Men's Basketball Returns to the Court Against Savannah State

Dec. 18, 2001

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This Week
After a much deserved eight-day break, the Bulldogs return to action this week hosting Savannah State on Dec. 20 at Selland Arena. After that game, the Bulldogs have a week off to prepare for Hawai'i in the WAC opener for both teams.

WAC Ahead
Believe it or not, the Bulldogs are just one game away from starting the WAC season and defending their league title. Due to the expansion of the WAC to 10 teams, Fresno State begins conference action one week earlier this season, playing at Hawai'i, Dec. 27, and San Jose State, Dec. 29.

San Jose State Game Site Change
Due to the Bulldog football team playing Michigan State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic in San Jose two days before the San Jose State vs. Fresno State basketball game, that game has been switched to San Jose's Compaq Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks and site of last year's NCAA West Regional. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 29.

Fresno State Drops From Top 25
After dropping three straight games, the Bulldogs dropped out of the polls. Fresno State received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, after peaking at No. 16 earlier this year. FS has been in the national rankings in nine of the last 14 weeks dating back to last year.

Ely Being Heldout
Melvin Ely, the 2001 WAC Player of the Year, remains out pending an NCAA inquiry into allegations he received improper benefits. Ely is Fresno State's leading scorer (19.9) and rebounder (9.3). He has missed four games due to this issue.

Without Ely
Fresno State is 2-2 without Ely, winning the two home games and suffering lopsided road losses. The 'Dogs have allowed 95 points and opponents to shoot over 50 percent from the floor on the last two games.

2001-02 Bulldog Bites

Fresno State placed third in the 2001 Preseason NIT, defeating No. 11 Michigan State 63-58 in the consolation game. The win snapped a five-game losing streak against teams from the Big Ten. The Spartans have been in the last three Final Fours and won the 2000 NCAA championship.

Fresno State' has two wins over ranked teams this season. Fresno State beat No. 20 USC 65-58 on Nov. 15 and defeated No. 11 Michigan State 63-58 on Nov. 23. Ely had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots against the Spartans.

Fresno State's has lost three consecutive games for the first time since the 1997-98 season, when they went on a five-game skid early in the season. That was the longest losing streak in Jerry Tarkanian's coaching career.

The Bulldogs have won 20 or more games in each of the last six seasons and qualified for the postseason in each of the last six seasons.

Melvin Ely was named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team after registering a pair of double-doubles in the semifinals and consolation championship game.

Fresno State finished 12th in the nation in scoring offense at 81.5 points per game last season. This year, the 'Dogs are averaging 72.9 points per game.

Chris Jefferies was named the WAC Player of the Week after leading the Bulldogs to wins over Montana State and No. 20 USC in the first two games of the Preseason NIT. Jefferies scored a then career-high 25 points against the Bobcats.

Fresno State has 66 blocked shots this season, averaging six per game. Melvin Ely leads the team with 27 (3.9 bpg).

Chris Jefferies scored a career-high 27 points at San Diego State (Dec. 8).

After not allowing more than 70 points in any of the first eight games, the Bulldogs have allowed an average of 92.3 points per game over the last three games.

Melvin Ely has three consecutive double-doubles.

Damon Jackson and Noel Felix each scored then career highs of 17 points against UC Riverside. Jackson scored 22 against Gonzaga.

Fresno State has 38 (66-28) more blocked shots than its opponents.

Fresno State has turned the ball over more than its opponents (161-152).

Earlier this season, Fresno State's football and basketball teams were ranked in the top 20. Only six other universities had teams ranked in both football and men's basketball (Maryland, Syracuse, Illinois, Florida, Stanford, Oklahoma).

Fresno State won its sixth consecutive McCaffrey Classic. Chris Jefferies was named the tournament MVP and Noel Felix and Damon Jackson were each selected to the all-tournament team.

Fresno State is now 3-3 in historic Madison Square Garden all-time.

Fresno State center Melvin Ely was one of five players lauded in Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview for returning to school. He has had a double-double in three of the last four games.

Chris Jefferies leads the team with 29 dunks this season.

About the Opponent
Savannah State (0-8)
Head Coach: Jack Grant (Morris Harvey, '60)
Career Record (years): 4-29 (2 years)
Conference: Independent
Notes: The Tigers are coached by Jack Grant, who is in his second season at the school ... Savannah State is a school of 2,300 students located in Savannah, Ga. ... the Tigers are independent in basketball and are playing a rigorous schedule, mostly on the road ... they play at Weber State on Dec. 18 as part of a west road swing ... in addition, they play at SMU, Florida State, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Nebraska ... the Tigers have just 11 home games this season ... Fresno State and Savannah State have never played before ... the Tigers are 0-6 on the road and 0-2 at home this season ... Savannah State is averaging just 48 points per game and allowing 77 per game ... Marcus Boyd leads the team in scoring at 8.4 ppg.

Bulldogs Placed Third In Preseason NIT
Fresno State's trip to New York City and Madison Square Garden was moderately successful. After a heartbreaking 62-61 loss to Wake Forest in the semifinal game, the Bulldogs rebounded to beat No. 11 Michigan State 63-58 in the consolation game. Fresno State led the Spartans for the final 26:39 of the game in the win. Melvin Ely led four 'Dogs in double figures with 14 points, all in the second half. He also had 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Damon Jackson scored 14 points and Chris Jefferies and Noel Felix each had 10.

'Dogs In Preseason Polls
Fresno State has been ranked among the nation's top 25 in nearly every preseason poll. Here's where the Bulldogs rank:

Slam Magazine-----------------------10Lindy's College Basketball----------20FoxSportsNet.com--------------------22Dick Vitale's College Basketball----23Associated Press Poll---------------23CBSSportsline.com-------------------24The Sporting News-------------------25The Basketball News-----------------25ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll--------25

Bulldogs Rated
Three Fresno State players have been ranked among the nation's top 25 at their position. Here's a breakdown:

Melvin Ely, Sr., Center
The Sporting News - 4th
CBSSportsline.com- 9th

Chris Jefferies, Jr., Small Forward
The Sporting News - 15th
CBSSportsline.com - 15th

Hiram Fuller, Jr., Power Forward
CBSSportsline.com - 21st

Home Sweet Home
Fresno State loves Selland Arena, where it has won 18 consecutive games. Fresno State is 44-5 (.898) in WAC home games under Jerry Tarkanian. The Bulldogs have won 14 consecutive games against WAC teams at Selland Arena and 17 of the last 18.

Early Season Action
The Bulldogs are playing in a "preseason" style event for the fifth time in Jerry Tarkanian's seven seasons. Here's how the Bulldogs have fared in previous early season events:

Year     Event (record)                  Note1995-96  Preseason NIT (0-1)             Lost in first round to Weber State1998-99  Great Alaska Shootout (1-2)     Lost to No. 1 Duke in the semifinals1999-00  Hawai'i Pacific Classic (2-1)   Lost to LSU in the championship game2000-01  HCF Classic (1-1)               Lost to St. Bonaventure in the                                         championship game2000-01  Hall of Fame Classic (1-0)      Defeated North Carolina State2001-02  Preseason NIT (2-0)             Took third place

Winning Streaks
The Bulldogs owned the nation's 10th longest home winning streak entering the season at 19 games. Utah has the nation's longest home court winning streak at 44 games.

Bulldogs Picked to Win WAC For Second Straight Season
Fresno State was picked to win the WAC for the second straight year by both the WAC head coaches and media. Bulldog center Melvin Ely, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, was selected the WAC's preseason player of the year. Fresno State, the defending regular season champions, received nine first place votes and 81 points in the coaches poll. The Bulldogs pulled in 11 of 13 first place votes in the media poll and 114 points to easily outdistance Hawai'i. Defending tournament champion Hawai'i was second in both polls. The coaches and media selected an identical first-team all-WAC squad. Fresno State senior center Melvin Ely heads the list of first-teamers and is joined by his teammate junior forward Chris Jefferies, a first-team selection as a sophomore.

2001-02 PRESEASON COACHES POLL 1. Fresno State (9)     81 2. Hawai'i (1)          66 3. Tulsa                63 4. UTEP                 62 5. SMU                  47 6. Louisiana Tech       40 7. San Jose State       30 8. Nevada               22 9. Rice                 2110. Boise State          18
2001-02 PRESEASON MEDIA POLL 1. Fresno State (11)   114 2. Hawai'i (98)         98 3. Tulsa (1)            96 4. UTEP                 79 5. SMU                  60 6. Louisiana Tech       53 7. San Jose State       37 8. Boise State          31 9. Rice                 1610. Nevada               14

Preseason All-WAC First Team

Melvin Ely, Sr., C, Fresno State
Predrag Savovic, Sr., G/F, Hawai'i
Chris Jefferies, Jr., F, Fresno State
Damon Hancock, Sr., G, SMU
Kevin Johnson, Jr., F, Tulsa

WAC Preseason Player of the Year: Melvin Ely, Fresno State

In Case You Missed It
Chris Jefferies scored a career-high 27 points in a loss at San Diego State and he ranks fifth in the WAC in scoring (17.2 ppg) ... Jefferies was named the MVP of the McCaffrey Classic ... Hiram Fuller had career highs with points (15) and rebounds against Cal (13). It was his first career double-double ... Damon Jackson scored a career-high 22 points against Gonzaga and is averaging 15.7 points per game over the last three games ... freshman Matt Mitchell leads the team and ranks third in the WAC in assists while coming off the bench ... Travis DeManby ranks second in the WAC in assist-turnover ratio 2.6 ... Fresno State has been ranked in the national polls in nine of the last 14 weeks dating back to last season ... Damon Jackson has not missed a free throw all season 13-13 ... Fresno State's bigmen are a combined 3-22 from three point range (.136).

90 is Nice
Fresno State was 7-0 last season when scoring 90 points or more and have won 16 consecutive games when scoring 90 points or more. The Bulldogs have won 38 of the last 39 games when scoring 90 points or more and are 44-3 under Jerry Tarkanian when scoring 90 or more points. Two of those three losses were overtime games.

Jumping Jefferies
There's more to Chris Jefferies' game than high-flying acrobatic dunks. The junior is Fresno State's best defensive player and has posted two double-doubles this season. He ranks second on the team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and rebounds (7.5), second on the team in assists with 47 and ranks second in blocked shots with 16. Jefferies is shooting 33 percent from three point range. He scored a career-high 27 points against San Diego State with 19 of those coming in the second half. He had a career-high 15 rebounds against UC Riverside. He was named the MVP of the McCaffrey Clasc and named the WAC Player of the Week after the first week of the season. He also leads the team with 29 dunks. After a season-low eight points against Gonzaga, he has averaged 24 points per game over the last two games.

Action Jackson
Junior Damon Jackson is coming off his two best games. Jackson is averaging 15.7 points in the last three games and shooting 33 percent from three (9-27). He has raised his season scoring average to 12.2. He leads the team with 27 three and a .347 shooting percentage from behind the arc.

Post Production
With the absence of WAC Player of the Year, Hiram Fuller has started three games at center. Here's the difference in Fresno State's post production with Melvin Ely as the starter compared to Hiram Fuller as the starter.

             G-GS    FG-A    FG%   FT-A    FT%    BPG   RPG   PPGMelvin Ely     7-7  57-105   .543  25-35   .714    3.9   9.3  19.9Hiram Fuller  11-4   17-33   .515  11-21   .523    1.5   8.5  11.3

New Kids on the Block
Junior college transfer Hiram Fuller and freshman guard Matt Mitchell have made a big impact for the Bulldogs this season. Mitchell leads the team in assists with 60 (5.5) and is tied for third on the team in steals with 12. Fuller is Fresno State's third leading rebounder and is second on the team in field goal percentage, connecting on .475 (28-59) of his shots.

Noel by the Numbers
Arguably Fresno State's most improved player is junior forward Noel Felix. Felix, who has started all games for the 'Dogs, entered the season averaging 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in his career of 66 games. Through the first 11 games, he has improved to 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He leads the team in field goal percentage (.568), is second in steals and third in blocked shots. He ranks fifth in the WAC in field goal percentage.

Ely's Charts
Senior center Melvin Ely has been one of the premier players in the nation over the two seasons. Here is where he ranks in the WAC and Fresno State record books:

Career Field Goals: 3rd
Field Goal Percentage: 2nd
Rebounds: 5th
WAC All Games: 7th Blocked Shots: 4th Career Field Goal Percentage (WAC Games): 3rd

Men's Basketball Returns to the Court Against Savannah State

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