Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Ready To Show Some Bite
3/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2001
Jerry Tarkanian will try to get his alma mater its first NCAA tournament win since 1982 as Fresno State battles California in the first round of the South Region at The Pyramid.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs (25-6) reached the field of 64 last season but were bounced by eventual Final Four participant Wisconsin in the first round of the West Region. Fresno State's lone NCAA tournament victory was a 50-46 win over West Virginia in the second round of the 1982 tournament.
Fresno State made a brief appearance in the Top 25 in January on the strength of a 13-game winning streak and again heading into the Western Athletic Conference tournament. The Bulldogs won the regular-season Western Athletic Conference title but were upset by eventual tournament champion Hawaii in the semifinals, failing to take advantage of 25 turnovers in a 76-67 defeat.
The Bulldogs are an up-tempo team and thrive on defensive pressure. Point guard Tito Maddox has been up and down averaging eight assists and five turnovers per contest.
California (20-10), seeded eighth, finished tied for fourth in the Pac-10 Conference but lost three of its final five games. The Golden Bears did not do much to distinguish themselves to the NCAA tournament selection committee, going 1-7 against the other four Pac-10 teams - Stanford, UCLA, USC and Arizona - in the field of 65.
Despite that mark, coach Ben Braun is confident his team will be ready to meet the challenges Fresno State will present with its ball-hawking defense.
"You need to be strong with the ball and decrease your turnovers," Braun said. "We've been a team that likes to run as well. We have to be opportunistic and look for opportunities to run and take care of the ball at the same time. We've got to make good decisions on the floor."
The Bears will expect a big game from senior forward Sean Lampley, the Pac-10 player of the year. He averaged 19.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Lampley also showed an ability to pass out of a double-team, averaging 3.3 assists.
"Coach Braun talked to me before the season about my consistency, and then once the Pac-10 season started, he talked to me again about my consistency," Lampley said. "I think that has been the key for this team all year long. As long as I stay consistent throughout the NCAA tournament, then we should do well."
California leads the all-time series and posted a 79-71 victory over Fresno State in the first round of the 1999 NIT. Lampley had 28 points and 14 rebounds in that game to lead the Bears.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Fresno State - At-large bid, Western Athletic Conference. California - At-large bid, Pac-10 Conference.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Fresno State - 1-4, 4 years. California - 16-10, 10 years.
