Nov. 21, 2007

USD-USC Game Notes

GAME #5: The University of San Diego men's basketball team, under the direction of first year head coach Bill Grier, will take on the USC Trojans (2-1) this coming Thursday, Nov. 22nd, in the final game of the inaugural Anaheim Classic. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 8:59 p.m. on ESPN2. USD will face either Miami-Ohio or South Alabama in second day action (7 or 9:30 pm).. Saturday is an off day with the tourney concluding on Sunday. The tourney bracket can be found on pages 5-6 of this release.

SERIES RECORD: This is the 4th meeting between USD and USC with the Trojans holding a 3-0 series lead... The last time these two teams met was during the 2004-05 campaign with the Trojans winning 87-75.

TV/RADIO/INTERNET: The game is being televised by ESPN2... Scott Graham (play-by-play) and Steve Bardo (color analyst) call the action. The game will also air live on XX Sports Radio (1090 AM & 105.7 FM) with Andy Masur (play-by-play) bringing you all the action with pregame beginning at 8:45 pm. The audio broadcast is also available at www.usdtoreros.com and www.XXSportsRadio.com.

COACH GRIER (1ST YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990) is in his first season at the helm of the USD program, and also his first head coaching position at the NCAA Division I level. He brings a record of 2-2 into the USC game. Hired on March 26, 2007, Grier is USD's 11th head coach overall and just the 4th head coach since the Torero program moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80. The 44-year-old Grier spent the past 16 years at Gonzaga University, including the last 8 seasons as Mark Few's top assistant. Over the past eight years Gonzaga compiled a 21-52 record; won the WCC regular-season title seven times; the WCC Tournament title seven times; advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times, including three trips to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Overall with Grier as an assistant coach, the Bulldogs combined for an overall record of 381-126; won 11 regular-season WCC titles; won nine WCC Tournament titles (33-7 WCC Tournament record); advanced to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and ten overall, including four Sweet 16 appearances and the 1999 Elite Eight. Bill and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Giselle.

TOREROS DROP 69-64 DECISION IN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP: The USD Toreros dropped a hardfought 69-64 decision to crosstown rival San Diego State this past Monday evening in the annual City Championship game that was played before a sellout crowd (5,100) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion... USD juniors Gyno Pomare and Brandon Johnson each scored game-highs of 20 points, but the Toreros turned the ball over a season-high 25 times against SDSU's fullcourt pressure... Despite 16 first half points from Johnson, USD found itself behind 38-34 at intermission as the visiting Aztecs shot 66.7% from the field (16-24)... USD scored 8 straight points to open the 2nd half for a 42-38 lead, but the Aztecs stormed back to build a 10-point cushion at 66-56 with 1:26 to go... USD wasn't finished, however, as they closed to within 4 points at 68-64 with 00:30 ticks to go, but missed on their final scoring opportunities... It was SDSU's second straight win in the city rivalry, and improved their overall mark to 22-17 against the Toreros.

SCOUTING THE USC TROJANS: The USC Trojans, under the guidance of 3rd-year head coach Tim Floyd, are off to a 2-1 start... After a season-opening home loss to Mercer (96-81), USC has bounced back with road wins over The Citadel (74-47) and South Carolina (85-75)... Freshman 6-5 guard O.J. Mayo is leading the team in scoring at an impressive 25.7 ppg clip... He is followed by 6-5 sophomore guard Daniel Hackett at 21.5 ppg, 6-5 sophomore guard Dwight Lewis (14.3) and 6-9 sophomore forward Taj Gibson (11.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg)... Mayo is coming off a 29 point effor in the team's win over South Carolina... Floyd has 2 starters and 8 lettermen returning from last year's 25-12 team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16... USC beat Arkansas (77-60) and Texas (87-68) before falling to North Carolina 974-64).

ANAHEIM CLASSIC SET FOR THANKSGIVING WEEKEND: The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Toreros following this current 3-game homestand... USD will take on the USC Trojans on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22nd, in the fourth and final game of opening day of the Anaheim Classic... The eight-team, 12-game, bracketed tournament, which is being co-hosted by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. and the Big West Conference, will take place between Nov. 22, 23, and 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center... USD will face either Miami-Ohio or Southern Alabama on Nov. 23rd... Other participants include Southern Illinois, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Mississippi State. For more information, go to www.AnaheimClassic.com.

ANDY MASUR & JOHN KENTERA TEAM UP ON XX SPORTS RADIO: Andy Masur will call all the Torero basketball games, home and away, on XX Sports Radio (1090 AM & 105.7 FM)... He will be joined by color analyst John Kentera for home contests.

TOREROS PICKED THIRD IN WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: The USD men's basketball team has been picked to finish in 3rd place in the WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. Gonzaga edged out Saint Mary's as the favorite to capture their eighth consecutive regular-season WCC crown. The Zags earned 5 first place votes and 61 points, followed by Saint Mary's with 3 first place votes and 59 points. The Toreros (43 points) were followed by Santa Clara (38), San Francisco (34), Pepperdine (22), Portland (16) and Loyola Marymount (15).

WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO: The Jenny Craig Pavilion will be the site for the 2008 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships (Mar. 6-10). San Diego last hosted this event for a three-year run between 2001-03. For the sixth consecutive season, the men's championships will use an 8-team/Play-in format, while the women's championships will use the traditional 1 vs. 8 format with no byes for the fourth straight year. The men's games will begin on March 7th.