Two Big Games for the Dogs

As the Bulldogs head into the first of their final two road trips of the season there is no time better than the present to make a statement to the NCAA Selection Committee. With a seemingly winnable game at rival San Jose State, Fresno State should be prepared for their first nationally televised game of the season against Creighton in the made-for-TV ESPN Bracket Buster. With that game, the Bulldogs have the opportunity to stand up and be noticed before their final three games of WAC play.

It’s not often that a team with a 1.5 game lead in their conference race with only four left to play is faced with a must-win out of conference game or a nail biter against one of the worst teams in the country but that is exactly what Fresno State (18-5, WAC 11-3) faces as they enter play this week.

The San Jose State Spartans (6-15, WAC 3-9) have played giant killer this year and the next giant at the top of the beanstalk is Fresno State. Despite the fact that the Bulldogs dominated the Spartans earlier in the year in what legendary slow-down basketball guru Boyd Grant described as one of the most boring basketball game he had ever watched, the Spartans have beaten both the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Hawai’i Warriors both at home and on the islands and cannot be overlooked.

The one thing that sets the Bulldogs apart from the other WAC elite they've beaten is that the Bulldogs are willing to be patient with the Spartans. Phil "I can't obtain a winning record even with a first round draft pick" Johnson will probably come in with the same game plan he used against the Bulldogs last time and the time before that and the time before that. Against former Fresno State teams whose only concern was putting up numbers on the scoreboard that gameplan was a scary proposition but with this group, it shouldn’t concern Bulldog fans too much. Take into account that Fresno State will have more fans in the stands than SJSU (a factor no other WAC team enjoys) and it should reason that if they are patient on defense and don't get too excited on offense, the Bulldogs should come away with a 10-point win even in San Jose.

The Bulldogs biggest test of the season will be Saturday. With a 9:00 AM PST start time on a hostile court, the Bulldogs will have to play their best game of the year to pull out the victory (this is glaringly obvious!). Here are some points that stick out regarding this matchup:

1. Creighton is a beatable team as Evansville and Wichita St have proven in recent games. Both games were on opponent's courts but at home Creighton has shown they are significantly stronger - with the exception of their last game against Southwest Missouri State.

2. Kyle Korver is the key to beating the Bluejays. He has scored over 30 points twice and over 20 points nine times this season. He's averaging 18 ppg but hasn't scored at or above his average in the last six games (1/26 v. TCU w/ 24). Korver’s average over the last six games is 13.5 ppg – equaling what Fresno State’s Damon Jackson is averaging. Because of Korver’s height and ability, Renaldo Major will be more of a factor on the defensive end of the court defending Korver than he will be on the offensive end for the Bulldogs. Whether Major can score two points or ten, if he can hold Korver to 10-12 points, he will have done his duty to help his team.

3. Fresno State holds a distinct height and talent advantage in the paint. Hiram Fuller (6’-9”, 240 lbs) has been a force for the Bulldogs, living up to the promise he came to Fresno State with. Noel Felix (6’-9”, 220 lbs) is coming off possibly the best game of his career against SMU, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and only committing one foul – Felix’s Achilles heel. Jonathan Woods (6’-7:, 215 lbs) has struggled to get his shot off lately but has found ways to contribute despite his lack of shot attempts and is still third on the team in scoring with a 10 ppg average. Creighton however doesn’t fare so well in the paint. Third and fourth and fifth on the Bluejays scoring list are the frontcourt trio of 6’-6” Michael Lindeman (190 lbs.), Brody Deren who is 6’-8” and a heftier 245 lbs and 6’-7” Michael Grimes – all averaging right at 8 ppg. The Bleujays do have a force in the paint in Joe Dabbert at 6’10” and 230 lbs but Dabbert only averages 12 minutes per contest and will struggle against the stronger Fuller. The vast majority of Creighton’s points will come from the wings in the form of Korver, Larry House and DeAnthony Bowden (~40 ppg).

4. Creighton is averaging 82 ppg as a team, shooting over 50% from the field (51.4%) and a dazzling 40.7% from behind the arc. Fresno State is only averaging 71 ppg and not faring as well from the field, shooting 45.3% and 36% from downtown. Not bad numbers but not the same as Creighton. The Bulldogs lead the WAC in team defense at 64.3 ppg and will need every bit of it to hold the Bluejays back. Creighton is only allowing 65.4 ppg. The scariest part is that Creighton averages 82 ppg and the most an opponent has scored in a Fresno State victory is 73 (FSU 75 - SMU 73). In Fresno State's 18 victories, its opponents have averaged only 60 points, in its five losses they’ve allowed 80. A 20 point differential!

Keys to the game:
Kyle Korver = Carl English - treat them the same
Dominate in the paint – Fuller, Felix and Woods need to seize the opportunity
Patience on offense
Keep Creighton below 70 points