Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs to Face Utah in NCAA First Round
3/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
2016 NCAA Tournament Notes - Fresno State 
2016 NCAA Tournament - Midwest Region (Denver)
No. 14 Seed Fresno State (25-9, 13-5 Mountain West)
First Round: (14) Fresno State vs. (3) Utah • Thursday, March 17 • 4:27 p.m. PT
TV: truTV (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas & Jamie Erdahl)
• DirecTV Ch 246, Dish Ch 242, AT&T U-VERSE Ch. 164 & Comcast 748
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Kugler & Jim Jackson) & 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler & Randy Rosenbloom)
Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• Fresno State enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game winning streak, which is the third-longest active winning streak in the nation.
• Fresno State has also won 11 of its last 12 games.
• Fresno State is 25-9 on the season, which is the program's third-most wins in a single season and two wins away from tying the program record (27).
• Fresno State has won eight games this season when trailing at halftime.
• Fresno State ranks sixth in the nation in turnover margin (+4.3).
• Fresno State is 6-0 this season in games decided by a single possession (three points or fewer), including 5-0 in Mountain West play.
• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS
'Dogs win MW Tournament to capture NCAA Bid
• Fresno State won the 2016 MW Basketball Championship Tournament by defeating UNLV (95-82) in the quarterfinals, Colorado State (64-56) in the semifinals and San Diego State (68-63) in the championship game.
• Fresno State (13-5) finished in second place in the MW standings to earn a No. 2 seed - its best seed for a conference tournament since 2001.
• Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• 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).
Harris Climbing Up the Record Books
• Harris is No. 1 in program history in total points scored (2,007 points).
• Harris is also No. 1 in program history in free throws made (501), free throws attempted (673) and field goals attempted (1,579).
• Harris is ranked No. 2 all-time on Fresno State's career steals list (205).
• Harris is ranked No. 6 all-time on Fresno State's career assists list (390).
• Harris enters the NCAA Tournament as the Bulldogs' single-season leader for most points scored (701 points).
Bulldogs to Face Utah in NCAA First Round
Fresno State (25-9) is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 after winning the 2016 MW Basketball Championship to earn the conference's automatic bid. The Bulldogs, the 14-seed in the Midwest Region, will open against Utah, the 3-seed, on Thursday at 4:27 p.m. PT at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The game will be broadcast on truTV and 940 AM ESPN Radio. Fresno State's rotation is headlined by a veteran backcourt in three senior guards, including 2015-16 MW Player of the Year Marvelle Harris, Cezar Guerrero and Julien Lewis.
Harris named 2015-16 MW Player of the Year
Fresno State senior guard Marvelle Harris was named the MW Player of the Year by the league's head coaches while leading the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in conference play and 13 conference wins for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Harris averaged 22.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play. Harris was also named to the league's first-team by both the coaches and a select panel of MW media, as well as a spot on the MW's All-Defensive team as voted on by the coaches. Junior forward Cullen Russo also earned honorable mention recognition by the select MW media panel.
Between the Baselines: Harris Highlights
• Harris was named the 2016 Mountain West Tournament Most Valuable Player and one of two Bulldogs named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Harris is one of three MW players this season to earn Player of the Week honors three times, including back-to-back to close the regular season.
• Harris is the third player in program history (Alexander and Ely) to earn preseason and postseason conference player of the year honors.
• Harris scored a season-high 37 points in 111-104 (2OT) win over UNLV.
• Harris is No. 1 in the MW in assists per game (150, 4.4 apg).
• Harris is No. 1 in the MW in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0 A-T/O, 150-74).
• Harris is No. 2 in the MW in steals (74, 2.2 spg).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (22.7 ppg, conference games only).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (20.6 ppg, full season).
• Harris is averaging 20.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Harris Ranks Among the Best in the Nation
• Marvelle Harris is the only player in the NCAA Tournament and one of two players (Kay Felder of Oakland) that rank in the top 3 in their respective conference in points per game, assists per game, steals per game, assist-turnover ratio and minutes per game (all games played).
• Harris is also one of four players in the nation to rank in the top three in their respective conferences: points per game, assists per game and steals per game (all games played). The other three players are: Ethan Telfair of Idaho State, Kay Felder of Oakland and A.J. English of Iona.
Bulldogs Have Shown the Ability to Rally
During the last two seasons, Fresno State has won nine games when trailing at halftime, including eight this season. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the Bulldogs have won 18 games when facing a halftime deficit.
Russo Earning Bigger Role
Junior college transfer Cullen Russo, a 6-9 versatile forward, has used his agility and length to separate himself as a key contributor, especially on the boards and offensively in the paint. Russo made his first start in the Bulldogs' 71-60 win over Wyoming when he posted a double-double (10 points/10 rebounds). He has five double-doubles this season. Defensively, he disrupts lanes and gets in good position to rebound. Offensively, Russo also gets his teammates involved as a good distributor of the ball as he is one of five rotation players with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
Edo Flying High, Continuing to Improve
Karachi Edo has been a fan favorite since his arrival at Fresno State in 2013 for his high-flying athleticism and passionate play. On the floor, Edo has made significant progress during his Fresno State career - his scoring average is up to 9.9 ppg this year as a junior after doubling his scoring average to 8.0 ppg as a sophomore from 4.0 ppg as a freshman. He is also averaging 6.4 rpg - up from 4.3 rpg as a sophomore from 3.3 rpg as a freshman. Edo was second in the MW in offensive rebounding (3.3/game)and has a team-best nine career double-doubles, with six this season.
Hard Work Gives Carter Opportunity
Fresno State sophomore center Terrell Carter II (6-10, 285 pounds) has put in a lot of work to get his body in shape and ready to compete at the Division I level. While he has earned limited playing time depending on match-ups, Carter has come through when Fresno State needed him to step up to compete with Bakersfield's inside presence (12/16/15) and UNLV's athletic rotation (2/6/16). Carter was a key factor in the Bulldogs' 76-68 win over the Roadrunners with 13 points while making all five of his field goal attempts in 22 minutes off the bench. He added 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-10 from the floor in the 111-104 double overtime victory over UNLV on Feb. 6, 2016. As a freshman, Carter played in 18 games with three starts while averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Lewis Infuses Scoring Spark, Defensive Edge
Senior shooting guard Julien Lewis, who played his first two collegiate seasons for the University of Texas, quickly provided the immediate impact that Terry envisioned for the 6-4 guard from Galveston, Texas. Last season, Lewis was third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg). This season, Lewis has given the Bulldogs a tested veteran and he is the only player on the team to have played in the NCAA Tournament when he was part of the Longhorns' appearance in 2012. His defensive grit has provided a high-pressure extra edge to the Bulldogs' mentality. He scored a career-high 30 points in the Bulldogs' 87-73 win over Colorado State and also had 21 points in the 92-82 win at New Mexico. He has averaged 21 ppg in the last three games.
Trending in Terry's Tenure
• Fresno State has won at least 21 games twice in the Terry's five seasons.
• Fresno State enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game winning streak, which is the longest winning streak since 1982.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons - rising from 3-11 in 2011-12 to 5-11 in 2012-13 to 9-9 in 2013-14 to 10-8 in 2014-15 to 13-5 in 2015-16.
• This season, Fresno State is 12-0 when scoring 80 or more points.
• Fresno State is 27-2 when scoring 80 or more points during Terry's first five seasons and 21-1 in those games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
• Fresno State is 29-6 since the start of the 2014-15 season when limiting an opponent to under 70 points in Terry's first five seasons.
• Fresno State is 11-1 when having at least five Bulldogs score at least 10 points in a game in Terry's first five seasons (3-0 this year).
Key Situations to Watch This Season
• Fresno State has scored 80 or more points in 12 games this season. The Bulldogs scored 80 or more points only three times last season.
• Fresno State is 15-1 when holding an opponent under 70 points this year.
• Fresno State has won 29 of its last 30 games when leading at halftime.
• Fresno State has won 24-straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
• Fresno State is 10-1 this season when its defense forces an opponent to make less than 40 percent from the field.
• Fresno State is 19-3 this season when holding an opponent to under 45 percent shooting from the field.
