Mountain West foes will collide when the Fresno State Bulldogs (13-7) challenge the Wyoming Cowboys (10-11) at Save Mart Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and can be seen on ES3.
The Bulldogs enter this game hoping for similar success after edging Air Force 56-55 on Saturday. Torren Jones was the game’s leading scorer with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 81-71 loss against Boise State on Saturday. Jason McManamen led the game in scoring with 25 points.
The attacking Wyoming offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. It ranks eighth in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 47.7), while Fresno State gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 332nd-ranked FTA rate of 46.2).
Fresno State is a seven-point favorite against Wyoming and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 134 points. The Bulldogs have gone 13-7 Straight Up (SU) and 7-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The rebounding edge goes to the Bulldogs in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 39.9 boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Bulldogs, who rank 36th in the country in steals per game with 8.1.
In the other locker room, the Cowboys have records of 9-7-1 ATS and 10-11 SU. The Cowboys rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 15th in the nation with 194 made (9.0 per game). One advantage for the Cowboys could be Fresno State’s high fouls per game average of 22.6.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Fresno State came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 3-3 SU over their most recent meetings. The Bulldogs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-1. Fresno State held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Wyoming never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fres, ATS Winner – Fres, O/U – Over
Notes
Fresno State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Fresno State’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Fresno State’s last 5 games when playing Wyoming.
The Wyoming Cowboys currently sit below 0.500 against the Mountain West Conference at 3-5 SU, while the Fresno State Bulldogs have a 4-3 SU record.
The Fresno State Bulldogs average 70.1 possessions and 1.060 points per possession in games this season. The Wyoming Cowboys average fewer possessions with 67.6, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.048.
The Fresno State Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 47.8% this season. The Wyoming Cowboys have a poor record of 3-6 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.8% or greater.
On average, the Fresno State Bulldogs attempt 15.0 three point field goals per game and the Wyoming Cowboys attempt 25.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Fresno State has a winning 4-1 record, while Wyoming is 8-11.
Fresno State, the 43rd-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.9 rebounds per game. Wyoming does worse, ranked 333rd with 31.9.
Fresno State makes an average of 8.1 steals per game. When Wyoming gives up 8 or more steals, the team has an even 4-4 record.
