# 1997–98 San Francisco Dons men's basketball team

The 1997–98 San Francisco Dons men's basketball team represented the University of San Francisco as a member of the West Coast Conference during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Dons, led by head coach Philip Mathews, finished the season with a 19–11 record (7–7 WCAC), won the WCC tournament, and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as No. 14 seed in the West region. San Francisco was defeated by eventual National runner-up Utah in the opening round.
The appearance in the NCAA tournament was the first for the Dons in 16 years.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-Conference Regular season ||||||
| Nov 15, 1997* | | at UC Irvine | W 75–59 | 1–0 | Bren Events Center Irvine, California |
| Nov 22, 1997* | | at Saint Louis | L 56–80 | 1–1 | Kiel Center St. Louis, Missouri |
| Nov 25, 1997* | | San Jose State | W 84–52 | 2–1 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 2, 1997* | | California | W 59–50 | 3–1 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 5, 1997* | | Monmouth San Francisco Tournament | W 85–36 | 4–1 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 6, 1997* | | Richmond San Francisco Tournament | W 64–60 | 5–1 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 12, 1997* | | vs. Idaho State Boilermaker Invitational | W 85–56 | 6–1 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 13, 1997* | | at No. 8 Purdue Boilermaker Invitational | L 82–107 | 6–2 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 20, 1997* | | UC Santa Barbara | W 71–60 | 7–2 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 22, 1997* | | vs. Indiana | L 52–65 | 7–3 | The Arena in Oakland Oakland, California |
| Dec 30, 1997* | | at Lamar | W 56–46 | 8–3 | Montagne Center Beaumont, Texas |
| Jan 3, 1998* | | Belmont | W 66–46 | 9–3 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| WCC Regular season ||||||
| Jan 8, 1998 | | at San Diego | W 64–61 $^{OT}$ | 10–3 (1–0) | USD Sports Center San Diego, California |
| Jan 10, 1998 | | at Saint Mary's | L 68–85 | 10–4 (1–1) | University Credit Union Pavilion Moraga, California |
| Jan 16, 1998 | | Loyola Marymount | W 85–61 | 11–4 (2–1) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Jan 17, 1998 | | Pepperdine | L 58–63 | 11–5 (2–2) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Jan 22, 1998 | | Santa Clara | L 57–63 | 11–6 (2–3) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Jan 24, 1998 | | at Santa Clara | W 83–75 $^{OT}$ | 12–6 (3–3) | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Jan 29, 1998 | | at Gonzaga | L 72–76 $^{OT}$ | 12–7 (3–4) | Charlotte Y. Martin Centre Spokane, Washington |
| Jan 31, 1998 | | at Portland | L 62–69 | 12–8 (3–5) | Chiles Center Portland, Oregon |
| Feb 6, 1998 | | Portland | W 75–63 | 13–8 (4–5) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Feb 7, 1998 | | Gonzaga | L 85–96 | 13–9 (4–6) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Feb 13, 1998 | | at Pepperdine | L 61–65 | 13–10 (4–7) | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California |
| Feb 14, 1998 | | at Loyola Marymount | W 86–52 | 14–10 (5–7) | Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, California |
| Feb 20, 1998 | | Saint Mary's | W 109–83 | 15–10 (6–7) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Feb 21, 1998 | | San Diego | W 81–59 | 16–10 (7–7) | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| WCC tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1998* | (5) | vs. (4) Saint Mary's Quarterfinals | W 83–66 | 17–10 | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Mar 1, 1998* | (5) | at (3) Santa Clara Semifinals | W 85–83 | 18–10 | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Mar 2, 1998* 9:00 pm, ESPN | (5) | vs. (1) Gonzaga Championship game | W 80–67 | 19–10 | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 12, 1998* | (14 W) | vs. (3 W) No. 7 Utah First round | L 68–85 | 19–11 | BSU Pavilion Boise, Idaho |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||