SAN DIEGO – Coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons and the program's first trip to the NIT, San Diego opens the 2019-20 season on Tuesday inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion with a 7 p.m. contest against UC Irvine.

The Toreros enter their 65th season of basketball (41st in Division I) with a roster of four returners and 10 newcomers, including eight underclassmen, and are under the direction of second-year head coach Sam Scholl.

The season opener can be seen on the WCC Network, with the Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin on the call. Live stats are also available on the Toreros' website.

LAST TIME OUT: TOREROS REACH NIT FOR THE FIRST TIME
- San Diego recorded 21 wins and reached the first round of the NIT in the 2018-19 season, as it was led by a group of four seniors: Isaiah Pineiro, Olin Carter III, Isaiah Wright and Tyler Williams. The quartet combined for 55.6 points per game, leading the school to its most wins in 11 years. Rookie head coach Sam Scholl helped lead the team to wins over Pac-12 foes Colorado and Washington State as well earn three wins in the WCC Tournament, including a quarterfinal win over BYU. USD reached the NIT for the first time in program history (L, vs. Memphis in first round).

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UC IRVINE
- Tuesday will be the 27th all-time meeting between USD and UC Irvine, with the Toreros holding a 14-12 advantage in the series. The Anteaters won the last meeting during the 2011-12 season (99-79 in Irvine) and have won the last two.

- The Toreros' last win over UC Irvine was in 2007-08, a 60-57 decision in a neutral site game in Anaheim.

- USD's last win in San Diego in the series was 2001-02 (63-52). The Toreros are 8-5 all-time at home against UC Irvine.

- Of the 26 prior meetings, 14 took place before 1985 and two have been in the last 11 seasons.

LOOKING AHEAD
- The Toreros travel two hours north to play at Long Beach State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

WHAT'S NEW
- The Toreros return four players and feature 10 newcomers, including eight underclassmen and six freshmen. 

- Of the 10 newcomers, two - redshirt junior Braun Hartfield and redshirt freshman Marion Humphrey - ended last season with USD. Hartfield sat out all of 2018-19 due to NCAA transfer rules while Humphrey was an early enrollee out of TaylorMade Academy.

- In addition to Humphrey, the other freshmen on the Torero roster include guards Noel Coleman, Sabry Philip, Felipe Doria and Reggie Parris as well as forward Mikal Gjerde.

- The roster includes three transfers, including junior college product James Jean-Marie and Division I transfers Jared Rodriguez (Idaho) and Vladimir Pinchuk (New Mexico).

LONE SENIOR
- While it has six freshmen and eight total underclassmen, the Toreros feature only one senior in forward Alex Floresca.

- USD is one of 26 teams in the country with one or no seniors. Conference foe Santa Clara is one of those other schools as well as future opponents Stanford and Holy Cross.

- Last year's USD team had six seniors on its roster.

PROGRAM'S TRAJECTORY
- The Toreros have made a 12-win improvement in the last four years, topping it off with 21 wins last season - their most in a season since 2007-08 (22).

USD Overall Wins - Last Four Seasons
2015-16: 9
2016-17: 13
2017-18: 20
2018-19: 21

- There have been seven 20-win seasons in program history, three of which have been in the last 12 years.

BRAUN BRAUN
- Among the newcomers, guard Braun Hartfield is expected to take the court for the first time in nearly a year-and-a-half in a big way for the Toreros this season.

- In his two years at Youngstown State, Hartfield averaged 11.0 points per game, including 13.6 as a sophomore in 2017-18. He started in 43 of his 66 career games, including 14 as a freshman and 29 as a sophomore. 

- Hartfield reached double-figures in points 22 times in 2017-18 and notched 20 or more points eight times. 

SQUIRREL ON THE LOOSE
- Junior Yauhen "Squirrel" Massalski, who played in 33 games (24 starts) last year, is another key player expected to make significant strides this season for USD. The native of Belarus is the team's lone returning starter and leading returning statistical leader.

- Massalski, who has played in 67 career games, averaged 5.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year. 

- He led the team in field goal percentage (.609) and blocks (49) while he was also second in rebounds (189) and rebounds per game (5.7).

SENIOR LEADER
- While Massalski is the lone returning starter, the only returner with three years of playing experience is Alex Floresca. The redshirt senior has played in 97 career games, averaging 3.6 points on 51.1% shooting in addition to 2.3 rebounds. 

- The product of St. Louis, Missouri played in all 35 games last year, including 16 starts, with career-highs in points (5.3), rebounds (3.2), assists (1.3) and minutes (19.5).

- An architecture major, Floresca was sixth on the team in scoring a year ago.

SCHOLL IN HIS SECOND FULL SEASON
- Entering his second full season as the head coach, Sam Scholl will look to build upon a 21-win coaching debut in 2018-19.

- Scholl led the Toreros to 21 wins and the program's first NIT appearance in his first full season, making him only the second coach in program history to lead the Toreros to 20+ wins and a postseason trip in the inaugural year at the helm.

- A former guard for USD, Scholl is 23-17 in his head coaching career after guiding the team to a 2-2 record to end the 2017-18 season as the interim head coach.

- Scholl has been on a USD coaching staff for 11 of his 19 years in coaching. He was a graduate assistant and assistant coach from 2001 to 2007 and then rejoined the school in 2015. He has 21 years of experience playing or coaching in the West Coast Conference.

A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
- The Toreros loaded up their nonconference schedule once again this season as it features three 20-win teams from last season (UC Irvine, Fresno State, San Diego State) and five teams who finished in the top-100 of the NET rankings.

- Those top-100 NET ranking teams include Washington (44), Colorado (65), UC Irvine (71), Hofstra (76), and Fresno State (82). Another opponent, Stanford, finished just outside the top-100 at 103. The Toreros, meanwhile, placed No. 98.

IN SEASON OPENERS
- USD enters Tuesday having won its last two season openers.

- In home openers, the Toreros have also won their last two and 16 out of their last 17. 

COACHING STAFF CHANGES
- Coach Scholl welcomed Jerry Brown as a new addition to the USD coaching staff, replacing Chris Gerlufsen who left for an assistant coach position with Hawaii in September.

- Brown joins assistants Terrence Rencher and David Carter on USD's staff. He previously worked at Stanford as the Director of Player Development.

- Prior to Stanford, Brown coached at UTEP in 2018-19 and spent 2017-18 with the Detroit Pistons. The former Fresno State captain played for Coach Scholl at Santa Clara as a grad transfer in 2013-14.