The No.2-seeded Fresno State Bulldogs (23-9) get together with the No.6-seeded Colorado State Rams (18-15) in the third round of the MWC tournament at Thomas & Mack Center. The game gets underway at 11:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and will air on CCS.
The Bulldogs beat UNLV 95-82 in the 2. Cezar Guerrero had 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists for Fresno State. The Rams, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-81 win over Boise State in the 2. Antwan Scott led the team in scoring with 23 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
Over the last five games, Marvelle Harris and Julien Lewis have played well for the Bulldogs. During that stretch, Harris has averaged 25.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Lewis has put up 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.6 three-pointers. On the other side, the Rams have been led by Scott. He has been on fire, averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.6 three-pointers in the same time frame.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Fresno State is among the nation’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking 25th in OR% at 31.7%. Meanwhile, Colorado State ranks third in the nation at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 75.1%. Also, the Rams commit the seventh-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 16.5%), while the ball-hawking defense of the Bulldogs causes the fifth-most (opponents’ TO% of 21.5%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulldogs won the first game 95-82. Guerrero was a standout player in the game, producing 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one three-pointer.
Notes
The Colorado State Rams have a defensive rating of 109.8 (ranked 42nd), while the Fresno State Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 107.9 (ranked 127th).
With 70.4 possessions and 1.079 points per possession, the Fresno State Bulldogs perform worse on both metrics than the Colorado State Rams. Colorado State averages 70.7 possessions and 1.133 points per possession.
The Fresno State Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 48.7% this season. The Colorado State Rams are 13-11 when opponents have an eFG% of 48.7% or greater.
Fresno State attempts an average of 18.0 three pointers per game and Colorado State attempts 26.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Fresno State Bulldogs have a stellar 11-2 record while the Colorado State Rams have a 15-14 record.
Fresno State ranks 95th in rebounds per game with 37.7 and Colorado State ranks 30th with 39.9 rebounds per game.
The Colorado State Rams rank 41st in offensive rebounds. The Fresno State Bulldogs rank 148th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Fresno State ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 21.5%. Colorado State has a 2-3 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
