Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Hosts Rice on Monday in Crucial WAC Showdown
2/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2005
- Game Notes (PDF)
Rice (13-10, 7-6 WAC) at Fresno State (14-10, 8-6 WAC)
- Date: Monday, Feb. 21
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Fresno, Calif.; Save Mart Center (16,116)
- TV: None
- Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
- Spanish Radio: KOOR AM 790 (Jess Gonzalez, Rodolfo Gonzalez)
- Live Stats/Audio: www.gobulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State hosts Rice on Monday at 7 p.m. in a showdown that is vital in the race for the upper tier of the league standings. The Bulldogs (14-10, 8-6 WAC) are in a tie for third place with Louisiana Tech, and a win tonight would come close to ensuring they would stay out of the dreaded "play-in" game on the first day of the WAC Tournament. Meanwhile, the Owls - who have beaten Fresno State four of the last five meetings - are 13-10 (7-6) and in fifth place, just one half game behind the Bulldogs.
A win Wednesday will not guarantee that Fresno State avoids one of the "play-in" games at the WAC Tournament - but it will come close. Victory against Rice would give the Bulldogs nine wins in conference, three more than seventh-place Hawaii, which enters tonight 6-7 in league play. Fresno State and UH play each other in the regular season finale on the island. The seventh through 10th place teams all play an opening round contest on Tuesday, March 8, in the WAC Tournament. No conference team has ever won the tournament after playing an opening round game.
Fresno State wraps up its four-game homestand - and the home season - on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Nevada.
