Dons Host Portland Monday at 7 PM in Regular Season Finale; Three Seniors Make Last Home Appearance

Feb. 25, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The USF men's basketball team (12-17, 7-6 WCC), coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Gonzaga will host Portland (8-21, 4-9) on "Senior Night" Monday, February 26th at 7:00 p.m.(Comcast, KQKE 960, Sirius 152) The game will be preceded by ceremonies for seniors Armondo Surratt, Alan Wiggins, Jr. and Johnny Dukes at 6:45 PM.

With just a game remaining in the league season, the Dons will definitely finish with either the third or fourth seed in the WCC tournament and avoid the first round. USF will start play at the Chiles Center on Saturday, March 3rd. The Dons will clinch third seed with a win at home and a St. Mary's loss at LMU. If USF loses or St. Mary's wins, USF will be fourth seed as the Gaels defeated the Dons twice this season.

SENIOR NIGHT: The Dons will honor four year letterwinner Alan Wiggins, Jr., two plus year player Johnny Dukes and two year guard Armondo Surratt. Wiggins has played 119 games, starting 84 in his USF career, scoring a total of 1,078 points (9.1 avg.) and pulling 607 rebounds (5.1). He ranks 23rd on the USF scoring list and is second in scoring (14.4), and first in rebounds (6.9) this season. Surratt has missed the last five games with a knee injury. He transferred to USF from the University of Miami after his sophomore year and was an all-WCC selection and WCC newcomer of the Year as a junior. He is third on the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game. He has scored 733 points, dished out 225 assists and made 88 steals in his two-year USF career. Dukes also came to USF as a junior. After averaging 5.6 points as a junior, he suffered a season ending foot injury and redshirted before returning this year. He missed the first six games this season with a broken hand but is now averaging 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

ENDING AT HOME: USF plays its final home game Monday. USF has played seven of 13 WCC games and 18 of 29 overall away from home. Perhaps the non-conference schedule, that saw them play 11 road games prepared the Dons well for league road games where they finished 4-3.

SURRATT AND WATKINS BACK?: In a season where players have been hurt and have been forced to miss games for various other reasons, the Dons hope to have starting all-WCC guard Armondo Surratt return Monday. The senior from Oakland slipped late in the game at Santa Clara on February 5th, clutching his left knee. He is on a day-to-day basis. Surratt was averaging 14 points per game and leading the team in minutes played (34.1 mpg), field goals and three-pointers when he went down. Jay Watkins missed Saturday's Gonzaga game with an ankle injury and is also day-to-day.

WIGGINS MOVES INTO USF CAREER TOP 25: Alan Wiggins scored on a dunk late in the Santa Clara game on Feb. 5 to tally his 1,000th career point. Saturday he moved past James Hardy (1075) and into 23rd place on the USF career scoring list and stands at 1078 points. Shammell Stallworth (1087) is next on the list.

DONS LOSE ANOTHER TOUGH OT DECISION: Despite missing Amrondo Surratt and Jay Watkins, who have each started 23 games, the Dons led Gonzaga late into Saturday's game. However, the Bulldogs were able to make three free-throws while holding the Dons scoreless over the last 2:39 to send the game into the extra session. USF, who was paced by 26 points by Antonio Kellogg and 21 by Manny Quezada, lost forward Alan Wiggins, Jr. to fouls at the 4:28 mark. After Wiggins went out the Zags' used a tight zone defense to throttle the Dons. The Dons once again lost a chance to win the game by missing eight of 23 free-throws.

SEVEN OF 13 WCC GAMES DECIDED IN FINAL POSSESSION: USF has played 13 WCC games and seven of them have come down to the final possession. USF has played four overtime games (won-2, lost 2), two one-point games (won both) and one three-point game (lost). USF lost by 12 at Santa Clara was was only a possession away with less than three minutes to go. The Dons first five WCC games were all close. After slipping by San Diego in double-overtime in their opening league contest, USF earned a sweep of the Los Angeles schools on the road with a 86-81 ot win at LMU and a 72-71 victory over Pepperdine. The Dons then returned home to drop a 71-64 ot decision to St. Mary's and a 61-58 heartbreaker to Santa Clara. After a decisive loss at Gonzaga, USF held on for a one-point win (66-65) at Portland. USF lost in overtime at home to Gonzaga.

DONS HAVE WON FIVE OF EIGHT: After winning the first three games and losing the next three, USF has won five of the last eight games despite losing the last two. In those eight games, USF's Manny Quezada has been USF's leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. Alan Wiggins has averaged 16.9 points, Antonio Kellogg 16.6, and Johnny Dukes 10.5. USF has outshot its opponents 47.7% to 44.7%, shot 74.7% from the free-throw line and averaged 8.3 steals per game.

KELLOGG RETURN BUOYS DONS; LEADING WCC SCORER: USF basketball player Antonio Kellogg, who leads the Dons in scoring (15.5 ppg) returned to the lineup at Feb. 3rd at San Diego and made an immediate contribution with 21 points, three assists and three steals. USF is 6-3 in WCC play with him in the lineup. His 17.6 ppg ranks second in the WCC during league play. He missed three USF contests (including the games at Gonzaga and Portland) to allow him to get off to a strong academic start for the Spring semester. The sophomore from Oakland, who was NCAA eligible, worked closely with the University in making the decision.

MANNY BREAKS OUT: USF sophomore guard Manny Quezada has scored 56 points in his last two games. He scored 21 in the Gonzaga loss after a career best 35 point outburst in the loss to Saint Mary's. In that contest he scored 27 points in the last 14:16 and nailed eight of 13 shots (11-19 overall) after intermission. It was the second best scoring performance by a Don this year, with Kellogg scoring 37 vs. San Diego in double overtime.

FOUR PLAYERS LEADING THE WAY: The Dons have been paced by two seniors, returning all-WCC guard Armondo Surratt (14.0 ppg.) and honorable mention forward Alan Wiggins, Jr. (14.4), and two sophomores, transfers Antonio Kellogg (15.5) and Manny Quezada (13.0).

WCC PRESEASON POLL: The USF Dons were picked by the WCC coaches to finish third in the annual preseason poll. Here is the poll: 1. Gonzaga 62 (6); 2. LMU 51 (1); 3. USF 50; 4. St. Mary's 40 (1); 5. San Diego 33; 6. Santa Clara 27; 7. Pepperdine 16; 8. Portland 9.

FREE-THROW SLUMP: The Dons inability to make free-throws hurt them in league play this season and especially in their two OT losses vs. St. Mary's and Gonzaga. However, the tide looked to have turned lately with USF appearing to have ended the slump making 28 of 31 (90.3%) at San Diego, 15-17 at Santa Clara (88.2%) and 20-27 vs. Pepperdine (74.1%). However, USF has now not shot 70% in any of the past four games. Earlier this season, USF went through a four game period that started at Pepperdine where they made just 50-84 free-throws (59.5%) and they lost three of the four contests. The 13-22 (59.1%) vs. St. Mary's and the 12-18 (66.7%) vs. SCU were significant factors in two of USF's losses. Saturday, USF made just 11 of 19 free-throws in regulation of an overtime game. They made just 14-24 at Gonzaga. The Dons made just 11-20 vs. Pepperdine, but were able to survive. Free-throws were also costly for USF in a tight losses to UCSB (14-24) and Wyoming (18-27) earlier this year. USF is shooting 70% from the line this season, fourth best in the WCC.

50% FG SHOOTING=WINS: USF has shot the ball very well this season hitting 46.0% of its field goals (third WCC) and 37.1% of its three-point attempts (second WCC). Last year, the Dons shot 42.9% floor. Looking at the stats USF is 10-2 when it shoots 50% floor and 2-15 when it does not. USF made 50% or better of its shots just four times last season and just twice in 2004-05. On the opposite side, USF is 1-7 when opponents make 50% of their shots, that win coming at Portland.

WCC LEADERS: USF is now 7-6 in WCC play. USF's leaders (and rank in WCC): Scoring- Kellogg 17.6 (2), Wiggins, 14.3 (7); Quezada 13.8 (14); Surratt 12.4 (15) FG%- Wiggins 50.0% (10). Reb.- Wiggins 6.8 (5).; Assists: Kellogg 3.3 (7)Surratt 3.2 (10).

GETTING OFFENSIVE: USF is playing more of a high scoring game this season, averaging 74.1 points per contest compared to 69.1 ppg. last year. Also of note, USF has shot 50% of better 12 times this year after shooting 50% a total of six times over the past two seasons.

THE CITY'S TEAM: USF basketball is "The City's Team," The only major winter sports team playing in the City. But it is also the Bay Area's team as the Dons have four local players on the roster including redshirt Dior Lowhorn. USF has also signed another Bay Area star Richmond's Wendell McKines to a letter of intent for next season. USF won back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956 behind Bay Area stars Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Mike Farmer, etc. and has a tradition of great local players including Phil Smith, Bill Cartwright, Kevin Restani, etc.

FEELING AT HOME?: It has been a very interesting league season thus far with close games and unpredictable results. Here is perhaps the biggest surprise, WCC schools are not dominating on their homecourts. In fact, entering Saturday's games, only Gonzaga (6-1) and Santa Clara (5-2, with their only league losses at home) and Saint Mary's (4-3) are above .500 in league games on their homecourt. Among the biggest swings, San Diego was a perfect 7-0 at home before dropping four of six league home games (and are 4-3 in WCC road games) and LMU was 5-1 in preseason at home and are now 3-3 in WCC action.

CAVIC AND POLAKOVIC STARS OFF THE FLOOR, TOO: USF forwards Danny Cavic and Vince Polakovic were named to the West Coast Conference all-Academic men's basketball team this week.

DONS GUARDS PACING OFFENSE: The Dons back court is a strength, featuring two former Oakland prep stars Armondo Surratt (Oakland Tech) and Antonio Kellogg (McClymonds HS), and New York native Manny Quezada. All three players are transfers that formerly played in the BIG EAST; Surratt at Miami, Kellogg at UConn and Quezada at Rutgers. Between the three of them they average 42.5 ppg., 9.8 assists and 5.1 steals and in league play 44.0 ppg., 8.9 assists and 5.8 steals. They recorded a total of 51 points, 10 assists and 11 steals in the win at San Diego. Surratt has missed the last five USF contests.

ABOUT THE PILOTS: USF will be hosting the team in the regular season finale that will host the entire WCC in the postseason tournament next week. USF won the earlier game in Portland by a single point as Taishi Ito missed a free throw to tie in the final second. This came after USF had led 65-42 with 4:41 left in the contest. The Dons were able to make just a single free-throw the rest of the way while Portland clawed back. The Dons shot 52.1% from the floor but the Pilots made 56.8% of their shots.