Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Host UC Riverside in BracketBuster
1/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - Pairings for the ninth annual BracketBusters - a three-day men's college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls Friday, Feb. 18 - Sunday, Feb. 20 - were announced today and Fresno State will host UC Riverside on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs and Highlanders have met three times previously with Fresno State winning each time. The last time the two schools met was on Nov. 23, 2001 at Selland Arena, a 75-58 Bulldog victory. Chris Jefferies, who went on to become an NBA first round draft pick, led the Bulldogs with 23 points and 10 rebounds in that game.
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team is 7-12 overall and 2-5 in conference play. UC Riverside returned just one player who played last year in reserve forward David Chavarria. Out of the nine new players on the roster this year seven of them are transfers. A key game for the Highlanders this season was an overtime win on the road against SMU, 73-69.
Jim Wooldridge is in his fourth season as head coach of the UC Riverside men's basketball team. During his second season as head coach, the Highlanders had their first winning season since joining Division I in 2001-02 along with winning their most home games (11), road games (6) and conference games (8). Previous to Riverside, Wooldridge was the head coach at Kansas State for six seasons and his 83 wins ranks sixth on Kansas State's all-time wins list. Wooldridge worked under former college teammate Tim Floyd as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2000 helping install the triangle offense he learned under triangle "guru" Tex Winter. Wooldridge's other head coaching stops include Central Missouri State, Texas State and his alma mater Louisiana Tech.
Senior guard Javon Borum leads the Highlanders in scoring with 14.2 points per game in 19 games. Borum also leads the team in free-throw percentage (.869), 3-point field-goals made per game (2.3) and steals per game (1.3). Borum is currently in the middle of a consecutive double-digit scoring streak with 16 games in a row which ties the program's Division I-era record. He scored his career-high 30-points earlier this year in a win on the road against UC Irvine. Borum, a transfer from Wallace State Community College, is in his third year at UC Riverside but missed all of last season due to an injured Achilles.
The BracketBusters concept, named because of the success of participating teams from these conferences in NCAA Tournament play through the years, provides programs with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday. Each conference selects its participating teams before the season, and the matchups for the event are determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences. BracketBusters is an example of ESPN college basketball franchise programming. Others include Rivalry Week Presented by Cisco, Feast Week Presented by Lowe's, Holiday Hoops Presented by Kay Jewelers and Judgment Week and Championship Week Presented by Dick's Sporting Goods.
"We are Your Team!" The Dogs return home on Feb. 3 to take on New Mexico State at the Save Mart Center at 7 p.m. 559 more than just an area code on Feb. 5 when the Dogs host Louisiana Tech in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. All Fresno State faculty and staff will be admitted for free and Fresno State will honor all campus Greek organizations. In addition, Fresno State will celebrate its Centennial night and game sponsor Texaco will provide free T-shirts to the first 2,000 fans. Sports Chalet will give out 5,000 free mystery cards ranging in value from $5 to $100
5- $5 tickets to the game
5- $5 Bulldog Shop Bulldog Bucks at the entrance
9- $9 meal deals all night, including combinations of burgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and soft drinks
