Jan. 15, 2008
USD-Gonzaga game notes 
GAMES #19 & #20: The Toreros continue WCC play with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Gonzaga University this coming Saturday, Jan. 19th. USD will follow that up with a 7:00 p.m. game at the University of Portland on Monday, Jan. 21st.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 71st meeting between USD and Gonzaga, and the Bulldogs own a commanding 50-20 lead... GU has won 11 straight, with USD's last win coming in the 2003 WCC Tournament title game. Against Portland, USD owns a 40-22 advantage, and has won two straight and five of six.
RADIO/INTERNET: Both games will be broadcast on XX Sports Radio (1090 AM & 105.7 FM) with Andy Masur (p-by-p) bringing you all the action. The audio broadcast is also available at www.usdtoreros.com and www. XXSportsRadio.com. USD's game at Gonzaga will be telecast in the Pacific Northwest on KHQ/Fox Sports Net.
WCC STANDINGS (thru Jan. 14th): Gonzaga (2-0; 13-4), Saint Mary's (1-0 WCC, 14-2), San Diego (1-0; 8-10), Portland (1-1; 6-11), LMU (1-1; 4-14), Santa Clara (0-1; 8-8), San Francisco (0-1; 4-12), Pepperdine (0-2; 6-12).
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 8-10 (1-0 WCC) into the Gonzaga 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, 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 HOLD OFF USF DONS IN WCC OPENER: USD head coach Bill Grier and his staff won their WCC opener with Saturday's 46-41 home victory over the University of San Francisco... The Toreros survived a game that saw both teams struggle with both shooting and protecting the ball... Junior center Gyno Pomare led the Toreros with 18 points on 5-11 shooting (8-9 from the FT line)... Fourteen of Gyno's points came in the first half as USD went into intermisison behind, 25-24... USD's comeback victory was their first win in eleven tries when trailing at halftime... Freshman forward Rob Jones chipped in with 10 points and grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds... For the game USD managed to shoot just 32.4% (12-37) while turning the ball over 17 times... USF converted on 17-of-54 shots (31.5%) while turning it over 18 times.... Combined the two teams managed to make just 1-of-18 three-point attempts... USF's Dior Lowhorn led the way with 18 points.
TORERO TIDBITS: The 46-41 win over USF last Saturday marked the first time in eleven tries this season that the Toreros came back to notch a win after trailing at halftime (25-24)... Among all WCC players, Brandon Johnson ranks 3rd in scoring (16.8 ppg), 4th in steals (1.88), 8th in assists (3.12), 2nd in 3-pointers made per game (2.06) and 7th in assist/turnover ratio (+0.93); Gyno Pomare ranks 8th in scoring (14.7), 6th in rebounding (7.3), 3rd in field goal percentage (.554), 4th in offensive rebounds per game (2.89) and 10th in free throw% (.779)... Pomare leads the team with 5 double-doubles this season, the last coming against CSU-Bakersfield (18/16)... The 6-8 junior from Oceanside owns 15 career double "D's"... With 547 career rebounds, Pomare moved into the 5th spot all-time among USD's Division I leaders (1979-present)... Brandon Johnson currently ranks 3rd all-time in career dishes with 327.
TOREROS ON THE ROAD: The Toreros are 3-6 in games played away from the Jenny Craig Pavilion... USD is 2-4 in "true" away games and 1-2 in neutral site contests... USD's last road win was a big one, a 81-72 decision over the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena before 23,756 fans... USD's other road wins are over Hawaii (73-72) and UC Irvine (60-57) at the Anaheim Classic... Junior guard Brandon Johnson leads the Toreros in road scoring at 19.4 ppg... He is followed by Gyno Pomare at 11.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg... USD averages 62.1 ppg, but gives up 69.3 ppg.
SCOUTING THE GONZAGA BULLDOGS: The Gonzaga Bulldogs (13-4), winners of 7 straight WCC titles, are off to a 2-0 WCC start after road wins over LMU (91-68) and Pepperdine (92-57)... Gonzaga has won four straight and is 6-1 in home games this season (loss to Washington State, 51-47)... Guard Matt Bouldin leads four Zags in double-digit scoring at 14.9 ppg... He is followed by Josh Heytvelt (12.3 ppg in 6 games), Austin Daye (11.5 ppg) and Jeremy Pargo (10.8 ppg)... Zags are averaging 75.5 ppg and giving up just 63.1 ppg... GU was paced by Heytvelt (19 points) against LMU, and Daye (19 points) over Pepperdine... Coach Mark Few, in his 9th year at helm of the program, owns a career record of 224-56 (102-12 in WCC contests).
A LOOK AT THE PORTLAND PILOTS: The Pilots (6-11) split their recent WCC road swing with a 82-78 win at Pepperdine, followed by a 73-68 loss at LMU... Forward Sherrard Watson led the Pilots with 22 points at Pepperdine... Robin Smeulders came off the bench for 16 points and 9 boards in loss at LMU... UP is 1-3 from their four recent road games, and will host USF this Saturday before Monday's game with USD... First year sophomore guard Nik Raivio leads the Pilots in scoring 13.5 ppg... He is followed by senior forward Sherrard Watson (11.4 ppg) and sophomore forward Robin Smeulders (10.3 ppg)... UP's game this Saturday vs. USF will be just their 6th home game this season in 18 contests... UP is currently 2-3 at home... Second year head coach Eric Reveno (15-34) returns 2 starters and 5 lettermen from last year's 9-23 club.
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 8th 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), USF (34), Pepperdine (22), Portland (16) and LMU (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.
UP NEXT: The Toreros play at Portland this coming Monday, January 21st (7 pm)... Next home game is Saturday, Jan. 26th, against Santa Clara (6 pm, 4SD TV).
