FRESNO STATE (11-16, 4-10 MW) vs. No. 22/23 UTAH STATE (22-5, 10-4 MW)
Feb. 27, 2024 | 7 p.m. PT | MWN | Save Mart Center | Fresno, Calif.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Stream: Mountain West Network
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones • Sideline: Taylor Martinez
Stream: Mountain West Network
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
Tickets: Bulldog Ticket Office
**FREE parking on Feb. 27 and March 9
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State hosts its second straight ranked opponent when No. 22/23 Utah State heads to the Save Mart Center on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a six-game stretch against the current Top 6 teams in the Mountain West.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and will stream on the Mountain West Network with Paul Loeffler, Marc Q. Jones and Taylor Martinez on the call.
QUICK LOOK
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Bulldogs have essentially played its last three games with eight or less scholarship players.
Isaiah Hill continues to lead Fresno State in scoring (12.2 ppg) and assists (6.3 apg) on the year. The point guard is averaging 7.7 assists per game over his last 11 outings, and ranks No. 12 nationally in assists per game, second in the MW.
Transfer Xavier DuSell is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game. The senior leads the 'Dogs in 3-point percentage, connecting at 41.0 percent clip (75-of-183), 24th nationally. He sits second in the MW in 3-pointers made per game (2.78).
Fresno State features three players in its lineup who have 1,000 points. Hill accomplished the feat last season while DuSell (Feb. 17) and Isaiah Pope (Dec. 18) hit the milestone this year.
With seven newcomers to the squad this year, that group has stepped in quickly to help complement the returners in the scoring column. Newcomers have accounted for 54.2 percent of the scoring thus far.
Despite a shortage of depth in recent weeks, the Bulldogs' bench is averaging 19.6 points per game, still tops in the MW. Due to the recent depletion of the bench, only four points in the last two games have come from non-starters.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Fresno State is 24-44 all-time against Utah State.
Sixteen of those wins have come in Fresno.
The Bulldogs' last win in the series came at the Save Mart Center, a 61-54 contest on Jan. 18, 2022.
THE FLOOR GENERAL
In 26 games, Isaiah Hill has dished out 165 assists. He has dished out at least eight assists in eight games this season, including a season-high 10 three times.
Nine of Hill's seven-plus assist performances have come in his last 13 games.
In his last 28 games, Hill has recorded 187 assists.
Hill has 30 games at Fresno State with at least six assists.
In 114 games as a Bulldog, Hill ranks third in career assists, moving up eight spots this season.
Hill sits No. 2 in the Mountain West, and No. 12 in the NCAA, this season with 6.3 assists per game.
In conference play, Hill is second, averaging 6.6 per outing.
CONNECTING FROM DEEP
Shoot from outside. That's what was expected and what Wyoming transfer Xavier DuSell has brought to Fresno State. With a team-high 75 made 3-pointers through 27 games, DuSell is above the 2.0 per game he made in his 86 games at Wyoming.
DuSell is shooting a team-high 41.0 percent, 24th in the NCAA while ranking No. 2 in the MW in made 3's per game (2.78).
DuSell has made at least five 3-pointers in four games, including a career high seven (7-of-8) at Air Force.
DuSell has shot at least 50 percent from beyond the arc in 11 of 27 games.
1,000-POINT TRANSFERS
With 14 points at Boise State (Feb.17), Xavier DuSell surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career. He is the second Bulldog transfer to do that this year, joining Isaiah Pope who scored his 1,000th point on Dec. 18, 2023.
DuSell came to Fresno State from Wyoming where he had scored 714 points in 86 games.
He has 1,018 points in his career in 112 games.
Pope is playing in his fifth collegiate season, and first at Fresno State. He has 1,165 points in 130 games.
Pope began his career at D-II Humboldt State before transferring to Utah Tech where he totaled 711 points in three seasons, scoring 432 during the 2022-23 season.
70 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
70 points. Through 27 games, 70 has been the number that the Bulldogs' offense is looking for. All but one of Fresno State's wins have come when scoring more than 70 points. When they don't hit that mark, it has all but once resulted in a loss for the 'Dogs.
The Bulldogs are 8-1 when reaching 70 points.
Fresno State has been held below 70 points in its last seven games.