College basketball is back, and the Memphis Tigers are gearing up for another exciting season. After starting red hot last year, they crumbled down the stretch to give away a potential conference win, but they enter this year with a talented roster and eyes firmly back on the prize. As one of the stronger teams in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), they will look to their out-of-conference games to find the edge on their AAC rivals, and among these early out-of-conference matchups is a clash with the San Francisco Dons.
Out-of-conference games give Memphis a chance to gain an advantage over their AAC competitors and bolster the team’s case for NCAA tournament seeding. When Selection Sunday arrives, the committee often looks to out-of-conference performances to measure a team’s overall strength. A strong showing in San Francisco could give Memphis early momentum and relieve some pressure heading into tougher non-conference games. Every game matters, and in this series, we’ll preview the early-season matchups that could significantly impact Memphis’s overall season.
2023-24 San Francisco Dons Season Recap
Under head coach Chris Gerlufsen, San Francisco entered the 2023-24 season looking to build on their reputation as one of the most consistent programs in the West Coast Conference. The Dons have been looking up at the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s Gaels in recent seasons, but they have remained competitive and will now be looking to take the next step forward in 2024-25.
In 2023-24, the Dons earned a respectable record of 23 wins and 11 losses, going 11-5 in conference and a tidy 12-6 out of conference. Unfortunately, there was no spot for San Francisco in the NCAA tournament, but they did at least get an invite to the NIT. Sadly, their trip to the NIT ended in the first round, thanks to a desperately tight 73-72 overtime loss to Cincinnati.
The team’s undisputed leader last season was Jonathan Mogbo, who averaged 14.2 points per game, snatching 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He was the only player on the team to average double digits in more than one category, and to put his dominance into context, the next best contributor of rebounds was Ndewedo Newbury, with 3.7. Mogbo was also a force to be reckoned with defensively, leading the team with 1.6 steals per game and ranking second in turnovers and blocks, with 1.8 and 0.8 per game, respectively.
With Mogbo now having taken his talents to the NBA, San Francisco will have to readjust. Thankfully, the next two highest scorers from 2023-24, Marcus Williams and Malik Thomas, are sticking around. They averaged 14 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, while chipping in with 3.3 and 2.7 rebounds. Ndewedo Newbury, the team’s block leader and third-best turnover producer, is also sticking around.
Despite falling short of the NCAA tournament, the 2023-24 Dons showed that they have plenty to work with. Jonathan Mogbo’s departure to the pros is a big loss, so what roster moves have they made to help compensate for it?
San Francisco’s Current Roster Configuration
The San Francisco Dons have added several notable players through the transfer portal who could play a significant role in the early season match against Memphis. The player most likely to come in and replace the considerable impact of Mogbo is Carlton Lingard Jr., a 7-foot center who transferred over from UTSA. Lingard’s combination of size and skill will allow him to impact both ends of the court, joining the team fresh off a season with the Roadrunners, averaging 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He hit the double-digit rebound mark seven times throughout the 2023-24 season, including in one game against Tulane, where he scored a career-high 31 points in an 89-88 victory.
He stands out as the only incoming transfer likely to enter a starting role, with Long Beach State transfer Isa Silva adding experience and depth to the guard position and Jason Rivera-Torres adding depth at forward, having transferred from Vanderbilt.
The most exciting San Francisco Dons 2024 recruiting class member is Tyrone Riley, a four-star recruit from St. Pius X-St. Matthias. Riley was a big get for the Dons, thriving in high school as someone who can score, rebound, and defend. For his efforts in 2023, he was named the California Junior College Player of the Year, averaging 11.2 points and seven rebounds per game. He might not play a big role in the early-season clash against Memphis, but he is a name to watch.
Closing Statement
November 21st kicks off an intriguing spell of games away from home for the Memphis Tigers, starting with this clash against the San Francisco Dons. UConn will make for a tough opponent just a few days later in the Maui Invitational, so this game against the Dons is extra important.
San Francisco will be no easy team to go up against in their building, with Chris Gerlufsen benefiting from the return of three of his top four scorers from last season (Malik Thomas, Marcus Williams, and Ndewedo Newbury). It will also be interesting to see how the Tigers handle the Dons’ 7-foot recruit, Carlton Lingard.
The Dons finished with a similar record to the Tigers last year, and they will also be eager to secure an out-of-conference victory that will stand them in good stead with the selection committee later in the year. Both teams have a lot on the line, so this promises to be an enthralling clash.
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