SAN DIEGO – From the outside, Jenny Craig Pavilion doesn't look foreboding. The outdoor plaza features palm trees swaying in the breeze. A 5-foot fountain splashes water into a blue and white tile base.
 
The tan arena with the red-tiled roof depicts USD's Spanish Renaissance architecture.
 
Inside, the basketball court measures the requisite 94 feet by 50 feet.
 
But San Diego's men's basketball team protects the JCP like a fortress. With Pepperdine coming to town for a 1 p.m. Saturday tipoff the Toreros boast a perfect 9-0 home record.
 
"I just think our guys are taking a lot of pride on the court where they put in a lot of reps, a lot of time together," said head coach Sam Scholl. "It's nice to see them have that much pride in their floor."
 
From the first game of the season against Weber State on Nov. 6, the Toreros have demonstrated their mettle inside the JCP. The Wildcats led by 11 points in the first half, but the senior-laden Toreros did not panic, rallying for an 83-66 victory.
 
"We're not going to lose at home," said Isaiah Pineiro, the Toreros' leading scorer (20.1 points) and rebounder (8.9). "We put in so much work here, so many reps, thousands upon thousands of shots. A lot of defense. We're comfortable here."
 
There have been routs in the nine-game run – wins by 16, 17, 18 and 20 points. The Toreros spotted NAIA San Diego Christian a 3-0 lead then unleashed 34-1 run on the way to a bench-clearing 95-47 victory.
 
There have been narrow escapes – 70-64 over Colorado, 74-70 against Long Beach State and 61-58 over Grand Canyon.
 
Against Colorado, the Toreros were down eight in the second half, trailed by one with 1:53 to play then iced the game by nailing eight straight free throws in the final 57 seconds.
 
"That's just confidence," said Pineiro. "We end every practice trying to make 12 threes in a row and 12 free throws in a row. That's trusting the confidence the coaches and players have that you're going to make those free throws."

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Scholl has drilled into his players that good teams defend their home turf and the NCAA's new NET metric bears that out. At the beginning of the week, 25 of the top 26 teams in the NET ranking were unbeaten at home.
 
"If you want to make the NCAA Tournament, if you want to be a good team, good teams don't lose at home," said Olin Carter III.
 
Four West Coast Conference team were unbeaten at home going into Thursday. Gonzaga was 11-0 at the McCarthey Athletic Center, aka The Kennel. USF was 9-0 at War Memorial Gymnasium, and LMU was 6-0 at Gersten Pavilion.
 
"Our conference is good," said Carter. "We expect a lot of close games. Winning those close games at home gives us confidence for later in the season when we run into those situations."

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Carter is in his fourth year as a starter. He has scored 1,383 points and is on pace through the regular season, barring injury, of becoming the Toreros' fourth all-time leading scorer.
 
"For me," said Carter, "I've played four years in this gym. It's like my second home."
 
To Pineiro, there's no place he'd rather face opponents than Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
"You're comfortable at home," he said. "You get to sleep in your own bed. You've got your routine. You're comfortable on the floor. When you wake up, it's a business day. You're focused from the time you wake up."