San Francisco (14-6, 3-2) vs. Saint Mary's (16-4, 3-2)
University Credit Union Pavilion, Moraga, California; Thursday, 10:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: San Francisco seeks revenge on Saint Mary's after dropping the first matchup in San Francisco. The teams last went at it on Jan. 2, when the Gaels shot 43.3 percent from the field while holding San Francisco to just 33.3 percent en route to a 69-58 victory.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Senior leadership could play a big role in this game's outcome. Jordan Ford, Malik Fitts, Tanner Krebs and Tommy Kuhse have combined to account for 70 percent of all Saint Mary's scoring this season. For San Francisco, Charles Minlend, Jamaree Bouyea, Jimbo Lull and Jordan Ratinho have combined to account for 64 percent of all San Francisco scoring, including 80 percent of the team's points over its last five games.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Dons have allowed only 66.8 points per game to WCC opponents thus far, an improvement from the 73.2 per game they allowed against non-conference competition.MIGHTY MINLEND: Minlend has connected on 34.4 percent of the 96 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 8 of 13 over his last three games. He's also made 62.8 percent of his foul shots this season.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Dons have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Gaels. Saint Mary's has 35 assists on 78 field goals (44.9 percent) across its past three contests while San Francisco has assists on 36 of 77 field goals (46.8 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Saint Mary's has committed a turnover on just 15.2 percent of its possessions this season, which is the eighth-lowest rate among all Division I teams. The Gaels have turned the ball over only 10.2 times per game this season.
