Fresno State Men's Basketball: 'Dogs to play rare game against Big East foe

Tuesday, December 6

Milwaukee, WI

4:30 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Marquette

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Fresno State Men's Basketball: 'Dogs to play rare game against Big East foe

12/5/2016 11:49:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes: Fresno State at Marquette (PDF)

Fresno State (5-2) wraps up a two-game Midwest road trip when the Bulldogs play at Marquette (6-2) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

By: By Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Game 8: Fresno State (5-2) at Marquette (6-2)
December 6, 2016 -- 4:30 p.m. PT -- Milwaukee, Wisc. (BMO Harris Bradley Center)
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn/Pete Gillen)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Marquette leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Marquette 57, Fresno State 54 (Milwaukee, Wisc. • 12/4/1979)
Next Up: vs. Cal Poly (Dec. 10 • 4 p.m. PT), vs. Holy Names University (Dec. 14 • 7 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip
• Fresno State has won three straight games, including two road wins.
• Fresno State has won six of its last seven true road games.
• Fresno State has won 11 straight times in single possession games.
(Last loss: Pacific 71, Fresno State 68 • Stockton, Calif. • 12/20/14)
• Fresno State is sixth in the nation in steals per game (10.1 spg).
• Fresno State redshirt junior guard Jaron Hopkins is tied for ninth in the nation in steals per game (2.9 spg).
• Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is 18th in the nation in 3-point shooting (22-for-42, 52.4 percent).

Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011, rising from 3-11 (11-12) to 5-11 (12-13) to 9-9 (13-14) to 10-8 (14-15) to 13-5 (15-16).
• Fresno State is one of eight teams in the nation to have improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons.
• This season, Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Before the 2015-16 season, Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll. The Bulldogs went on to win the 2016 MW Championship and earn the MW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

'Dogs finish Midwest swing at Marquette
Fresno State (5-2) wraps up a two-game Midwest road trip when the Bulldogs play at Marquette (6-2) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

About the Marquette Golden Eagles
The Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East Conference) are 6-2 this season, including a win over Vanderbilt (95-71) in Annapolis, Md., a road win at Georgia (89-79) and losses in neutral site games in New York to Michigan (79-61) and Pittsburgh (78-75). Marquette is led by Jajuan Johnson (14.5 ppg/4.8 rpg/2.6 spg). This is the second meeting between the programs, with Marquette leading the all-time series 1-0. The Golden Eagles edged the Bulldogs 57-54 in Milwaukee on Dec. 4, 1979.

Fresno State survives OT to beat Drake, 78-76
Fresno State defeated Drake 78-76 in overtime on Saturday afternoon inside Knapp Center. Fresno State built a 20-point lead midway with just under 11 minutes remaining in the second half and never trailed in regulation. However, Drake closed regulation on a 29-9 run, which forced overtime. Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins drove hard to the basket and made a contested lay-up with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime for the game-winner. Fresno State's Paul Watson and Jahmel Taylor each had 19 points.

'Dogs to play rare game against Big East foe
When Fresno State plays at Marquette on Tuesday night, it will be Fresno State's third-ever game against a Big East opponent and the first meeting in nearly 25 years.. Fresno State is 0-2 all-time when playing a team from the Big East. Fresno State lost 58-40 to Georgetown in the Sweet Sixteen on March 20, 1982 (NCAA West Regional - Salt Lake City). Fresno State also lost to Villanova (Rainbow Classic - Honolulu, Hawai'i) on Dec. 28, 1991. This is Fresno State's first-ever true road game against a Big East foe.

Bulldogs' defense is one of the best in the Mountain West
• Through games played through Dec. 4, Fresno State ranked first in the Mountain West in steals (71) and steals per game (10.1 spg).
• Through games played through Dec. 4, Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins also led the conference in steals (20) and steals per game (2.9 spg).

Terry Climbing Bulldogs' All-Time Wins List
Now in his sixth season at Fresno State, head coach Rodney Terry has coached 176 career games for the Bulldogs. Terry has 90 wins in his first six seasons at Fresno State and he is in sole possession of sixth on the Bulldogs' all-time head coaching wins list. Terry is now two wins away from tying Steve Cleveland (2005-11), who had 92 career wins with the 'Dogs, for fifth on the all-time wins list. Terry is the 18th head coach in program history and the fifth Fresno State head coach to coach at least 175 games.

• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS