Tag: Nate Grimes

Wyoming vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Wyoming vs. Fresno State: Game Preview Either team happy for a win on Saturday in the Save Mart Center. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Fresno State needs a win to surpass New Mexico, Wyoming would just like a win. WHO: Wyoming Cowboys …

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Wyoming vs. Fresno State: Game Preview

 Either team happy for a win on Saturday in the Save Mart Center.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Fresno State needs a win to surpass New Mexico, Wyoming would just like a win.

WHO: Wyoming Cowboys (7-22, 2-15 Mountain West) At Fresno State Bulldogs (10-18, 6-11 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, February 29th—4:00 PM PST/5:00 PM MST/7:00 PM EST

WHERE: Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA

TV: None

STREAM: Mountain West Network

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Fresno State leads all-time series 19-11

PREVIEW: 

It’s senior night in Fresno on Saturday and a big game for the Bulldogs as they welcome the Wyoming Cowboys in both team’s last regular season game. Fresno State has dominated the series under Justin Hutson, winning the last three meetings between the two teams and by an average of 13 points.

Like many games on Saturday, the Bulldogs will be honoring four seniors, as they bid farewell (at least at the Save Mart Center) to Christian Gray, New Williams, Noah Blackwell and Nate Grimes.

The last time these teams met was back on January 18th in Laramie for a 4:00 PM showdown. The Bulldogs were able to come away with a 15-point victory and saw freshman forward Orlando Robinson lead them in that win with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks on the night. New Williams also had a good night chipping in 16 points to combine with Robinson for over half of the Bulldogs total points.

Wyoming struggled shooting that day, going 19-55 (34.5%) from the field as a team but really lost the game at the free throw line. A lack of quality defense sent the Bulldogs to the line twenty-five times that day, resulting in 18-25 made free throws (72%) from Fresno State compared to just 2-3 made free throws taken by Wyoming. The Cowboys have to get to the free throw line more on Saturday and settle less for three point shots (they took 32 last meeting). Unless Jake Hendricks finds a rhythm like he did against Nevada where he scored 27 points on 7-12 FGS (7-11 from deep).

The stakes, 

For the Cowboys a win tonight could give the team momentum heading into next week. Allen Edward’s group is in last place in the Mountain West and only a San Jose State loss to UNLV has any real consequence for the Cowboys. A win for the Cowboys and a loss by the Spartans would put both teams in a tie in the conference’s basement and give Wyoming the upper hand and the #10 seed as they beat San Jose State on the road back on February 1st by five-points. But a Cowboy loss leaves them in 11th by themselves and a draw against the #6 seed which will also be decided on Saturday.

For Justin Hutson’s Bulldogs a February full of mixed results (3-4) have lifted them up from the bottom of the conference and has them in the running for a finish somewhere in the middle. If they beat the Cowboys on Saturday they not only gain some momentum but also a possible lone seventh place finish, given a New Mexico loss of course. But a Bulldog loss and New Mexico victory could have that previously mentioned finish reversed. But losses for both teams on Saturday would result in a tiebreaker which New Mexico holds and would give the Bulldogs a #8 seed (maybe, we’ll know more Sunday).

Match up of the night: Battle of the backcourts

Hunter Maldonado &  Jake Hendricks Vs. New Williams & Noah Blackwell

Combined Stats:

Wyo’s guards: 26.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG & 5.1 APG Vs. Fresno’s guards: 21.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG & 5.0 APG

The Cowboy offense runs through Hendricks and Maldonado, but recent scoring outings from the likes of Greg Milton III (28 points against Air Force on 2/22) and Kwane Marble II (17 points against New Mexico on 2/8) give them some breathing room, but that’s not too reliable. Allen Edwards needs a big night from his two leading scorers to have a shot at a victory, he could also use a big night from anyone else too.

Williams and Blackwell were expected to take big leaps this season and lead a young but deep Bulldogs team in Justin Hutson’s second year in charge. But that didn’t happen, the senior guards have been good but unable to replace the production lost in Braxton Huggins and Deshon Taylor’s graduations last spring. They’ve been good enough to come close to that 6th place preseason prediction with big scoring outings from both guards.

Williams had 32 points on 10 made threes against San Jose State on 1/4. While Blackwell is averaging 15.0 PPG over his last five games. So this weekend look for the ball to be in their hands to start off and if their knocking down shots, don’t expect it to be in anyone else’s.

Prediction: Fresno State 75, Wyoming 60

I’m a big believer in winning on senior night and both clubs need a win after coming off of losses to the Nevada Wolf Pack this last week. But a difference maker not listed in my X-factor or match up of the night portions of this preview is the front court disparity between these two teams.

Fresno State has only regularly used two big men, Orlando Robinson (6-10) and Nate Grimes (6-8). There are multiple other big men on the bench but none see more than about seven minutes a game and only Assane Diouf has appeared in more than ten games this season (19 played/1 start).

That may make their froncourt seem relatively thin, but Wyoming has it a tad worse. With really only two players standing 6-8 or taller in their rotation regularly, Brandon Porter (7.2 MPG in 22 GMS) and Hunter Thompson (27.3 MPG in 23 GMS). But Thompson is still out at the time of this publishing and that could be a problem.

At multiple times this season we have seen Maldonado as the tallest player in a Cowboy uniform at 6-7 200 pounds. But T.J. Taylor has seen some productive minutes down low, otherwise Wyoming won’t have the size to see these guards battle Grimes and Robinson all night.

The X-Factor: Niven Hart

Hart is one of many talented freshmen on the Bulldogs roster, but the 6-5 guard out of Orlando, FL has really come alive in the month of February (16.5 PPG in seven games). One thing to note is that Hart is not a starter and comes off of the bench to provide some depth and a scoring punch when shots haven’t been falling for the Bulldog starters. That is a luxury the Cowboys don’t have (consistent scoring off of the bench) and if Hart is knocking them down and the starting five are doing their jobs, I expect another 15-point win.

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Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview Either team happy for a win tonight in the Save Mart Center. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Falcons travel out west for a midweek showdown with the Bulldogs. WHO: Air Force Falcons (10-16, 4-10 …

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Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview

 Either team happy for a win tonight in the Save Mart Center.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Falcons travel out west for a midweek showdown with the Bulldogs.

WHO: Air Force Falcons (10-16, 4-10 Mountain West) At Fresno State Bulldogs (9-17, 5-10 Mountain West)

WHEN: Wednesday, February 19th—7:00 PM PST/8:00 PM MST/9:00 PM EST

WHERE: Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA

TV: ESPN3

STREAM: WatchESPN

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Fresno State leads all-time series 21-7

PREVIEW: 

The Bulldogs host the Falcons on Wednesday night for their second straight game at home before heading out on the road for one game in Reno and then calling it a regular season on February 29th back in the Save Mart Center. Justin Hutson’s team is looking for a win tonight after a loss to Utah State over the weekend while Air Force is playing for a chance at their first win streak since back in mid-December.

Both teams bring in a weird mix of talented young players and impactful veteran leaders. This combination would normally lead to a competitive season, but a lack of consistency on both sides have these teams in the bottom half of the conference standings and well below .500 in mid-February.

The last time these two faced off back on January 28th back in Colorado Springs, the Bulldogs got the best of the Falcons who boast one of the better records at home (7-6) in the conference, 79-68.  The senior duo of Nate Grimes and New Williams was in control back then, combining for over half of their teams overall points with 46 at the end of the night.

The Falcons leading scorers were kept in check by Fresno State’s defense last time around as well. And Air Force has trouble when their bigs are having trouble. This group needs to stretch out the defense by knocking down shots, hopefully freeing up some space for their guys down low. The Falcons look a bit out of sorts when Swan starts taking three point shots. He can make them from time to time, but when the Falcons are getting easy two-point opportunities with the occasional one from deep to keep things interesting, that’s when they nearly break triple-digit scoring.

The stakes, 

Both teams know whats at stake in the remaining games in conference play, and that’s conference tournament field position. The Falcons and Bulldogs are both in the lower half of the Mountain West standings and should be competing for a possible 6th place finish at the end of the month. That would set either team up for a first round tournament showdown against Wyoming, who both teams have beaten this season already and would provide their best shot at advancing past the first round.

Match up of the night: Youth vs. Experience

F Lavelle Scottie Air Force vs. F Orlando Robinson Fresno State

The Stats: Scottie (15.6 PPG 5.6 RPG & 2.0 APG) & Robinson (12.8 PPG 7.0 RPG & 1.6 APG)

Tonight’s match up to keep an eye on is between freshman forward Orlando Robinson of Fresno State and elder statesmen Lavelle Scottie of the United States Air Force Academy. Both are in very different places in their basketball careers but will be extremely impactful in tonight’s game in Fresno.

Scottie who is nearing the end of his collegiate career is playing great basketball in the month of February but isn’t getting much help from his teammates. The senior forward is averaging 18.2 PPG and 6.7 RPG over his last four games. And his experience could give him the edge tonight against one of the more talented but younger teams in the Mountain West.

Robinson who has a tremendous amount of potential and will be one of the faces of the league in years to come. But has a battle to win down low tonight, and his length and mid range shooting should give him an advantage.

Prediction: Fresno State 72, Air Force 68

The Falcons are coming off of a nine-point win over San Jose State at home this past Saturday where they almost hit the triple digit mark (95-86), with four players scoring ten points or better. While Fresno State struggled shooting the ball against second place Utah State squad on Saturday in their 12-point loss to the Aggies.

This game will come down to which teams knocks down the most buckets (as most should) as both have struggled in the month of February with a melting pot of top scorers each, which makes it hard to nail down which player will have the biggest impact in tonight’s game.

The X-Factor:  Chris Joyce

If the sharpshooter is knocking them down, it will be a long night guarding the perimeter.

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Bulldogs Host Shorthanded Lobos at Save Mart Center

Mountain West basketball resumes this weekend, as Fresno State hosts conference rivals New Mexico at the Save Mart Center on Saturday.

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New Mexico at Fresno State: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Fresno State could inch closer to Lobos with a win

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Lobos desperate to stop the bleeding as suspensions, injuries take toll on Paul Weir’s roster

GAME DETAILS

WHO: New Mexico (16-7, 5-5 MWC) at Fresno State (7-14, 3-7 MWC)

WHEN: Saturday, February 1 — 2:00 P.M. PT / 3:00 P.M. MT

WHERE: Save Mart Center, Fresno, Calif.

WATCH: AT&T Sports Net/Mountain West Network

LISTEN: TuneIn

ALL-TIME: New Mexico leads the series, 17-14

ODDS: Fresno State -2, per KenPom

GAME PREVIEW

A short-handed New Mexico squad heads to the Save Mart Center on Saturday to face Fresno State, as the Lobos try to stop a skid that has seen them drop four of the past five games. The Bulldogs haven’t fared much better over the same stretch, but they did manage to score a tough road victory on Tuesday against Air Force. The game tips at 2:00 PM Pacific.

New Mexico will continue to play without Carlton Bragg, JaQuan Lyle, and JJ Caldwell. Bragg was dismissed from the team after multiple off-the-court incidents, while Lyle and Caldwell have been suspended for their own transgressions. Compounding those absences is the health of Vance Jackson, who will also likely sit with a knee injury that has kept the junior out since January 15.

While many have raised questions about the lack of foresight with respect to Paul Weir’s roster construction, not all of his decisions have backfired. Towson transfer Zane Martin is well-equipped to step into a starting role in the backcourt, and teammates Corey Manigault and Makuach Maluach have developed well in their latest season under Weir’s administration. Vante Hendrix has also provided a good bit of scoring after sitting out the first semester as part of his transfer from Utah.

Still, the New Mexico team that began the season 15-3 seems a distant memory.

The Lobos have tumbled down the Mountain West leaderboard in recent weeks. Considering the somewhat unexpected success of Colorado State and UNLV, the Lobos no longer project as a top-half finisher in the conference. The Mountain West Tournament grants first-round byes to the top five schools, but New Mexico will likely have to play an extra game in their pursuit of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

One of their possible opponents in that first round could be Fresno State, a team that has limped out to a 3-7 start in league play.

The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game in high spirits after escaping Clune Arena with a victory that pulled them even with the Falcons in the standings. Fresno State’s season has been a major drop-off from last year’s 23-win campaign, but the performance of freshmen such as Orlando Robinson and Jarred Hyder provide a glimmer of hope for Justin Hutson’s program. Young players such as Aguir Agau, Niven Hart, and Jordan Campbell could also develop into important building blocks for the future.

As for Fresno State’s more seasoned veterans, Nate Grimes has also delivered another stellar season for the Bulldogs, averaging nearly a double-double on his way to a probable All-Mountain West nod. Guards New Williams and Noah Blackwell have also improved on their early-season struggles. Unfortunately for this trio of seniors, their final season in Fresno will almost assuredly end without a postseason appearance, barring an improbable run through the Mountain West Tournament.

Securing this road victory would be an important turning of the tide for Weir at this crucial point in the season. If his team can find a way to embrace their new-look lineups, they may yet be able to stop the bleeding and could re-enter the conversation for one of those first-round byes.

On the other hand, if the home side prevails, the Lobos will drop below .500 in conference play, creating a clear division between the top and bottom halves of the Mountain West. The win would also bring Fresno State within one game of New Mexico in the league standings.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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Boise State Heads Home With Another Convincing Victory Topping Fresno State, 87-53

Game Recap: Boise State 87, Fresno State 53 Kigab leads a hot shooting Boise State over Fresno State on the road. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Broncos continue dominant play with a win over the Bulldogs. It was a tale of two standings …

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Game Recap: Boise State 87, Fresno State 53

Kigab leads a hot shooting Boise State over Fresno State on the road.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Broncos continue dominant play with a win over the Bulldogs.

It was a tale of two standings on Saturday evening, as Fresno State 6-13 (2-6) attempted the upset of Boise State 12-8 (4-4) at home in the Save Mart Center.

Both teams went into Saturday’s game in ties in the conference standings as Boise State was in a two-way tie for fourth with Utah State and Fresno State in a two-way tie of it’s own with San Jose State for sixth.Those current finishes are a bit malleable at this point of the season with a lot of teams hovering just around .500 with a lot of play to go in conference.

And while the Broncos needed a win to help stay in the top half of the Mountain West conference standings, the Bulldogs needed one to help them begin a climb out of the conference’s basement.

The Broncos had a lot to prove going back on the road after a brief stop back in Boise more than a week ago against Utah State where they pulled off an amazing 18 point comeback with a little over four minutes left in regulation to seal the win overtime against the Aggies.

It’s a win that gave the program momentum in their seven day break that followed but Boise State hasn’t exactly fared well on the road with a 1-6 away record versus a 9-1 at home.

The Broncos played well on both sides of the ball, keeping the Bulldogs to under 60 points and playing the way they needed to on the road with a 34-point win over Fresno State with four of their five starters scoring 14 points or higher. Boise State is as good as any when Derrick Alston Jr. and Justinian Jessup get some help from their teammates.

When that happens plus flat out good looking basketball like they played tonight, watch out. Junior forward Abu Kigab who joined this Bronco squad mid season after transferring over from Oregon last year has been just the contributor they’ve needed to make them the dominant team we saw tonight. The St. Catherines, ON native had 23 points on the night, looking comfortable picking apart the Bulldogs defense and creating motion in the Bronco’s offense that got others involved as well.

Jessup ended the night with 19 points and 8 rebounds on 5/10 shooting from beyond the arc, playing a whopping 37 minutes for Leon Rice and company.

Fresno State heads on the road next week after suffering two straight losses while struggling to find consistency with a roster that looks a lot different then last’s years. The home team struggled as a whole shooting 37% from the field and just 25% from three.

Senior guard Noah Blackwell was the only Bulldog in double-figures on the night with 14 points. They also struggled with ball security with a turnover ratio of 0.22 and only 4 assists the entire game. As previously mentioned this is a bit of a rebuilding year in Fresno but with talented freshman with loads of potential (two examples below), fans shouldn’t get down on the program just yet and maybe just wait games like this out.

Up Next, 

Boise State:

The Broncos stay home on Wednesday as they welcome San Jose State at into Extramile Arena at 7:00 PM MT. The Spartans have had a flair for upsets this season and look at the Broncos as just another potential number in their win column.

Fresno State:

Next week takes Fresno State on the road once again as the Bulldogs head back to Colorado to take on the Air Force Academy on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. The Falcons are dangerous at home in Clune Arena and are 6-4 there this season.

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Fresno State Holds Off Late Surge From Wyoming, 65-50

Game Recap: Fresno State 65, Wyoming 50 Robinson and Williams lead Fresno State to a road win in Laramie. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire A mixture of youth and veteran leadership lifts Bulldogs over Cowboys. The Mountain West has had it’s …

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Game Recap: Fresno State 65, Wyoming 50

Robinson and Williams lead Fresno State to a road win in Laramie. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

A mixture of youth and veteran leadership lifts Bulldogs over Cowboys.

The Mountain West has had it’s fair share of surprises this year, as the level of competition in the conference seems to be a bit more spread out than most expected. With San Diego State looking like the clear leader in the Mountain West and everyone else just looking for a chance to give them their first loss of the season, most are fighting for wins and better seeds in the conference tournament at this point with a shot at an automatic bid. But in Laramie on Saturday afternoon we found a 5-12 (1-5) Fresno State Bulldogs team taking on a 5-14 (0-7) Wyoming Cowboys team for a chance at a win and upward movement in the conference standings.

It was a tough night shooting for both teams but the Cowboys struggled since the get go, shooting just 34% on the night and trailing 31-16 at halftime. Wyoming made a late run run keeping up with Fresno State 34-34 in the second half but it wasn’t enough. Senior Jake Hendricks had 12 points for Wyoming on 4-11 shooting from deep while Kwane Marble II, a freshman also had twelve points on the night and was a key part of that second half run by the Cowboys. Allen Edward’s squad is still looking for their first win in conference play while also dealing with a now six game losing streak since re-entering conference play on January 1st.

Fresno State is trying to fight it’s way out of the bottom of the Mountain West and with more wins like this one that may be possible, but it also may be easier said than done with a tough five game stretch ahead of them. The Bulldogs can worry about the future tomorrow as they leave Laramie with a win in a less than packed dome of doom and the Rams on the Horizon. Justin Hutson’s team is in a bit of rebuilding mode this season, but the future is bright with freshmen like Orlando Robinson who poured in 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks against the Cowboys and senior leaders like New Williams also contributing with 16 points beside them on the court.

The future for both squads may look brighter than their current positions in the conference standings, but both have the ability to make noise in a vulnerable Mountain West and make some team’s resumes weaker while attempting a post season appearance.

Up Next,

Fresno State:

Next week takes Fresno State west to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State on Wednesday January 22nd at 7:00 PM.

Wyoming:

The Cowboys head south to Viejas Arena on Tuesday to attempt what __ teams have failed to do so far this season, take down the San Diego State Aztecs. This game airs at 9:00 PM MT being on the west coast, so stay up with us or go to sleep and check out Mountain West Wire in the morning, we got you covered.

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Struggling MW Teams Meet as Wyoming Hosts Fresno State

The Mountain West’s worst teams face off on Saturday afternoon in Laramie, as Fresno State travels to Arena-Auditorium to face Wyoming.

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Fresno State at Wyoming: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Cowboys searching for first MW win after two close calls

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

The two teams are a combined 1-12 on the early Mountain West season

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Fresno State (5-12, 1-5 MWC) at Wyoming (5-14, 0-7 MWC)

WHEN: Saturday, January 18 — 4:00 P.M. MT / 3:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Arena-Auditorium, Laramie, Wyo.

WATCH: Mountain West Network

LISTEN: TuneIn Wyoming; TuneIn Fresno State

ALL-TIME: Fresno State leads the series, 8-4

ODDS: Fresno State -4, per KenPom

GAME PREVIEW

If you’ve seen Fight Club, then you already understand just how ugly a basement fistfight can get. David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s modern classic serves as a rough approximation for Saturday’s matchup between Wyoming and Fresno State.

Physicality. Grit. Desperation.

This clash of the Mountain West’s ninth- and tenth-place teams may not be a blockbuster, but it could act as a springboard for one of these squads to reverse their fortunes.

Fresno State does have the slight advantage over the Cowboys in the standings, though they won’t be quick to brag about their 1-5 start. That sole victory came against San Jose State, and while the Spartans’ program is starting to show signs of life, Jean Prioleau’s club is still ranked #283 in the KenPom ratings.

It’s been a tremendously tough season for Justin Hutson and the Bulldogs, especially coming off of last year’s relatively surprising success. But the departure of two bona fide studs will do that to a team.

And if anyone can relate to Hutson’s frustrations, it’s Allen Edwards.

Remember: just two years ago, Edwards was putting the finishing touches on his second 20-win season in as many tries as head coach of the Cowboys. Like Fresno State, Wyoming suffered a devastating loss when it bid farewell to talented seniors like Hayden Dalton, Alan Herndon, and Louis Adams.

They still haven’t recovered.

Justin James put the team on his back, but could only drag them as far as an 8-24 record after Hunter Maldonado went down with an injury. Now, that mantle has been passed to Maldonado, who is doing an admirable impression. The sophomore is averaging nearly 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal every night.

But similar to last year, the individual performances aren’t adding up to wins.

Wyoming remains winless at 0-7, but they have come tantalizingly close to getting that first victory in their past two outings. First, they fell in overtime at home against UNLV. Next, it was Jalen Harris putting the dagger in the Cowboys’ heart as he lifted Nevada to a 68-67 win in Reno.

A return to Arena-Auditorium could help push them over that threshold and finally into the winner’s circle.

But even if Fresno State won’t have home court advantage, the Bulldogs do have the edge when it comes to the numbers.

GAME PLAN

On Wyoming’s possessions…

When the home team has the ball, feel free to get up and get another drink. The Cowboys’ average offensive possession lasts over 19 seconds, one of the slowest times in the country. A large portion of those possessions end with three-point attempts, which comprise nearly half of Wyoming’s entire shot selection. Unfortunately, they only connect on roughly 31% of them.

As alluded to in the previous section, the offense runs through Hunter Maldonado. There are other player capable of scoring—namely Jake Hendricks and Hunter Thompson—but Maldonado’s running a usage rate well north of 30%.

This team doesn’t get offensive rebounds. Well, it does, but at a lower rate than any other team in Division I men’s basketball. The Cowboys crash the glass successfully at a 13.6% clip, which is less than half of the national average of 28.2%, per KenPom. It’s especially strange when you consider that Wyoming is one of the taller teams in the country, on average.

Turnovers are not a huge issue for Wyoming, but ball security isn’t exactly a strong suit, either. This offense is one of the least effective in the country overall, but their shooting and rebounding woes are much more to blame than their ballhandling abilities.

On Fresno State’s possessions…

Orlando Robinson and Jarred Hyder have both emerged as offensive weapons alongside Nate Grimes and New Williams, giving Justin Hutson a wealth of options. Still, Fresno State has had issues shrugging off their early issues shooting the ball. They are shooting just 38.4% from the floor in conference play, suggesting that the problem is actually getting worse.

And though the Cowboys shoot a lot of three pointers, the Bulldogs make their numbers look paltry. Fresno State’s more long balls per possession than most of the country, with 48.9% of all shots coming from beyond the arc. But again like Wyoming, those shots aren’t falling often enough.

But while Wyoming can’t grab an offensive rebound to save their collective life, Fresno State has done remarkably well for themselves, rating well above average in this department thanks to Grimes and Robinson. The battle of the boards will be where Fresno State has the biggest advantage against the Cowboys.

GAME PREDICTION

Fresno State 68, Wyoming 63

The Bulldogs will likely shoot right around 40% for the game, but their ability to create second chances will help mitigate their inaccuracy. And as Fresno State’s defense is scant more than mediocre, a slowly improving Wyoming offense will keep it close. But Fresno State should be able to escape from The Equality State with its second MW win.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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Utah State snaps losing streak at home against Nevada

Game Recap: Nevada Wolf Pack at Utah State Aggies The Aggies come up big at home against the Wolf Pack Contact/Follow @MWCwire Queta and the Aggies snap 3 game losing streak. Craig Smith, the players, and the fans are breathing a sigh of relief …

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Game Recap: Nevada Wolf Pack at Utah State Aggies 

The Aggies come up big at home against the Wolf Pack

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Queta and the Aggies snap 3 game losing streak. 

Craig Smith, the players, and the fans are breathing a sigh of relief after Utah State snapped a three game losing streak beating Nevada 80-70. The Wolf Pack never led throughout the entire contest as the Aggies took an early 3-0 lead and never looked back.

The Aggies led 32-23 at half time and quickly pushed the lead up to double digits for the remainder of the game.

Neemias Queta had his best game of the season finishing with 19 points and 7 rebounds.  Queta has played sparingly this season due to injury.  The Aggies ran two set plays over and over resulting in bucket after bucket for Queta.  Nevada didn’t make the needed adjustments in order to shut him down and Utah State took advantage.

Sporting a nice black eye, Sam Merrill finished the game with 12 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds.  Merrill has struggled from the field over the past 4 games but the 87% free throw shooter always seems to find a way to score.  Brock Miller, Abel Porter, and Diogo Brito all scored in double digits for the Aggies.

Jalen Harris led the Wolf Pack with 31 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.  The junior guard is leading the Wolf Pack in scoring this season.  Harris hit 5 threes and made 8-9 free throws.  This was Harris’ 8th game this season scoring 20 or more points and his 2nd game with 30 or more. Jazz Johnson, the other high scorer for the Wolf Pack, finished the game with 18 points.  Johnson struggled for most of the game before exploding during the last few minutes of the game.

Up Next:

The Aggies travel to Boise next Saturday to take on Boise State.

The Wolf Pack returns to Reno for a matchup against Wyoming on Tuesday night.

Sideline Notes:

No fire extinguisher cabinets were harmed before, during, or after the game.

Utah State snapped the worst losing streak in the Craig Smith era.

Nevada now sports a 2 game losing streak for only the 2nd time this season.

Nevada falls to 3-2 in conference while Utah State levels out at 3-3.

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Fresno State at Cal Poly: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Fresno State at Cal Poly: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More Fresno State hunting for first D1 victory since Nov. 10 Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire Bulldogs look to snap five-game skid GAME DETAILS WHO: Fresno State (2-7, …

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Fresno State at Cal Poly: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Fresno State hunting for first D1 victory since Nov. 10

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Bulldogs look to snap five-game skid

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Fresno State (2-7, 0-2 MWC) at Cal Poly (2-7, 0-0 Big West)

WHEN: Saturday, December 14 — 7:00 P.M. PT / 8:00 P.M. MT

WHERE: Mott Athletics Center, San Luis Obispo, CA

WATCH: BigWest.TV

LISTEN: Fresno State All-Access; 940 AM ESPN

ALL-TIME RECORD: Fresno State leads the series, 32-8

ODDS: Fresno State -7, per KenPom

GAME PREVIEW

It’s been tough sledding for the Bulldogs thus far in the 2019-20 season, but Saturday night’s trip to San Luis Obispo to take on Cal Poly presents a good opportunity for Fresno State to turn their fortunes around.

Over a month has passed since the Bulldogs’ last—and only—win against a Division I team, a three-point win over Winthrop that nearly went the other way. Since then, Justin Hutson has only been able to celebrate once, after his team scored a hollow 92-47 over Division II Cal State San Bernadino.

But even counting the game against CSUSB, Fresno State hasn’t gotten a victory since November 17.

Instead, they’ve racked up five straight losses.

Fresno State was always going to be the underdog against teams like Utah State and Saint Mary’s, but hung well with both. They lost to the Gaels by 10 points, but took the Aggies to overtime before giving up their upset bid. Between those games, the Bulldogs’ were also bested by UNLV, a disappointing result made worse by the fact that it came by a single point after two overtime periods.

But no matter how good Fresno State may be with horseshoes and hand grenades, the binary win-loss column in the Mountain West standings doesn’t care about context—the team is 0-2, regardless of how close they came.

The issues for the Bulldogs have been on both ends of the court, but the offense has generally outperformed the defense. Jarred Hyder has been found money for Hutson, as the freshman guard leads Fresno State in scoring with 12.7 points per game.

Close behind is senior forward Nate Grimes at 12.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Those numbers are an early advertisement for Grimes’ bid for All-MWC honors.

Newcomers Orlando Robinson and Mustapha Lawrence have contributed admirably so far, while Huston is still looking for more out of returning guards Noah Blackwell and New Williams.

As for Fresno State’s opponent, Cal Poly has had their fair share of struggles, too. In fact, until just a week ago, the Mustangs had yet to register their first Division I win of the season. But the team managed to squeeze out a 70-66 win over Siena seven days ago, perhaps signaling a changing of the tides.

Last month, first-year head coach John Smith got his first official win when the Mustangs coasted past Simpson University of the NAIA.

Smith, who played two seasons at UNLV in the late 1980s, served as an assistant at Cal State Fullerton for six seasons before getting his first Division I head coaching gig at Cal Poly.

Cal Poly’s leading scorer is sophomore guard Junior Ballard. Shooting 42% from beyond the arc this season, Ballard has taken a big step forward in year two. Behind him is former Boise State reserve Malek Harwell, who has a much bigger piece of the pie now that he is in San Luis Obispo. The transfer guard is shooting at an even higher clip, hitting 48% of his threes so far.

Ballard and Harwell are the only double-digit scorers for the Mustangs, though 6-10 center Tuukka Jaakkola and freshman guard Colby Rogers are both getting nearly nine per game. Rogers is shooting 45% from deep.

BY THE NUMBERS

Both teams come in with a similar profile: mediocre offense, poor defense. In terms of efficiency, Fresno State has better than Cal Poly on both ends of the court this season. Here’s a breakdown of how each team should fare when it has the ball in its hands.

On FRESNO STATE’S POSSESSIONS…

For all of their issues closing out games, the Bulldogs actually do have a pretty decent offense. The cornerstone of it is their ball security, with their turnover rate ranking near the top 100 nationally. The problem has too often been that those retained possessions end in missed shots. Fresno State has shot the 34th-most three-pointers in the country so far, but has only connected on 31.6% of them, which ranks 240th. That’s a bad combination.

Instead, they should consider going inside to Grimes more against Cal Poly, as the senior is shooting 60% on two-pointers and the Mustangs have been susceptible inside the arc. A secondary benefit of working the ball into the paint is a higher likelihood of drawing fouls. The Mustangs put their opponents on the line a lot, so the Bulldogs should look to exploit that.

The battle on the boards should be pretty even on this end, with Fresno State holding a slight edge with Grimes, Robinson, and Aguir Agau. Overall, the Bulldogs should have a good offensive game against Cal Poly’s porous D.

ON CAL POLY’S POSSESSIONS…

The Mustangs are a better shooting squad than their record would indicate. Their team three-point percentage of 38% ranks 30th in the country. But perhaps that’s a product of a small sample size—Cal Poly ranks in the bottom 50 for three-point attempts. The Mustangs go inside more often, but shoot well under 50% on two-pointers. Smith may want to think about giving his shooters the green light to launch from long range.

Cal Poly has been generally careless with the ball, but they are fortunate to face a Fresno State defense that has seemed uninterested in forcing turnovers this season. The Bulldogs are one of the ten worst teams in the country at getting their opponents to cough up the ball. But while the Mustangs may lose fewer possessions to turnovers, don’t expect them to get extra shots from second chance opportunities. Cal Poly gets very few offensive rebounds, while Fresno State has been slightly above-average on the defensive boards.

The Mustangs shoot just 63.5% at the line, but maybe they’ll get a boost simply by playing Fresno State. While it’s true that the Bulldogs have a poor defensive free throw rate, they’ve also had some incredibly bad luck. Opponents are shooting nearly 77% from the stripe against them, which is one of the dozen highest marks in the country.

DPI PREDICTION: FRESNO STATE 79, CAL POLY 71

The Dieckhoff Power Index projects that the Bulldogs will finally get off the schneid, predicting an eight-point victory for Fresno State. This is roughly in keeping with projections from KenPom, Haslametrics, and T-Rank, with all three metrics predicting a margin of victory between five and seven points. The DPI predicts a higher-scoring game than the other metrics, however, mostly owing to the defensive struggles that each team has had so far.

Don’t be surprised if this one turns out to be a sloppy foul-fest, but in the end, the Bulldogs are a rare favorite in this game.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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Utah State Gets Neemias Queta Back And An Overtime Win Against Fresno State: 77-70

Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70 The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play. The Aggies …

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Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70

The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play.

The Aggies are 2-0 in conference play after a 12 point win in San Jose on Wednesday night and a 7 point win in overtime Saturday at home. The Aggies struggled to gain a solid lead most of the game and a 61-58 lead with less than eighteen seconds left to go wasn’t enough to solidify a win in regulation.

The surprise of the night was the return of star sophomore center Neemias Queta who logged just 11 minutes in his first game of the season back from a knee injury suffered in the offseason playing for the Portuguese national team. Queta ended the night with six points, 1 rebound and 1 block but failed to make a field goal in what looked like a rust shedding outing for him. The Aggies haven’t missed a beat without him and have received production from a number of players in his absence.

But after coming off of a win Wednesday night the Aggies were taken to overtime by a Bulldog team who weren’t going to go down easily. The game looked to be a low scoring affair in the last minutes of the second half but a big time three rattled home for senior guard New Williams with less than a second to go. That sent the game into overtime and Craig Smith’s team was more composed and outscoring Fresno State 16-9 during that time. Composure and a late three pointer by a wide open Abel Porter in the corner sealed the deal for the Aggies.

The Bulldogs were looking to break a three game losing streak and also garner their first win in conference play. But while they came up short it wasn’t for a lack of scoring on seniors New Williams and Nate Grimes part who combined for 48 of their teams 70 points. Though they didn’t receive much help down the stretch and failed to contain Sam Merrill who ended the night with 24 Points and his ability to get his teammates involved robbed the Bulldogs of an upset in Logan.

Up Next:

Fresno State:

The Bulldogs take on the California Golden Bears on Wednesday the 11th in Berkley and look to gain some momentum and a win heading into the middle of December. Freshman Jarred Hyder needs to step up and his supporting cast needs another performance like Saturday’s if they want to head home to the Central Valley with a win.

Utah State:

The Aggies take some time off with almost a full week until they take on in-state rival Brigham Young at home on Saturday the 14th. The Cougars have star forward Yoeli Childs back and he is averaging 21.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG through his first two games. The Dee Glen Spectrum should be filled for this one.

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Hyder Scores 20 as Bulldogs Fall 68-58 to Saint Mary’s

Game Recap: Saint Mary’s 68, Fresno State 58 Fresno State falls to 2-3 in loss to Gaels Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire Hyder continues to impress It was another tough loss for Fresno State on Wednesday night in what felt, at times, like …

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Game Recap: Saint Mary’s 68, Fresno State 58

Fresno State falls to 2-3 in loss to Gaels

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Hyder continues to impress

It was another tough loss for Fresno State on Wednesday night in what felt, at times, like a winnable game for the Bulldogs. But Saint Mary’s pulled away late in the second half at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, defeating Fresno State, 68-58.

Fresno State continued their struggles to produce offense outside of breakout freshman Jarred Hyder. The first-year guard scored 20 points and only missed two shots, while the rest of the team was 34.1% from the field. Bulldogs big man Nate Grimes finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and a block.

While Fresno State (2-3, 0-0 MWC) was cold from inside the arc, they were effective from deep. The Bulldogs hit nine triples and hit 40% from deep for the first time all season. That shooting is what allowed Justin Hutson’s club to hang with the Gaels throughout the game, but they ultimately fell short.

Saint Mary’s was led by its formidable duo of Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts, with Tanner Krebs and Tommy Kuhse playing a big role in the win, as well. Ford scored a game-high 24 points while playing 40 minutes for head coach Randy Bennett. Fitts and Krebs combined for 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Kuhse filled up the stat sheet with nine points, six assists, and five steals.

The Gaels (4-1, 0-0 WCC) played a tight game overall, shooting over 50% from the field and committing just six turnovers. Their performance in Sacramento could help vault them back into the national polls. Saint Mary’s dropped out of the Top 25 after losing to Winthrop last week.

Fresno State is struggling to find a consistent recipe for success. It seems at this point that Plan A, which was seemingly to have Noah Blackwell and New Williams take on big roles, has backfired calamitously.

Neither guard has been able to find their form in the early going. After Blackwell missed the first two games due to a suspension, New Williams was conspicuously absent from the lineup against Saint Mary’s. Blackwell did play, but scored just three points and saw his field goal percentage drop to 22.7% on the season.

Luckily for the team, the new faces in town—namely Hyder, Orlando Robinson, and Mustapha Lawrence—have been able to pick up some of the slack. But this team is in desperate need of a second scorer behind Hyder. Nate Grimes seems the obvious choice for the role, but he has been unable to establish himself as a truly dominant force so far. Fresno State’s season hinges largely on whether he can become the legitimate second option on offense.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs don’t play again until November 30, when they head down south to take on Cal State Northridge (0-5, 0-0 Big West). The Matadors have struggled mightily after the late news came down that star forward Lamine Diane was ruled ineligible. That said, CSUN has played a raft of solid teams, including Auburn, New Mexico, Oregon State, Richmond, and Pepperdine.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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