SAN DIEGO — USD men's hoops returns home to open West Coast Conference play against Pacific for a second straight season as the Toreros take on the Tigers in a Sunday matinee in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ as Jack Cronin (X: @JackCroninPXP) and Braden Surprenant (X: @b_surp) will have the call. Inside coverage can also be found on the @USDMBB social channels.

THE TIGER RUNDOWN

• Pacific is 9-4 on the season, finding themselves just outside the top 100 in NET at No. 101

• USD is 12-17 all-time vs. Pacific, winners of four of the last five under head coach Steve Lavin, including two of three of last season's meetings, topping UOP in the first round of the WCC Tournament (March 6, 2025, 81-77) and the first game of conference play (Dec. 30, 2024, 75-65) last season as well

LAST TIME OUT

- San Diego men's basketball dropped an 86-56 decision on the road to the Big Ten's Washington Huskies in Seattle's Alaska Airlines Arena on Monday, Dec. 22

- The Toreros were unable to follow up their Quad-1 win on the road at UC San Diego from Friday, Dec. 19 in a similar opportunity Monday night at the historic Ed Hecmundson Pavilion, USD's first trip of the season out of the Golden State

- After an 8-0 scoring run, USD led through the opening six minutes ... But, a seven-minute scoring drought ensued soon after, seeing the hosts – backed by a crowd of nearly 8,000 Husky faithful – take advantage to a 20-plus point lead, and the Toreros were never able to recover

- The Toreros were led by a pair of 15-point scorers in senior guard Juanse Gorosito and grad guard Adrian McIntyre ... McIntyre tied his DI high in scoring on 7-for-11 shooting and added three assists and a steal ... Gorosito tied a career best with a game-high four steals

- San Diego was beat on the boards by one of the nation's top rebounding teams, led by projected first round NBA Draft pick Hannes Steinbach's 14 – seven offensive – to go with 21 points

KILLING TWO DROUGHTS WITH ONE LAST-SECOND WIN

• A Dec. 19 crosstown rivalry matchup came down to the last second as USD junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson banked in a game-winning three to topple UC San Diego, 82-80, and end two lengthy program droughts with the Quad-1 road win

• The Toreros secured their first Quadrant-1 victory since a Feb. 28, 2019, 40 Q1 attempts ago, a 91-90 win at San Francisco in overtime, a season in which the Toreros earned a bid in the NIT ... USD became one of just two WCC teams to claim a Quad-1 win this season, joining NET No. 3 Gonzaga

• San Diego also clinched its first road wins since Feb. 10, 2024, 17 away contests – 678 says – ago, an 89-84 win at Pacific

AT THE CHARITY STRIPE

• As of Dec. 27, USD ranks 22nd nationally in free throw percentage at 77.7% ... The Toreros are one of four WCC teams in the top 25 of free throw-shooting sides nationally

TAKEAWAY SURGE

• In a strong defensive start to December, USD forced 17-plus turnovers out of its opponents in three straight games: 17 vs. NAU (Dec. 13), 21 vs. USC (Dec. 9) and 22 at San Jose State (Dec. 5)

MURDERERS' ROW

• In a stretch of eight games from Dec. 9 to Jan. 4 the Toreros will face six top-101 NET teams, including a stretch of four Quad-1 opportunities in a six-game stand, three in four games

ALUMNUS MIKE BROWN GUIDES KNICKS TO NBA CUP TITLE

• USD men's basketball alumnus Mike Brown ('93) – one of five former Torero players to become NBA head coaches – added NBA Cup Champion to his long list of accolades as he led the New York Knicks to the 2025 mid-season title on Tuesday, Dec. 16

• Brown, a multiple-time NBA Coach of the Year, guided the Knicks to the third edition of the Emirates NBA Cup with a 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena as his team went 6-1 overall in the tournament

• Brown played for the Toreros Men's Basketball program under Hank Egan from 1990-92 after transferring from Mesa Community College ... In 1993, Brown earned a degree from USD in Business Finance ... As a senior at USD in 1991-92, Brown started in 19 of 28 games, averaging 7.6 points and 3.1 rebounds ... He deserved the team's Bugelli Leadership Award and was also a recipient of the Zable Athletic Excellence Award

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