college football takes a lot out of all of us.

But the Dons (15-3, 3-1 WCC) have quietly been built into a top-tier team in the third season of head coach Kyle Smith.

“We’re happy about this win. But tomorrow, we’ve got to really focus,” BYU guard TJ Haws told KSL Newsradio after Thursday’s win over Pepperdine. “This team (USF) has been playing really well all year long.

“It’s going to take another effort like tonight, where everyone steps up and is helping. We’ll prepare really well, and we’ll be locked in for San Francisco.”

Both teams trail Gonzaga, the No. 7-rated team in the country, which is 17-2 overall and 4-0 in West Coast Conference play, including a 96-83 victory at USF a week ago.

The Zags won’t face the Cougars until Jan. 31 in Provo. But before that 7 p.m. MST tipoff in the Marriott Center, BYU has to get past a trip to the Hilltop.

“Our team has played well, but this team is a lot deeper,” BYU coach Dave Rose said of USF. “It’s like they’ve got two teams put together. … They’ve got a group that is really solid on the guard line, and their bigs are really big and have really improved over the years.”

BYU (12-8, 4-1 WCC) leads the all-time series with USF, 19-6 — but the Cougars have only lost one game to the Dons since joining the conference in 2011. That lone loss didn’t come in San Francisco, either; BYU is unbeaten on The Hilltop, including last year’s 75-73 overtime victory.

San Francisco guard Frankie Ferrari, center, shoots against Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP)
San Francisco guard Frankie Ferrari, center, shoots against Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP)

Overall, the Cougars are 7-4 in San Francisco.

After struggling to a barely .500 record in non-conference play, the Cougars have seemingly found themselves early in their WCC slate. BYU is 4-1 overall, including two wins in their first three road games — with their only loss coming via an 88-66 rout at Saint Mary’s.

Still, the Dons will prove to be a very different challenge than Pacific, Portland, Santa Clara or Pepperdine. USF is a top-50 team in KenPom, and boasts the No. 47 ranking nationally in the NCAA's official NET metrics.

The Dons are led by Frankie Ferrari, the electric 6-foot guard from nearby Burlingame, California. A returning all-West Coast Conference first-team selection, Ferrari is averaging 13.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while coming off a season-high 21 points in the loss to Gonzaga.

Charles Minlend averages 15.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for USF.

“We’re going to have to battle all night long at San Francisco,” Rose said. “That’s a team that is playing really well and snuck away with a really close win (Thursday against San Diego). Their last home game, they got beat by the Zags in a game they led late in the second half.

“It will be a battle.”

BYU (12-8, 4-1 WCC) at San Francisco (15-3, 3-1 WCC)

TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain

Radio: KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM / BYU Radio

Stats: KSL.com

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