No. 22 Men's Basketball Faces UTEP in WAC Showdown

Jan. 22, 2001

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Game No. 19: Fresno State (16-2, 5-0) vs. UTEP (14-2, 3-1)
Date: Thur., Jan. 25
Tipoff: 7 p.m. PDT
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Arena: Selland Arena (10,220)
Radio: KMJ (AM 580), Play-by-play: Bill Woodward, Analyst: Dave Severns
TV: KMPH Fox 26, Play-by-play: Ralph Wood, Analyst: Jack Fertig

This Week
The Bulldogs, who are one of the hottest teams in the nation, have just one game this week, hosting UTEP on Thursday, Jan. 25. The Miners enter the week with a 14-2 overall record and a 3-1 WAC mark. UTEP hosts SMU on Monday night before coming to Fresno.

Up Next
The Bulldogs travel to Hawai'i, Feb 1, and at rival San Jose State, Feb. 3.

Bulldogs Jump to No. 22 in AP Poll
Fresno State is ranked No. 22 in th is week's Associated Press poll. It's the first national ranking for the Bulldogs since Dec. 9, 1997, when they were ranked No. 18 in the AP poll. Here's where the Bulldogs stand in various polls and ratings as of Monday:

CBS Sportsline.com       12RPI                      13Sagarin Ratings          13ESPN.com "Sweet 16"The Sporting News        18Associated Press         22USA Today/ESPN           Unranked (No. 26)

In Case You Missed It
Fresno State is 24-3 in its last 27 games dating back to last season. . .Fresno State's 5-0 WAC is the best in school history. . .the Bulldogs are 36-4 all-time in WAC home games. . .Fresno State has won 19 of its last 23 WAC regular season game, including 10 in a row. The Bulldogs have not lost to a WAC team in the last 13 games, counting the 2000 WAC tournament. . .of Fresno State's 12 consecutive wins, all but two have been by a double digit margin. The average margin of victory during it's 12-game winning streak is 15.2 points. . .Jerry Tarkanian is one win shy of No. 750 in his career. He surpassed former UCLA legend John Wooden for third place on the all-time winning percentage list. Tarkanian has a career winning percentage of .805 to Wooden's .804.

Head Coach Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian returned to his alma mater 40 years after he graduated and has quickly put Fresno State on the national basketball map with unprecedented national exposure. After five consecutive 20-win seasons and four trips to the NIT, the Bulldogs finally made their first NCAA tournament appearance under Tark in 2000. Tarkanian has guided two other programs to the NCAA tournament, Long Beach State and UNLV, and has made 16 appearances in the Big Dance. During his coaching career, he has led his teams to four appearances in the NCAA Final Four (UNLV in 1977, 1987, 1990 and 1991), one national championship (UNLV in 1989-90) and owns a 37-16 record in 16 NCAA tournament appearances. In 36 years at the major college and junior college levels he has never suffered a losing season and never failed to win at least 16 games for 35 consecutive years. Forty-two of his players have been drafted by NBA teams, including nine first-round selections. His five consecutive 20-win seasons with the Bulldogs -- only the second time that feat has been accomplished in the history of Bulldog basketball -- have brought him to 28 20-win seasons in his career, the best among active coaches. He stands behind only Dean Smith, who had 30 such seasons before retiring from the game in 1997, on the all-time list. Each year, Tarkanian and Kansas' Roy Williams battle for the top spot in winning percentage among active coaches, with Tark leading by thousandths of a point. Tark's record is testament to 29 years of coaching at the major college level. He currently stands fourth on the all-time win percentage list and reigned for several years as the all-time winningest coach prior to coming to Fresno State. Tarkanian wasted no time bringing the Bulldogs back to national prominence when he took a team that had gone 13-15 the previous year and led it to a 22-win season, a third-place WAC finish and the quarterfinals of the NIT during the 1995-96 season. In 1997-98 the Bulldogs were 21-13 and made it to the semifinals of the NIT before falling to 1997 Final Four participant Minnesota. NIT champion Cal defeated Fresno State in the first round of postseason play in 1999. On the day Fresno State officials introduced him as the Bulldogs' new head coach, April 5, 1995, Tarkanian hinted at better days for the Bulldogs and the Red Wave. "I never really thought this would happen, but if there was any way that I could end my coaching career here, this would be the best place," said Tarkanian, who had not coached at the college level since leaving UNLV at the end of the 1992 season. "It's a great opportunity for me. I'm excited. I've always said that the Red Wave are perhaps the very best fans in the entire country, and hopefully we can get the program going to the level that will bring a lot of excitement and pride to the people in the San Joaquin Valley." And the fans have responded. Selland Arena has enjoyed 56 sellouts in the last four years, making it one of the best home-court advantages on the West Coast. The university has moved forward on plans for an on-campus events center, the Save Mart Center, a 16,500-seat showcase home for Bulldog basketball.

Shark Bites

Tops on the NCAA active win percentage list at .805, which is the third-best all-time.

Ranks second among active coaches in career victories and ninth all-time with 749 victories.

Became the 12th coach to reach the 700-victory mark at the major college level, defeating No. 15 New Mexico Jan. 4, 1999.

Has led Fresno State to five consecutive 20-win seasons, only the second time that feat has been accomplished in Bulldog basketball history.

Tutored 42 players who were drafted by the NBA, including 12 first-round selections.

One of only a handful of coaches to lead three different schools to 20-win seasons. At each school, Tark recorded a 20-win season in his first year.

Led UNLV to the NCAA title in April 1990 (the Rebels defeated Duke 103-73 in posting the largest winning margin in NCAA championship game history).

Tarkanian has averaged 25.1 wins per season during his 29-year major college coaching career.

Led UNLV to Top 10 finishes in wire-service polls nine times (1976, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992).

Won or shared Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors seven times in 10 seasons. Also was named West Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1975.

Coached six first-team All-Americans: Ricky Sobers (1975), Eddie Owens (1976), Sidney Green (1983), Larry Johnson (1990, 1991) and Stacey Augmon (1991).

2000-01 Bulldog Bites

Fresno State's 16-2 record is the best start by a Bulldog teams since the 1981-82 season. That year the 'Dogs had the best record in school history of 27-3 after an 16-1 start to the season.

The Bulldogs have won 20 or more games and qualified for the postseason in each of the last five seasons. FS needs four wins in its final 12 games to reach 20 wins again.

The Bulldog's average margin of victory in their last 12 games is 15.3. The closest game in that time was a three-point victory at Nevada 72-69.

Fresno State won the 2000 Hall of fame Tip Off Classic, defeating North Carolina State 82-63 on Nov. 22 in Springfield, Mass.

Fresno State had the NCAA scoring leader Courtney Alexander (24.8 ppg) last season, the only WAC player to ever lead the NCAA in scoring. He was the 13th overall pick of the 2000 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic but was traded on draft day to Dallas.

The 2000 Trend Homes Classic, won by Fresno State, featured three teams that were in the 2000 NCAA tournament: Fresno State (24-10), Louisiana Lafayette (25-8) and Samford (21-11). Toledo (18-10) completed one of the finest four-team tournament fields in the nation.

Since Tito Maddox became the starting point guard, Fresno State's average margin of victory in their home games has been 17.1 points.

Fresno State hosted the inaugural Hispanic College Fund Tournament Nov. 17, 19 at Selland Arena. The Bulldogs lost in the championship game to St. Bonaventure 87-74. Chris Jefferies and Melvin Ely were selected the to the HCF Classic All-Tournament team.

The Bulldogs are playing 18 regular season home games this season, most in school history.

Fresno State was selected as the WAC champion by the media in the preseason poll. Sophomore transfer Chris Jefferies was selected the WAC Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Jefferies leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 17.4 points per game.

Fresno State is being outrebounded this season (40.4-39.1). FS ranks seventh in the WAC in rebound margin (-1.4) but have not been outrebounded in the last eight games.

Fresno State is averaging 6.9 blocked shots per game, ahead of pace to break the school record for a single season. In 1997-98, the Bulldogs had 185 blocked shots for an average of 5.4 per game. Melvin Ely has more blocked shots (52) than FS opponents (35).

Fresno State has 120 more assists than its opponents this season (339-219).

The Bulldogs are forcing opponents 21.2 turnovers per game.

Fresno State's 93-79 win at Tulsa was the worst loss ever for the Golden Hurricane in the Reynolds Center and worst home loss since Jan. 4, 1991.

Fresno State leads the WAC blocked shots with 116.

Demetrius Porter was voted national player of the week by CBSSportsline.com Jan. 16.

Jerry Tarkanian got his 950th win as a college coach vs. Santa Clara (Dec. 13). That includes junior college and Division I wins.

Fresno State is averaging 86.5 points per game in the last 11 games, has scored at least 92 points in three of the last four games, and scored 80 or more in nine of the last 11.

UTEP Miners (14-2, 3-1)
Head Coach: Jason Rabedeaux
Overall Record/At School: 27-17 (2)/same
1999-00 Record: 13-15
WAC Record/Finish: 4-10/7th
Media Relations Contact: Jeff Darby (915) 747-6652
Series: Fresno State leads 9-8

The Miners, who host SMU on Monday, enter the week with a 14-2 overall record and a 3-1 WAC record. UTEP had its eight-game winning streak snapped at home last Saturday, losing to Tulsa 87-75. The Miners have one of the nation's best players in center Brandon Wolfram. He is one of the nation's leading scorers and easily leads the WAC at 23.9 points per game. Wolfram, a 6-9 senior, is shooting 61% from the floor and nearly 85% from the free throw line. He has led the team in scoring in all but four games. Eugene Costello, a 5-foot-10-inch guard, is averaging 16.8 points per game and nearly 20 points per game in WAC games. Chris Neal ranks fourth in the WAC in three point field goal percentage at .458. Roy Smallwood, the 2000 WAC Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The only weakness for the Miners is rebounding. In four WAC games, the Miners are being beaten on the boards by nine per game (38.5 to 29.5). Beginning with the Fresno State game, UTEP will be playing four of its next six games on the road.

Tark Passes Wooden, Goes for Win No. 750
After Saturday's win over Nevada, Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian surpassed UCLA's John Wooden for third place on the all-time winning percentage list. Tark has won .805 of his games to Wooden's .804. In addition, Tarkanian could reach another milestone tonight going for his 750th career victory. He has an overall record of 749-182. He was won at least 16 games in all 30 seasons as a Division I coach and has won 16 games or more in 35 consecutive seasons, counting junior college.

HIGHEST WINNING PERCENTAGE (ALL-TIME)1. Clair Bee, Rider/LIU-Brooklyn (.826)2. Adolph Rupp, Kentucky (.822)3. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State* (.805)4. John Wooden, UCLA (.804)5. Roy Williams, Kansas* (.803)6. Dean Smith, North Carolina (.776)* Indicates active coach

Fast Start
Fresno State's 16-2 record is the best start since the 1981-82 season, when the Bulldogs started the year winning 17 of their first 18 games. The current 12-game winning streak is tied for the second longest in school history. The FS record is 13 wins set in 1980-81.

Rolling Bulldogs
Fresno State is 24-3 in its last 27 games dating back to last season. The Bulldogs won eight straight at the end of last season, but had their string snapped with a first round loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. Fresno State has a 15-2 record to start this season.

Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic Champions
Fresno State, competing in its first Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic, defeated North Carolina State 82-63 in Springfield, Mass. Fresno State will have a display in the Basketball Hall of Fame, including the team uniform, for winning the game. The Bulldogs are in elite company, joining the following schools as Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic Champions: Arizona (1989, '96,), UCLA (1991), DePaul (1980), Duke (1979, '88), Illinois (1984), Indiana (1999), Kansas (1998), Kentucky (1996), UMass (1994), Michigan (1985, '93), North Carolina (1987), North Carolina State (1983, '86) Purdue (1992), St. John's (1982), Villanova (1990), and Virginia (1981).

Ely, Maddox Classification
Fresno State head coach Jerry Tarkanian said that Melvin Ely, who is listed as a senior in the 2001 media guide and Tito Maddox, who is listed a sophomore, are both on track to regain an extra year of eligibility. Both Ely and Maddox were NCAA non-qualifiers and had to sit-out their first years at Fresno State. This same situation happened with former Bulldog Terrance Roberson, who gained his fourth-year because he was on track for graduation in four years. Ely will be listed a junior and Maddox as a freshman for eligibility purposes.

Raiders of the Lost Arc
Demetrius Porter, Fresno State's top three point shooter last season, has gotten off to a poor start, connecting on just 43-of-123 threes this season for .350 percent. As as team, the Bulldogs are shooting .350 from the land of three, but that's up from .331, which ranked last in the WAC heading into league play. The Bulldogs are led by Travis DeManby (26-59, .441), Chris Jefferies (34-84, .405),Tito Maddox (6-21, .286) and Dennis Nathan (8-29, .276). Travis DeManby, who celebrated his 21st birthday Saturday at Tulsa making three of four treys, has made 13 of his last 23 three points attempts for (.565). The Bulldogs are shooting .400 from behind the arc in WAC games. Porter and Jefferies are the top two shooters in the WAC in three pointers made per game, 3.8 and 3.2 respectively. Fresno State ranks second in the WAC at 8.4 per WAC game.

The Moose Is Loose
Freshman Mustafa Al-Sayyad has easily been Fresno State's biggest surprise this season. Head coach Jerry Tarkanian never expected Al-Sayyad to have the type of impact he's had. He is averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in his 10.9 minutes per game as Melvin Ely's understudy. He leads the team in field goal percentage .743 (26-35). His post defense has been excellent. He has 11 blocked shots.

WAC Tracks
Fresno State is 5-0 in the WAC for the first time ever. The Bulldogs have never won the WAC title outright and claimed their first-ever WAC tournament championship last season.

Porter Player of the Week
In addition to being selected the WAC Player of the Week last week, senior guard Demetrius Porter was selected the CBSSportsline.com National Player of the Week in voting by the fans. He averaged 23 points and three assists in Fresno State's home sweep of TCU and SMU. Porter scored a season-high 24 points against the Horned Frogs, including 13 in the final 5:35 to seal the victory. He made three treys down the stretch and converted two crucial free throws in the final two minutes. He had 22 points in the win over the Mustangs.

Mount Margin
Fresno State has been dominating in its last 12 games, all wins. The Bulldog's average margin of victory in those wins is 15.3 points, with the slimmest margin of victory of three points at Nevada 72-69. The Bulldogs have three double-digit road victories in that span. Of Fresno State's 16 wins this season, all but three have been by double-figures. The Bulldogs have scored at least 80 points in nine of the last 11 games and are averaging 86.5 points per game during that time.

D-Fence
The key to Fresno State's dominance has been its defense, a trademark of Jerry Tarkanian's teams throughout the years. Here's a look:

The Bulldogs rank second in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (.400)
The Bulldogs are allowing just 69.8 points per game, fourth best in the WAC
Fresno State has held seven opponents under 64 points this season
Fresno State leads the WAC in blocked shots, averaging 6.94 per game
Fresno State ranks second in the WAC in steals, averaging 10.44 per game
Fresno State has 56 more steals (188-132) than its opponents this season
Fresno State ranks third in the WAC in three point field goal percentage defense (.332)

Porter Point
Senior guard Demetrius Porter is one of the premier guards in the WAC. Porter led the league in three categories in league games last season, more than any other player. He led the WAC in assists (6.24) and assist/turnover ratio (2.64). In addition, he led the WAC in three point field goals made per game in league games (3.00). He ranked third in steals (1.97) and second in three point field goal percentage (.494, 42-85). Porter failed to get an assist against Rice on Jan. 4, snapping a 54-game assist streak. Here's where he ranks on the Fresno State career assists and steals charts.

Career Assists                         Career Steals3. Mitch Arnold (1982-85)    420       4. Mike Mitchell (1986-88)   1674. Demetrius Porter (1998-) 399      5. Demetrius Porter (1998-)  168

Winning Streaks
The Bulldogs currently have the second-longest winning streak in the nation at 12 games. Stanford has won 17 in a row to lead the nation. The 12-game streak is tied for the second-longest on school history. Here are the longest winning streaks in Fresno State's history:

13.....1980-8112.....2000-0112.....1981-8212.....1962-63

Sweet 16
Here are a few fun facts about the No. 16:

Fresno State's 16th win this season assures the Bulldogs a winning record for the sixth consecutive season
Jerry Tarkanian has won at least 16 games in every season as a head Division I coach
The Bulldogs are rated among ESPN.com's Sweet 16
The Bulldogs have won 16 games in a season for six consecutive season, the longest streak since 1979 through 1985.

Poll Palaver
The Bulldogs are making their first Associated Press poll entry since early in the 1997-98 season. That year, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 13 in the preseason poll and reached as high as No. 12 on Nov. 25 but fell to No. 18 on Dec. 9 before leaving the poll the following week with a 3-5 record. The previous season, Fresno State was ranked for the first six weeks of the season, peaking at No. 13 on Dec. 3. The Bulldogs left the poll that season after a No. 21 ranking on Dec. 17. The Bulldogs current ranking of No. 22 is the highest in the month of January since the AP poll of Jan. 20, 1984, when they were ranked No. 17.

WAC Dominance
Fresno State's 13-game winning streak over teams from the WAC includes an active winning streak against every league opponent. The Bulldogs' last loss to a WAC team was Feb. 17, 2000, at home to SMU 85-75. Since then, Fresno State was won 10 consective WAC regular season games. The Bulldogs took two out of three from UTEP last season. Here is Fresno State's winning streak against each of the WAC opponents:
Fresno State's WAC Winning Streaks
Hawai'i : 6 games (nine wins in last 10 games)
Nevada : 1 game (won two of the last three)
Rice : 7 games (won every game in the series)
San Jose State : 3 games (won 10 of the last 11 games)
SMU : 1 game (won three of the five meetings)
TCU : 4 games (won four of the seven meetings)
UTEP: 1 game (never lost at Fresno, never won at El Paso)
Tulsa : 4 games (won five of the seven meetings in the series)

Bulldogs Picked to Win WAC
The 2000-01 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball media poll has tabbed Fresno State as this year's favorite for the second year in a row. Fresno State received 162 points but just four of 21 first-place votes. Tulsa was picked to win the 2001 Williams WAC Tournament on 13 of the 21 ballots. This year's tournament will be played at Tulsa's Reynolds Center, March 6-10. Also picked were the preseason All-WAC team and the Player and Newcomer of the Year. The following is the complete 2000-01 WAC men's basketball media poll with first-place votes in parentheses (points awarded on an 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis):

WAC Preseason Poll1. Fresno State (4)      1622. Tulsa (7)             1613. SMU (9)               1544. TCU (1)               1315. UTEP                  1006. Hawai'i                807. San Jose State         718. Rice                   489. Nevada                 38

Honors Candidates
Melvin Ely, C, 6-10, 256, Junior, Harvey, Ill. (Thornton Township)

Preseason All-WAC by Athlon's, Street and Smith's, Lindy's and The Sporting News
No. 16 rated center in the nation by The Sporting News
Rated the WAC's best defensive player by Lindy's and The Sporting News
Second-team All-WAC in 2000
1999 & 2000 All-WAC Defensive team
School Record holder in blocked shots for season (92) and career (227)
2000 WAC leader (sixth in NCAA) in field goal percentage (.606, 180-207)
2000 WAC leader (16th in NCAA) in blocked shots (3.0)
Fourth-best field goal percentage in WAC games in league history (.644, 87-135)
Selected to the Hispanic College Fund Classic All-Tourmament team
Selected the MVP of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic
Tied for the WAC lead in blocked shots (2.89) and is averaging 4.3 in the last four games

Demetrius Porter, G, 6-0, 182, Senior, Fresno, Calif. (Washington Union)
No. 19 rated point guard by The Sporting News
First Team All-WAC by The Sporting News, Third team All-WAC by Lindy's
Rated the WAC's best playmaker by The Sporting News and Lindy's
2000 WAC leader (23rd in NCAA) in assists (6.24)
2000 WAC leader in assist-turnover ratio (2.81)
Ranked 23rd in NCAA in three point field goal percentage (.440, 85-193)
15th-best three point field goal percentage in WAC games in league history (.494, 42-85)
WAC Player of the Week (Jan. 15) and voted national player of the week by CBSSportsline.com Jan. 16.
Is a nominee for Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for the nation's most outstanding senior six-feet or shorter.
Tied for fourth in the WAC in scoring in league games (18.8 ppg).
Leads the WAC in free throw percentage (11-11) and threes made per game (3.8)

Chris Jefferies, F, 6-8, 220, Sophomore, Fresno, Calid. (Wash. Union/Arkansas)
Preseason WAC Newcomer of the Year
Fresno State's leading scorer (17.4 ppg), which ranks sixth in the WAC
Is averaging 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in WAC games
Is shooting (.405) from three overall and (.485) in WAC games
Selected to the Hispanic College Fund Classic All-Tournament team
Selected to the Trend Homes Classic All-Tournament team
Led Fresno State in scoring in nine games
Scored a career-high 24 points vs. San Francisco (Dec. 2) and Georgia (Dec. 23)

Tito Maddox, G, 6-4, 190, Freshman, Compton, Calif. (Compton)
Selected MVP of the Trend Homes Classic
Fourth on the team in scoring (14.0)
WAC games assist leader at 11.0 per game
Leads the team in free throw percentage (.814) making 35-of-43
Unofficial NCAA leader in assists at 9.9 per game
Named WAC Player of the Week on Dec. 26.
Has double-doubles for points and assists in his last three games

Fresno State Athletics

No. 22 Men's Basketball Faces UTEP in WAC Showdown

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