Game 28: Nevada (21-7, 11-4 MW) at Fresno State (10-17, 6-10 MW)
Feb. 24, 2023 • 8 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. • Save Mart Center
TV/ONLINE: FS1 (David Gascon & Dave Miller)
RADIO: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler & Marc Q. Jones)
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads 62-45 (overall) • FS leads 28-22 (in Fresno, CA)
LAST MEETING: Nevada 77, Fresno State 66 (2/10/23 • Reno, Nev.)
UP NEXT: at New Mexico (Feb. 28); vs. Chicago State (March 4)
THE BREAKDOWN
Fresno State entered the 2022-23 season bringing back eight returners, which includes four seniors in Jemarl Baker, Jordan Campbell, Anthony Holland and Isaiah Hill along with juniors Destin Whitaker, Donavan Yap and Leo Colimerio and sophomore Steven Vasquez.
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is in his fifth season back home in the Central Valley.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 23-win campaign in 2021-22 and a postseason title after winning The Basketball Classic, presented by ERACISM, in April - two 23-win seasons (2018-19 and 2021-22).
Seven new players have joined the program: guards Jordan Brinson (Salt Lake CC), Alexander Gorton (Palm Beach Atlantic), Joseph Hunter (San Joaquin Memorial HS) and Jeff Sims (Santa Rosa Academy) along with forward Isaih Moore (Southern Miss) and centers Chuks Isitua (IUPUI) and Eduardo Andre (Nebraska).
Fresno State guard Isaiah Hill leads the Bulldogs in scoring with an average of 12.3 points per game.
OPENING TIP
Fresno State hosts the Nevada Wolf Pack on Friday night at 8 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
The game will be broadcast on the FS1 (television/web) and the Bulldog Sports Network (radio).
The game is BDF Member Appreciation Night with special benefits for BDF members to thank them for their support of Bulldog Basketball.
Fresno State is second in the MW in scoring defense (64.56 points allowed per game) for the 2022-23 season.
Fresno State enters the game in seventh in the MW standings (FS: head-to-head tiebreaker with UNLV).
Isaiah Hill has moved into the Top 50 on the program's all-time scoring list and is the 47th player to score at least 900 points as a Bulldog (904 career points in three seasons at Fresno State).
SEASON NOTABLES
Fresno State's first six Division I nonconference opponents were all Top 125 KenPom teams.
Fresno State earned its first win over an Associated Press Top 25 opponent since 2002 when the Bulldogs handed then-No. 21/22 New Mexico 71-67 its first loss of the season on Jan. 3 at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State is now 9-1 against UNM in Hutson's five seasons coaching the Bulldogs.
Fresno State completed its first regular season sweep of UNLV since 2018 by securing two victories over the Runnin' Rebels in a 14-day span. Fresno State is now 5-4 against UNLV in Hutson's five seasons.
Four of Fresno State's 10 wins have come in true road games (three in conference play)
Fresno State enters having made 76.1 percent of its free throws (277-364), which currently would eclipse the school record for single-season free throw percentage (74.2 percent, 484-652, 1991-92).
Through games played on Feb. 22, all 11 Mountain West programs were rated in the Top 125 nationally in KenPom's strength of schedule. SDSU led the MW at 33rd nationally, while Fresno State is fourth (57th).
Through the first 27 games of the season, Fresno State has had 11 of its 13 scholarship players miss at least one game for a non-coaches decision and have combined to miss 90 games throughout the 2022-23 season.
Fresno State leads Northern and Central California in attendance during the 2022-23 season (5,052/game).
SERIES HISTORY: FRESNO STATE VS. NEVADA
Fresno State leads trails its all-time series with Nevada 62-45, however the Bulldogs are 28-22 in home games when playing the Wolf Pack.
Nevada has won 10 of the last 11 meetings (1-7 in Hutson's tenure)
Nevada defeated Fresno State 77-66 earlier this season at Lawlor Events Center on Feb. 10.
FRESNO STATE CONTENDING IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Since joining the Mountain West in 2012, Fresno State has won the 2016 conference tournament championship and finished as high as second in the regular season. The Bulldogs have finished no lower than seventh in league play in its first 10 seasons in the Mountain West, which includes six first round byes in the MW Tournament. In the last seven MW campaigns, the 'Dogs won an average of 10.3 MW contests per year -- twice going 13-5 against MW opponents, including Hutson's first season at Fresno State during the 2018-19 season. Fresno State averaged nearly 10 conference victories per season (9.7) in Hutson's first four seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach.