San Diego (1-3) •  San Francisco (6-4) •  BYU (9-2)
Thursday, December 31  •  5 p.m.  |  Saturday, January 2  •  4 p.m.
War Memorial Gym (5,300) •  San Francisco, Calif. | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100)  •  San Diego, Calif.
TV • WCC Network | Live Audio • USDToreros.com | Live Stats • USDToreros.comÂ
SAN DIEGO—San Diego will open up the 2020-21 conference season on the road at San Francisco on Thursday before hosting BYU on Saturday in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
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The Toreros (1-3) are set to tip off with the Dons (6-4) inside War Memorial Gym at 2 p.m. PT on New Year's Eve. Next, USD will play host to its first WCC opponent this season, taking on the Cougars (9-2) at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday.
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The games will be streamed via the WCC Network and live audio will be available on USDToreros.com with Jack Cronin on the call. Live statistics will be available via USDToreros.com.
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LAST TIME OUT
- The Toreros have had an extended break from action after experiencing a number of COVID-19 related schedule disruptions to end the non-conference slate. USD's last competition came on Dec. 19, in a 53-85 loss at UC Irvine.
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- After a slow start, USD shot 50 percent in the second half behind 14 points from
Joey Calcaterra, but the Toreros could not overcome a 34-15 halftime deficit for their third loss of the season.
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- UCI dominated the rebounding battle, 44-21, including 13 offensive boards, compared to two for USD. The Anteaters collected 17 second-chance points compared to three for the Toreros and outscored USD in the paint, 42-18.
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ALL TIME SERIES WITH SAN FRANCISCO
- Thursday will be the 85th meeting between the Toreros and the Dons. USD trails the all-time series 41-43, and fell last season 44-69 in the only matchup of the year.
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- The teams first met during the 1980-81 season, while San Diego has won four of the last five meetings, sweeping the series in 2018-19 and 2017-18.
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ALL TIME SERIES WITH BYU
- Saturday is the 24th meeting between USD and BYU, with the Toreros trailing in the all-time series 6-17. USD dropped both contests last season, including a heartbreaker 71-72 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Feb. 15.
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- The teams first met during the 2001-02 campaign, and the Cougars have taken five of the last six meetings. USD's last win came during the quarterfinals of the 2019 WCC Tournament, a dominating 80-57 performance in Las Vegas, Nev.
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LOOKING AHEAD
- The Toreros will remain home for a Thursday matchup with Saint Mary's on Jan. 7, before traveling to take on Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 9 to continue the conference slate.
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CALCATERRA PACING OFFENSE
- Redshirt junior guard
Joey Calcaterra has been a standout for the Torero offense to start the season, leading USD in all scoring categories.
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- Calcaterra has scored double-digit figures in all four games to start the season, averaging 15.5 points per game. He leads USD beyond the arc, hitting 45 percent (9-for-20) and is 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
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BIG MAN IN THE RANKINGS
- The Toreros currently rank first in the WCC (24th nationally) in blocked shots per game (5.0), overwhelmingly led by senior
Yauhen Massalski. The 6-10 forward ranks 17th nationally in blocks per game with 2.75 and ranks fourth in the WCC (75th nationally) in total blocks with 11.
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- Massalski also ranks second in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (6.50) and third in rebounds per game (8.5).
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