The San Francisco Dons find themselves in the midst of a three-game win streak that has them back in the hunt for fourth place in the WCC. The recent run has been fueled by strong performances from senior forward Perris Blackwell and he is being honored accordingly. Blackwell was named WCC player of the week after helping guide USF to back-to-back wins over Santa Clara and San Diego. Blackwell averaged 22.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two wins.
USF has won five of their last six and now sit a game and a half back of the Loyola Marymount Lions. LMU knocked off the Dons at War Memorial Gym and they will have their return match this Saturday in Southern California. LMU has been a bit of a surprised this season as they now sit tied with the BYU Cougars for third place in the conference. BYU was expected to roll through conference play alongside Saint Mary's and Gonzaga. Instead, they have dropped back-to-back home games and are scuffling along.
USF faces a key three-game stretch at LMU, home against Santa Clara and at San Diego. They need to pick up as many wins as possible during that stretch before wrapping up their season with a three-game homestand against the preseason conference heavyweights in BYU, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.