It will be a battle between Mountain West opponents when the Wyoming Cowboys (12-14) welcome the Fresno State Bulldogs (16-9) to Arena-Auditorium. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and will air on RT.
The Cowboys were blown out by Boise State 94-71 on Saturday. Josh Adams finished with 16 points to lead the team. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-72 loss to Nevada on Saturday. Marvelle Harris played well, recording his first double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
The aggressive Wyoming offense might be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this one. It ranks ninth in the nation at getting to the line (FTA rate of 46.8), while Fresno State is among the nation’s most foul-prone teams (giving up a 337th-ranked FTA rate of 46.9).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulldogs won the first game 71-60. Adams had a standout performance with 32 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and five three-pointers in the loss.
The Cowboys have gone 12-14 Straight Up (SU) and 11-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Wyoming is excellent from the perimeter with 254 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 12th-most in the country. Fresno State has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.7 fouls per game), so expect the Cowboys to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Over on the other bench, the Bulldogs have records of 10-12 ATS and 16-9 SU. Fresno State is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Bulldogs average 13.2 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 35th-best team in the country for that category. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Bulldogs are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 8.2 steals per game. Fresno State has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.4 per game.
The Bulldogs’ win over Wyoming in their last clash brought their SU record in their most recent games to 4-3. The Bulldogs also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-1. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fres, ATS Winner – Fres
Notes
Wyoming scores just 75.6 points per home game (ranked 145th). Fresno State ranks 92nd in points allowed on the road, giving up 72.2 points.
The Fresno State Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 68th), while the Wyoming Cowboys have an offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 166th).
Wyoming has an average field goal percentage of 43.7%. Fresno State is an underachieving 1-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Wyoming Cowboys rank lower for their field goal percentage (197th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (50th), but the Fresno State Bulldogs have a better FG% ranking (261st) than eFG% ranking (301st).
Fresno State ranks 99th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.18. Wyoming is ranked lower at 168th with an A/TO of 1.07.
Fresno State, the 51st-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.3 rebounds per game. Wyoming does worse, ranked 338th with 31.1.
The Fresno State Bulldogs average 8.2 steals per game, ranked 21st in the nation. The Wyoming Cowboys have a 4-5 record when they give up at least 8 steals.
