San Diego Toreros (0-1, 0-0 WCC)  • Boston University Terriers (0-1, 0-0 PL)

Wednesday, November 6, 2024  •  7:02 p.m. PST

Jenny Craig Pavillion (5,100) • San Diego, California

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SAN DIEGO — San Diego Men's Basketball will look to shake off Wednesday's season-opening narrow defeat with an opportunity against the visiting BU Terriers Friday night. 

Tip-off Friday night is set for 7:02 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Jack Cronin (PxP) calling the action. 

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. TERRIERS

• Boston University will be the 191st recorded Torero opponent in USD Men's Basketball history

• BU is one of 36 colleges/universities within the City of Boston and is located in the Kenmore/Fenway neighborhood, playing out of the Patriot League

• The Terriers are led by 14th-year head coach Joe Jones, and also dropped their home opener, 72-80 to rival Northeastern on Monday, Nov. 4

LAST TIME OUT

• San Diego men's basketball fell to Rider in its season opener, 68-67 on Wednesday night in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• The Toreros led 35-32 at the half and were ahead 67-66 with 1:38 remaining but could not close out the Broncs to secure the victory to kick off the new season 

• A last-second layup in traffic from Kjay Bradley Jr. — who scored a game-high 24 points in his Division I debut — rattled around the rim and a would-be game-winning last ditch effort tip in from Santiago Trouet also failed with .7 seconds left.

• Chasing 27-26 down the stretch in the first half, a pair of free throws from Simon put USD back in front at 28-27, and it didn't trail again in the opening period. A quintet of points from Clouet and two more from Simon in the frame's final three minutes had the Toreros up by five before a last-chance jumper cut their lead down to three at the break.

• By the 7:52 mark in the second half, San Diego found itself down by eight. A second-chance layup from Santiago Trouet with 6:26 to go brought USD back within five, then Bradley Jr. scored six points in less than two minutes to whittle the deficit down to just one, punctuating the flurry of baskets with a clutch three. A pair of free throws from Trouet inside two minutes gave USD it's short-lived 67-66 lead in a run that proved to be too little, too late.

KEY PERFROMANCES

• Bradley Jr., a junior transfer from nearby San Diego City College, was 11-for-19 from the field against Rider. 

• San Marcos, Calif. native Kody Clouet added 13 points and four steals in his first game at USD after transferring from Southeastern Oklahoma State as he went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

• Sophomore David Simon contributed 12 points of his own as he played in 36-plus minutes, the most in a single game of his young collegiate career and more than he played in during the 2023-2024 season altogether.

• Trouet, a fellow sophomore forward, added 13 rebounds, a career best and game-high by more than double, also tacking on eight points, three assists, both also career highs, in 21 minutes off the bench.

BUILDING ON LAST SEASON'S SUCCESSES

• With year-to-year growth evident within the program, the Toreros look to continue to build on top of their successes in the 2023-24 season and return to prominent heights ... 2023-24's season highlights included:

    - The program's most wins (18) since 2018-19

    - The program's first winning record since 2018-19

    - The program's best regular-season WCC finish since 2014-15 (fifth)

    - The program's first win over a Power-5 opponent since 2018 (Dec. 9, 2023, over Arizona State)

    - Eight double-digit comeback wins, which led the nation

INTRODUCING, YOUR 2024-25 TOREROS

• Lavin and his staff have reloaded the roster of 21 players, 14 of which are underclassmen 

• The Toreros hope to have their second straight winning season in what will be the second straight year with the youngest roster in program history

KEY RETURNERS

• Senior center Steven Jamerson II is the top returner for San Diego, averaging 8.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game with six double-doubles in 2023-24

• Sophomore guard Dragos Lungu is coming off a stellar summer as he was 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket MVP and champion with Romania during the offseason, averaging 16.3 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 18.4 EFF in the tournament

• Experienced guards, graduate guard Deven Dahlke and senior Dominic Muncey, also both return ready to make an impact in the USD lineup

KEY ADDITIONS

• The Toreros add nine newcomers to the roster: six freshmen and three transfers

• Graduate guard Kody Clouet returns to his native San Diego County and highlights the incoming class, set to be a focal point in the San Diego offense

- Averaged 17.6 PPG, shooting 50.3% FG / 43% 3PT / 81% FT at SE Oklahoma State last season

• Redshirt senior Colby Brooks shifts WCC sides from Gonzaga in 2024-25

•Forwards Kean Webb and Gavin Ripp highlight the freshman class coming to San Diego

HEAD COACHES AS TORERO ASSISTANTS

• Also re-bolstered within the program for the 2024-25 season is the coaching staff; joining Lavin and his 14 years of DI head coaching experience on the bench is three other former head coaches

• The first key addition is former NBA veteran & head coach, Earl Watson, as an assistant 

     - Head Coach of Phoenix Suns, 2016-17, previously with the Raptors as an assistant from 2021-23

     - Watson played under Lavin for four seasons at UCLA, ranking top-5 in several all-time stats

• Also new to the USD sideline in 2024-25 is volunteer Justin Hutson, previously the Fresno State head coach from 2018-24 and 10-year assistant at four different DI programs

• John Moore, the all-time winningest head coach at NAIA Westmont College is geared up for his third season alongside Lavin as a USD assistant

THE SCHEDULE

• The Toreros kick off the regular season with seven November home games before their first road affair, at Arizona State on Dec. 3
    - The Toreros' marquee win last season was the 89-84 triumph over ASU on Dec. 9 in San Diego

• San Diego's MTE is in the home confines of the JCP against Southern Utah (11/22) and Idaho (11/24)

• USD will play at San Diego State on Dec. 7, the first matchup with the cross-town rival since 2019 and first in the Viejas Arena since the win over the Aztecs in 2018

• Toreros will wrap up the non-conference slate facing Grand Canyon in the Intuit Dome (Inglewood, Calif.) on Dec. 28 as a part of the West Coast Hoops Showdown, the first college basketball games ever in the newly constructed Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers

• USD plays each league opponent twice, except for preseason league favorites Gonzaga and Saint Mary's

• San Diego plays new WCC opponents Oregon State and Washington State in home-and-homes

YEAR THREE OF THE LAVIN ERA

• 2024-2025 marks head coach Steve Lavin's third season at the helm in San Diego after being hired in April of 2022.

• Prior to the start of the new season, Lavin had accumulated a record of 266-185 (.589) with 10 postseason appearances in 13 full seasons as a DI head coach.

• Prior to arriving at USD, he guided UCLA and St. John's to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years

• A staple in college basketball for over three decades, Lavin is the 14th head coach in program history and the Toreros' seventh head coach since USD moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80.

• Most recently, Lavin served as a national college basketball broadcaster for Fox Sports and CBS Sports, previously working with ESPN, ABC, and the Pac-12 Network.