Men's Basketball Hosts Nevada and No. 12 Oklahoma State

Feb. 4, 2002

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Game No. 24 - Fresno State (14-9, 6-5 WAC) vs. Nevada (12-9, 5-6 WAC)
Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. PST, Selland Arena (10,220)
TV: None
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)

Game No. 25 - Fresno State (14-9, 6-5 WAC) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State (7-14, 2-9 Big 12)
Sunday, Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m. PST, Selland Arena (10,220)
TV: ABC-TV (Bob Carpenter, Jimmy Dykes)
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)

This Week
The Bulldogs, coming off their first three-game WAC losing streak in the Jerry Tarkanian era, begin a four-game home stand hosting Nevada, Feb. 7, and 12th-ranked Oklahoma State, Feb. 10. The Oklahoma State is the final non-conference game of the season and will be aired on ABC-TV.

Up Next
Fresno State remains at home to host UTEP, Feb. 14, and Boise State, Feb. 16. The Bulldogs play six of their final eight regular season games at Selland Arena.

vs. Ranked Opponents
No. 12 Oklahoma State is the third ranked opponent the Bulldogs will play this season. Fresno State is 2-0 vs. top 25 teams this season and has won five of its last six games against team ranked in the top 25. The Bulldogs beat No. 20 USC 65-58 and No. 11 Michigan State 63-58 in the Preseason NIT. Fresno State has played two other teams that are currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 10 Gonzaga and No. 16 Wake Forest.

Jefferies Quetionable
Fresno State's second leading scorer, Chris Jefferies, did not play last week due to a cartilage tear in his knee. He will be reevaluated this week and his status for this week will be announced following the evaluation.

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 have made two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001. Tarkanian has guided two other programs to the NCAA tournament, Long Beach State and UNLV, and has made 17 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 38-17 record in 17 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 36 consecutive years. Forty-two of his players have been drafted by NBA teams, including 12 first-round selections. His six consecutive 20-win seasons with the Bulldogs - the only time that feat has been accomplished in the history of Bulldog basketball - have brought him to 29 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 30 years of coaching at the major college level. He 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 broken ground for an on-campus events center, the Save Mart Center, a 16,500-seat showcase home for Bulldog basketball, which will open in 2003.

Shark Bites

Tops on the NCAA active win percentage list at .803, which is the third-best all-time.
Ranks third among active coaches in career victories and sixth all-time with 773 victories.
Became the eighth coach to reach the 750-victory mark at the major college level, defeating UTEP 108-56 on Jan. 25, 2001.
Has led Fresno State to six consecutive 20-win seasons and postseason appearances, the first 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 25.3 wins per season during his 30-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 the 2001 Don Haskins Award for WAC Coach of the Year. He 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.
Won 20-games or more for 17 consecutive seasons and 29 of 30 seasons as a Division I coach.
His 985 career collegiate coaching victories are the most ever counting all divisions.

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. Melvin Ely had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots against the Spartans.
Fresno State has improved its team graduation rate to 67% since 1995. Over the last three seasons, four of five seniors earned their degrees. The only senior on the 2001-02 squad, Melvin Ely, is expected to graduate in May.
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 75.0 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 138 blocked shots this season, averaging 6.0 per game. Melvin Ely leads the team with 63 (3.7 bpg).
Chris Jefferies scored a career-high 27 points at San Diego State (Dec. 8) and has scored 20 points or more in six of his last nine games.
Fresno State has lost three consecutive WAC games for the first time since 1994-95, Gary Colson's last season as head coach.
Melvin Ely has had a double-double in 11 of the last 16 games.
Damon Jackson and Noel Felix each scored then career highs of 17 points against UC Riverside. Jackson scored 22 against Gonzaga.
Fresno State has 71 (138-67) more blocked shots than its opponents.
Fresno State has turned the ball over more than its opponents (352-340).
Earlier this season, Fresno State's football and basketball teams were ranked in the top 20 at the same time. 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 center Melvin Ely was one of five players lauded in Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview for returning to school. He has scored at least 22 points in each of the last nine games and is averaging 29.4 points per game in WAC games.
Chris Jefferies leads the team with 48 dunks this season.
Fresno State plays six of its last eight games at Selland Arena.

About the Opponents
Nevada (12-9, 5-6)
Head Coach: Trent Johnson (Boise State, '83)
Career Record (years): 31-47 (3 years)
Notes: The Wolf Pack beat the Bulldogs 88-85 in Reno on Jan. 12. Freshman guard Kirk Snyder scored 21 points, including a 23-footer with one second remaining for the win ... Nevada owns a 32-31 lead in the all-time series, but the two schools have played just eight times since 1982 ... the Bulldogs have only won five of the last eight games at Selland Arena against Nevada ...

Oklahoma State (17-5, 4-5)
Head Coach: Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, '58)
Career Record (years): 696-274 (32 years)
Notes: Oklahoma State will be making its first appearance in Selland Arena ... the Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation earlier this year after starting the season with a 13-0 record ... OSU dropped its two games last week, losing at rival Oklahoma and at Kansas State ... Wooden Award Candidate Maurice Baker leads the Cowboys in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. He is one of our players averaging in double figures in scoring ... this is the first meeting between the two schools ... Eddie Sutton is in his 12th season at OSU and needs just four wins to join the 700-win club.

WAC Attack
The Bulldogs are in comfortable territory as the WAC season gets into full swing. Fresno State owns the best WAC record since the league expanded in the 1996-97 season. Over the last three seasons, the Bulldogs have been especially dominant. Here's a breakdown: Best WAC Records Since 1999-2000 Since 1996-97 Fresno State 30-10 61-24 Tulsa 29-10 59-24 SMU 23-15 40-39

Easy Ely
All-America and Wooden Award candidate Melvin Ely, the 2001 WAC Player of the Year, missed six games due to an NCAA infraction regarding improper benefits. In the three games upon his return, Ely established career highs in scoring in each game. Over the last 10 games, he is averaging 26,2points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.6 blocked shots and is shooting 58% from the floor and 81% from the line. He had the best game of his career against Tulsa (Jan. 5) with career highs for points (35), rebounds (16) and blocks (9), the last of which broke his own school record. Ely has scored 22 points or more in 12 of the last 13 games. His current WAC scoring average of 26.2 trails only former Bulldog Courtney Alexander (2000) 27.2 as the highest WAC scoring average in nearly 15 years.

Without Ely
Fresno State was 3-3 without Ely, winning the three home games and suffering lopsided road losses. The 'Dogs allowed 91 points and opponents shot over 50 percent from the floor in the losses.

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.

The Lost Arc
Fresno State can credit terrible perimeter shooting for a couple of its recent losses. The 'Dogs are the worst three point shooting team in the WAC, making just .302 of three point attempts. Over the last three games, all losses, Fresno State is shot just .274 (17-62) from three point range.

Home Sweet Home
Fresno State loves Selland Arena, where it had won 25 consecutive games before the Jan. 26 loss to Louisiana Tech. Fresno State is 46-6 (.885) in WAC home games under Jerry Tarkanian.

Looking for the Four
Fresno State has struggled getting consistent play at the four spot, which has been a combination of Noel Felix, Hiram Fuller and Mustafa Al-Sayyad. Fresno State is 11-8 with Noel Felix as a starter at the four, 2-2 with Fuller as the starter and 1-0 with Al-Sayyad as the starter. In the loss to Rice, the trio combined for just 12 points and seven rebounds, with Hiram Fuller going scorelss and without a rebound.

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

No Margin For Error
With five WAC losses, the Bulldogs have left themselves no room for error for the rest of the WAC season if they have any hopes of repeating as conference champions. No WAC champion has had four losses since New Mexico was 14-4 in the 1993-94 season. The Bulldogs were 13-3 in the WAC in 2001, winning their first ever WAC regular season championship. The league championship has gone to a team with four or more losses just 12 times in the 39-year history of the WAC.

20 Talk
With at least nine games remaining on the schedule, Fresno State needs six wins to reach the 20-win plateau for a record seventh season. It would also give head coach Jerry Tarkanian his 30th 20-win season, tying North Carolina's Dean Smith for most in NCAA history. Six of the remaining nine regular season games are at home.

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
Melvin Ely surpassed Terrance Roberson for second place on the Fresno State career scoring chart. He needs one point for 1,700 in his career and 41 points to break Wil Hooker's record as the all-time scoring leader ... Fresno State had its 25-game home court winning streak broken by WAC newcomer Louisiana Tech. The 'Dogs had not lost at home since Nov. 19, 2000 vs. St. Bonaventure and had not lost a WAC home game since Feb. 17, 2000 vs. SMU ... Fresno State's current three-game WAC losing streak is the longest conference losing streak in Jerry Tarkanian's career ... Tark has never lost more than five conference games in a season in his career ... Fresno State is 1-7 when trailing at the half this season ... the 'Dogs scored a WAC season-low 63 points vs. Rice, in which they scored just 21 first half points. Fresno State only scored 64 points vs. Louisiana Tech, in which they scored 25 first half points, the previous season low ... Melvin Ely is leading the WAC in scoring in conference game at 26.2 points per game ... The Bulldogs are 13-1 when leading at the half this season ... Fresno State's win over Tulsa was the first this season when trailing at the half (38-35) ... freshman guard Phil Rasmussen (shoulder) will miss the rest of the season and seek a medical redshirt ... Tarkanian is 74-28 in WAC games and is 33-23 in WAC road games ... Ely's six blocks against Rice tied him with Luc Longley (New Mexico) and David Van Dyke (UTEP) for second place on the WAC career list at 336 ... Fresno State's only remaining non-conference game is against No. 9 Oklahoma State on Feb. 10 at Selland Arena.

Academic Success
The Bulldogs had their highest degree of success in the classroom during the fall semester. The team Grade Point Average rose to 2.65, the highest in over a decade. Half of the 14 players on the squad had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including five of 11 scholarship student-athletes. Travis DeManby led the way with a perfect 4.0 GPA with 18 units. DeManby is a math major. Over the last three years, four of the five seniors who have gone through the program, have earned their degrees. This year's lone senior, Melvin Ely, is on track to graduate in May.

90 is Nice
Fresno State is 2-0 this season when scoring 90 points or more and have won 17 consecutive games when scoring 90 points or more. The Bulldogs have won 39 of the last 40 games when scoring 90 points or more and are 45-3 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. Last week, he proved his defensive prowess holding San Jose State's Brandon Hawkins to a career-low 12 points (four of which came in the final minute with the game out of reach). He ranks second on the team and third in the WAC in scoring (17.3 ppg) and third rebounds (6.4), second on the team in assists with 64 and ranks second in blocked shots with 25. Jefferies is shooting 35 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 48 dunks. After a season-low eight points against Gonzaga, he has scored 20 or more points in six of the last 10 games.

RPI Ranking
Fresno State is in decent shape in the most recent RPI ranking, sitting at No. 46, but fell nine spots after the Louisiana Tech loss. The Bulldogs have the nation's 42nd toughest schedule according to the RPI.

Double Trouble
Few teams in the nation can compare to Fresno State's 1-2 punch of Melvin Ely and Chris Jefferies. Here's breakdown of what they give the 'Dogs.

                  G-GS    FG-A   FG%    FT-A   FT%   BPG   RPG   PPGMelvin Ely        17-17 152-268  .567  97-124  .782   3.7  10.3  23.6Chris Jefferies   21-21 115-275  .435  92-145  .636   1.2   6.4  17.3--------------------------------------------------------------------                  38-38 267-543  .492 189-269  .703   4.9  16.7  40.9

Ely Makes Wooden's Midseason Top 30
Senior center Melvin Ely was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30. The Top 30 players were selected by the Wooden Award committee. One member of the Wooden Award All-American Team will be selected on Sunday April 7, 2002 to receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation's "Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year."

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.

FRESNO STATE RECORDSCareer Field Goals Name Year GP FG1. Melvin Ely 1999 112 699
Field Goal Percentage Name Years GP FG-A Pct1. Darnell McCullough 1995-97 93 364-616 .5912. Melvin Ely 1999- 112 699-1198 .583
Rebounds Name Years GP Rebs1. Gary Alcorn 1957-59 78 1,0802. Maurice Talbot 1963-65 76 8653. Lonnie Hughey 1965-66 56 8424. Melvin Ely 1999- 112 833
Points Name Years GP Points1. Wil Hooker 1989-92 119 1,7392. Terrance Roberson 1996-00 128 1,6904. Melvin Ely 1999- 112 1,699
WAC RECORDSCareer Field Goals Name School Years FG-A Pct6. Charlie Thomas New Mexico 1987-89 472-800 .5907. Melvin Ely Fresno State 1999- 699-1198 .583
Blocked Shots Name School Years Blks1. Theo Ratliff Wyoming 1991-95 4252. David Van Dyke UTEP 1989-92 336 Luc Longley New Mexico 1987-91 336 Melvin Ely Fresno State 1999- 336
WAC GAMES ONLY RECORDSCareer Field Goal Percentage Name School Years FG-A Pct1. Danny Vranes Utah 1978-81 318-513 .6202. Eric Leckner Wyoming 1985-88 353-578 .6113. Luc Longley New Mexico 1988-91 356-593 .6004. Melvin Ely Fresno State 1999- 352-591 .596

Ely's Charts II
Here are a couple notable Ely achievements: Ely surpassed the 800 rebound mark last weekend ... he needs one point for 1,700 in his career and is in sole possesion of second place on the Bulldog career scoring list ... he needs 41 to surpass Wil Hooker to become the all-time leading scorer in Fresno State history ... needs nine rebounds for third place on the Fresno State career list, passing Lonnie Hughey (1965-66) ... needs to average 3.2 rebounds per game for the rest of the season for to overtake Maurice Talbot (1963-65) for second place in school history with 865 ... needs one block for sole possession of second place on the WAC all-time blocked shots list ... his current 23.6 scoring average ranks second only to Courtney Alexander (24.8 ppg) on the Fresno State single season scoring chart ... needs to play in one more game to become eligible for NCAA statistics (75 percent of games played).

Fresno State Athletics

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