2013 Non-Conference Schedules: San Diego Toreros

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All times Pacific.

I like what Bill Grier and his staff have done with this year's schedule. It's very well rounded. First off, over half of the Toreros' games will be played at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Of those seven, two are guaranteed to be blowout victories (two non-D-I teams). The team has a few early season tests on the slate as well. Playing at New Mexico, while almost certainly a loss, will prepare the Toreros for the hostile environments in Provo and Spokane. San Diego State, in Jenny Craig, will provide fans with a great game and (hopefully) a great atmosphere. The atmosphere is up to you, USD fans. Finally, the Gulf Coast Showcase could provide USD with either a few tough games or an easy path to an pretty early-season record, depending on how the bracket shakes out.

My only qualm is the two games against non-D-I teams. Part of the WCC's rationale for adding Pacific was that two additional conference games would make it easier for WCC teams to schedule a non-conference slate of entirely D-I teams. Either San Diego couldn't do that, which I doubt considering the surplus of low quality D-I teams in the state of California. Or, the Toreros's staff wanted to play two games that would be nearly guaranteed victories. All-in-all though, this is a quality schedule for where the Toreros are at this season.

1. November 8th at 7:00 PM in San Diego
South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Summit League
Last Season: 25-10 (13-3), T-1st place Summit. 13 seed NCAA Tournament, lost in Round of 64 to Michigan.

Countdown 9/22/13

48 days remain...

It's hard to say this guy will have a breakout year, since he's already had two exceptional years, but Johnny Dee and San Diego should look pretty good this season.

Countdown 9/11/13

59 days remain...

#SCtop10

2013 Recruiting Continues: Jamal Aytes

BYU went full staff for Jamal Aytes. July statement
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) July 27, 2013

Jamal Aytes said he's likely to visit Gonzaga and West Virginia next week. Officials.
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) July 27, 2013

Jamal Aytes has blown up on the summer hoops circuit. The 6'7" forward out of J Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California is rated as a three star recruit by ESPN and comes in at 28th in California and 66th in the nation at the power forward position. Largely unheralded before this summer, only three schools were showing interest in Aytes.

Offseason Personnel Movement Around the WCC

The landscape of college basketball is ever-changing. Some of that change, conference realignment or selfish reasons for transferring, can be negative. Some though, like natural roster turnover due to graduation, is a necessary part of the college game. Regardless of whether the change is good or bad, we have to deal with it. Unfortunately, that can be really difficult. How are you supposed to keep track of players when so many are graduating, transferring in/out, coming off redshirts/redshirting or arriving for their first year at college?

Well, this is how. I've amassed all the information on the personnel movement happening at WCC basketball programs this offseason. It's all here, listed school-by-school. Take a look at who won't be back on your least favorite team next season (because you should already know who won't be back on your favorite team). You'll also find all the new recruits, the players who will be returning from a redshirt season or two year mission, the transfers, the dismissals as well as any coaching/staff changes. Plus, there are some charts to help you understand just how much each team is losing in terms of production.

Players listed under the "going" section are shown with the year they were listed as during the 2012-'13 season. Players listed under the "coming" section are shown with the year they will be for the 2013-'14 season.

Senior Series: Ken Rancifer

Ken Rancifer's college basketball career went the way college basketball careers used to go. Four years spent at the same school, with steady improvement each season. His four year career culminated in being a full time starter and team captain.

The 6'5'', 205lbs native of Oakland attended El Cerrito High School. ESPN gave Rancifer an 84/100 grade as a recruit. Along with San Diego, he was recruited by Fresno State, Weber State and Cal State Northridge.

Hover over the graph above for more information. For the sake of keeping the Y-axis a reasonable height, "Minutes" data represented in the chart is actually Min% rather than total minutes. Then, click read more for even more information!

#2 Saint Mary's 69 - #6 San Diego 66

It took a lot, another Dellave-dagger, overtime and a tooth, but the Gaels have made their fifth straight WCC Tournament Championship Game.

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WCC Semifinals Game 2 Preview

#6 San Diego Toreros vs. #2 Saint Mary's Gaels

Two teams fighting for their postseason lives face off in the WCC's nightcap.

San Diego sits one game below .500 on the season. To make a postseason tournament you have to be at or above .500. With two games remaining the only way the Toreros can earn a berth in one of the four postseason tournaments is with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by way of winning the WCC Tournament.

Saint Mary's sits on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A position that is never comfortable and increasingly uncomfortable. Just today fellow bubble teams Baylor, Tennessee, Alabama and Cincinnati picked up wins. Saint Mary's is at the point that, as a program, failing to make the NCAA Tournament would be a failure. A loss tonight would not guarantee a trip to the NIT, but it would, minimally, double the amount of sweat that will soak the Gaels' clothes on Selection Sunday.

Game Info: WCC Semifinals

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6:00 PM PST
#9 Loyola Marymount Lions vs. #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
LMU is 11-22 on the season, 1-15 in WCC regular season play and currently on a three game winning streak.
Gonzaga is 29-2 on the season, 16-0 in WCC regular season play and currently on a 12 game winning streak.
Gonzaga swept the season series 2-0.
TV: ESPN2.
Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in LA, KGA 1510 AM and KEYF 101.1 FM in Spokane, KTEL 1490 AM in Walla Walla, KALE 960 AM in the Tri-Cities, KKRT 900 AM in Wenatchee, KWIQ 1020 AM in Moses Lake and KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound region. 
Satellite Radio: Sirius 110 and XM 193.
Online: Live video from ESPN3. Live audio from KXLU and KGA.

8:30 PM PST (30 minutes after the finish of the previous game.)
#6 San Diego Toreros vs. #2 Saint Mary's Gaels

Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.

San Diego is 16-17 on the season, 7-9 in WCC regular season play and currently on a three game winning streak.

Saint Mary's is 26-5 on the season, 14-2 in WCC regular season play and currently on a five game winning streak. 

Saint Mary's swept the season series 2-0.

TV: ESPN2.

Radio: XX 1090 AM in San Diego.

Satellite Radio: Sirius 110 and XM 193.

Online: Live video from ESPN3. Live audio from 1090 AM.

#6 San Diego 72 - #3 BYU 69

The WCC Tournament has become an upset party. Obviously the Toreros felt bad for crashing the party with their defeat of #7 Pepperdine in the second round. To make up for their mistake they went out and upset #3 BYU in the semifinals. My question is this, can it really be considered an upset considering, with this win, San Diego won the season series 2-1? I'm gonna say yes because it rained in Vegas today and this parade doesn't need any more rain.

"We got off to a really good start to the game, had a good flow" San Diego's Bill Grier said after the game. He wasn't kidding. The Cougars led 2-0 for the first 1:06 but they wouldn't manage to retake the lead until the 16:18 mark in the second half. San Diego would push the lead to ten at one point during the first half. The Cougars would make it a one possession game on multiple occasions, they even tied the score at one point but couldn't get the lead until well into the second half.

Once the Cougars took the lead back they started looking like the BYU team that earned the #3 seed in the WCC Tournament. Dave Rose played his whole roster in the first half looking for any way to get back into the game. In the second half it was all his big three of Brandon Davies, Tyler Haws and Matt Carlino. Those three combined for 53 points in the game with Davies and Haws contributing 20 each. "Tyler's such a good player," coach Grier said, "Brandon has always been a handful for us and for other teams in the league so we knew we weren't going to shut them down." Once again, he was right.

WCC Quarterfinals Game 2 Preview

#6 San Diego Toreros vs. #3 Brigham Young Cougars

If this quarterfinal match-up seems familiar that's because it should. These two teams met last season in the WCC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Toreros hung with the Cougars but couldn't do much more than that. BYU escaped with a five point victory. Last season the Cougars were an NCAA Tournament bubble team. This season they're an auto-bid-needed team, an unusual position for BYU.

Last Year's BYU vs. San Diego match-up in the WCC Tournament.

WCC Tournament Quarterfinals Info

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6:00 PM PST
#9 Loyola Marymount Lions vs. #4 Santa Clara Broncos
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
LMU is 10-21 on the season, 1-15 in WCC regular season play and currently on a two game winning streak.
Santa Clara is 21-11 on the season, 9-7 in WCC regular season play and currently on a one game losing streak.
Santa Clara swept the season series 2-0.
TV: ESPNU.
Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.
Satellite Radio: Sirius 110 and XM 193.
Online: Live video from ESPN3 and live audio from KXLU.

8:30 PM PST (30 minutes after the first game ends.)
#6 San Diego Toreros vs. #3 Brigham Young Cougars
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
San Diego is 15-17 on the season, 7-9 in WCC regular season play and currently on a two game winning streak.
BYU is 21-10 on the season, 10-6 in WCC regular season play and currently on a one game winning streak.
The season series between these two teams was split 1-1.
TV: ESPNU.
Radio: XX 1090 AM in San Diego, KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front, KMGR 95.9 FM in Manti, KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City, KDXU 890 AM in St. George and KTHK 105.5 FM in Idaho Falls.
Satellite Radio: Sirius 110, XM 193 and BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.
Online: Live video from ESPN3. Live audio from KSL and 1090 AM.

San Diego 62 - Pepperdine 59

WCC teams are used to playing a game on a Saturday then a game the next Thursday, just not against the same team. That's what happened tonight in the second round of the WCC Tournament when San Diego faced off with Pepperdine. These two teams should be familiar with each other because they've had a week to scout plus a game to look back on for even more advanced scouting. 

That was the case in the early going. For the first nine minutes the two teams traded baskets and leads. Then the Waves figured out what they weren't able to figure out in either of their two previous meetings with the Toreros this season. Pepperdine put an end to the back and forth, pushed the lead to ten and kept a comfortable lead during the middle minutes of the first half. 

During this stretch of the game San Diego was sloppy. Cameron Miles chased a loose ball all the way down the floor to the baseline and saved it inbounds to John Sinis. Sinis promptly traveled for no reason, he wasn't being pressured or driving with the ball, just moved his pivot foot. After a great hustle play the ball was given back to the Waves who were up ten.

It was during this stretch that San Diego sharpshooter Johnny Dee was missing three after three after three. Something happened in the waining minutes of the half. Christopher Anderson stole the ball and Dee layed it in at the other end. Then Anderson made a pass to Dee who promptly drained a three. That sequence of events was repeated three times in rapid succession and the Toreros retook the lead before the break. A ten point Pepperdine lead was erased by a 21-3 San Diego run that spanned halftime. 

Much like the Waves of the first half the Toreros of the second half pushed the lead to a comfortable margin. Unlike the Waves, they never gave up the lead. Pepperdine would move to within one on a couple of occasions but could never tie things up. Stacy Davis, the WCC's Newcomer of the Year had a stellar night doing everything he could to bring the Waves back into the game. His stat line was fairly ridiculous for a freshman in his first WCC Tournament game. 19 points, 11 rebounds, 9-11 from the line, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and only one foul (the Waves committed 18 fouls overall).

The Waves made it a one possession in the last minute. Lorne Jackson was fouled shooting a three, which rolled in and out of the basket. The Toreros were up four at the time of the foul with only seconds remaining which begs the question, why were they even playing defense on the shooter? They were though, which sent Jackson to the line to shoot three. He made the first and the second before coach Marty Wilson called timeout to discuss an intentional miss of the final free throw. Jackson missed the third, off the right side of the rim just as planned. Unfortunately, the Waves jumped too soon and were called for a lane violation. The Toreros got the ball on the violation, were fouled immediately and made the second of two free throws. A desperation three at the buzzer fell way short and the Toreros hung on for the win.

In the end it was the amazing relationship of Christopher Anderson and Johnny Dee, two sophomores, that pushed the Toreros past the Waves. 

San Diego moves on to face #3 BYU on Friday at 8:30 PM PST. This will be the second straight year the Toreros and Cougars meet in the nightcap game of the WCC Quarterfinals. 

#7 Pepperdine vs. #6 San Diego

These two teams are young. San Diego has more seniors than Pepperdine. Pepperdine has a senior at the position where experience matters. The Toreros stellar sophomore back court of Johnny Dee and Christopher Anderson have been playing like veterans. Pepperdine's Lorne Jackson is a veteran, the fifth year senior has been here before and won't be back unless he gets a victory tonight.

Both teams feature members of the WCC's All-Freshman Team. Center Jito Kok is a block machine for the Toreros. Stacy Davis' 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game earned him WCC Newcomer of the Year honors. 

The first time these two met the Toreros won easily, by 12, in Malibu back in January. The second time was less than a week ago and the Waves proved to be much more pesky than the first time with the Toreros winning by only seven. Familiarity is the name of this game as neither team has played since Saturday. Having the last game fresh in their minds both teams know what the need to do differently this time. KenPom.com projects this to be a two point game when the final buzzer sounds. He uses stats to figure that out. Based upon familiarity I would have to agree that this will be a close one.

WCC Tournament Day Two Info

WCC Tournament Second Round

6:00 PM PST
#5 San Francisco Dons vs. #9 Loyola Marymount Lions
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Loyola Marymount is 9-21 on the season, 1-15 in the WCC regular season and currently on a one game winning streak.
San Francisco is 14-15 on the season, 7-9 in WCC play and currently on a three game winning streak.
San Francisco swept the Lions 2-0 in the regular season.
TV: BYUtv.
Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.
Satellite Radio: Sirius 110 and XM 193.
Online: Live video from WCC Digital and live audio from KXLU.

Approx. 8:30 PM PST (30 minutes after USF vs. LMU)
#6 San Diego Toreros vs. #7 Pepperdine Waves
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pepperdine is 12-17 on the season, 4-12 in WCC play and currently on a four game losing streak.
San Diego is 14-17 on the season, 7-9 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.
San Diego swept the season series 2-0.
TV: BYUtv.
Radio: XX 1090 AM in San Diego.
Satellite Radio: Sirius 110 and XM 193.
Online: Live video from WCC Digital, live audio from 1090 AM and Pepperdine Athletics.

The WCC's March Madness is Orderly

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This morning only three seeds were set in stone. Since then the tournament has come into form, and the BYU at LMU game isn't even over yet! At this point, 11:50 PM Central Standard Time, the five and six seeds are not official. San Francisco and San Diego have the same conference record, necessitating a tie-breaker. The tie-breaker in this case is the teams' RPI rating. The RPI used in the tie-breaker will be taken Sunday morning. There's no way for San Diego to pass San Francisco in the RPI between now and then though, so it's the Dons that will come up with the five seed.

Game Day Info 2/2

It's the last day of the regular season so the bracket for the WCC Tournament has to be determined today. Still up for grabs are seeds three through eight. Here are the possible seedings.
1: Gonzaga. Bye to the semifinals.
2: Saint Mary's. Bye to the semifinals.
3: BYU if Santa Clara loses at Saint Mary's. Santa Clara if the Broncos win at Saint Mary's and BYU loses at LMU. Bye to the quarterfinals.
4: Santa Clara if the Broncos lose at Saint Mary's. BYU if the Cougars lose at LMU and Santa Clara wins at Saint Mary's. Bye to the quarterfinals.
5: San Francisco if San Diego loses to Pepperdine. San Diego if the Toreros beat Pepperdine and have a better RPI than San Francisco on Sunday morning (very unlikely, San Diego is 29 spots behind San Francisco at the time of this post).
6: San Diego if the Toreros lose to Pepperdine. San Francisco if San Diego beats Pepperdine and has a better RPI than the Dons on Sunday morning.
7: Pepperdine if the Waves win at San Diego. Portland if the Pilots win at Gonzaga and Pepperdine loses at San Diego.
8: Portland if the Pilots lose at Gonzaga. Pepperdine if the Waves lose at San Diego and Portland wins at Gonzaga.
9: Loyola Marymount.

Click "read more" for the times and TV/Radio/Online coverage of today's four WCC games.

Game Info 2/28

6:00 PM PST
San Francisco Dons at San Diego Toreros
Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, California.
San Francisco is 13-15 on the season, 6-9 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak.
San Diego is 13-16 on the season, 6-8 in WCC play and currently on a four game losing streak.
TV: Fox Sports San Diego and Comcast SportsNet Plus.
Radio: 1090 AM in San Diego.
Online: Live audio from 1090 AM and USF Athletics.

8:00 PM PST
#2 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Brigham Young Cougars
Marriott Center, Provo, Utah.
Brigham Young is 20-9 on the season, 9-5 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.
Gonzaga is 27-2 on the season, 14-0 in WCC play and currently on a ten game winning streak.

TV: ESPN2.

Radio: BYU radio network: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front, KMGR 95.9 FM in Manti, KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City, KDXU 890 AM in St. George and KTHK 105.5 FM in Idaho Falls. Gonzaga radio network: KGA 1510 AM and KEYF 101.1 FM in Spokane, KTEL 1490 AM in Walla Walla, KALE 960 AM in the Tri-Cities, KKRT 900 AM in Wenatchee, KWIQ 1020 AM in Moses Lake and KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound region. 

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.
Online: Live audio from KSL and KGA. Live video from ESPN3.

Loyola Marymount Lions at Santa Clara Broncos
Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.
Loyola Marymount is 8-19 on the season, 1-13 in WCC play and currently on a 12 game losing streak.
Santa Clara is 20-9 on the season, 8-6 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.
TV: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and Northwest.
Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles and KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.
Online: Live audio from KXLU and KDOW.

Game Info 2/23

WCC Game of the Week

2:00 PM PST

Santa Clara Broncos at Portland Pilots

Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon.

Santa Clara is 19-9 on the season, 7-6 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

Portland is 11-18 on the season, 4-10 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet California and ROOT Sports Northwest/Rocky Mountain.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland and KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live audio from KPDQ and KDOW.

ESPN BracketBusters

3:00 PM PST

Creighton Bluejays at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Creighton hails from the Missouri Valley Conference, is 22-6 on the season, 11-5 in conference play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Bluejays are 6-4 on the road this season.

Saint Mary's is 23-5 on the season, 12-2 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Gaels are 14-1 at home this season.

TV: ESPN

Radio: KXSP 590 AM in Omaha, Nebraska.

Online: Live audio from KXSP.

WCC Thursday 2/21

We're three weeks into February. That means there is only one week left until March Madness. Though don't let the calendar fool you into thinking that this will be one final week of calm. It may not have the same alliterative ring but February madness is upon us.

7:00 PM PST

San Francisco Dons at Loyola Marymount Lions

Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, California.

San Francisco is 11-15 on the season, 4-9 in WCC play and currently on a two game losing streak.

Loyola Marymount is 8-18 on the season, 1-12 in WCC play and currently on a ten game losing streak.

Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.

Online: Live video from WCC Digital; Live audio from KXLU.

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San Diego Toreros at Portland Pilots

Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon.

San Diego is 13-14 on the season, 6-6 in WCC play and currently on a two game losing streak.

Portland is 10-18 on the season, 3-10 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

TV: ROOT Sports Northwest and Rocky Mountain.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland and 1090 AM in San Diego.

Online: Live audio from KPDQ and 1090 AM.

8:00 PM PST

Brigham Young Cougars at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Brigham Young is 20-8 on the season, 9-4 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak.

Saint Mary's is 22-5 on the season, 11-2 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: ESPN2 and ESPN Pacific Rim.

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.

Online: Live video from Watch ESPN;  live audio from KSL.

Learn about this image by clicking "Read more".

WCC Tournament Bracket. Click image for larger size.