’Dogs host Cal in Wednesday night match-up

Game 10: California (4-5) at Fresno State (7-2)
Dec. 19, 2018 • 7 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV: STADIUM/Facebook (Ari Wolfe & Doug Gottlieb; Reporter: Kristen Balboni)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Octavio Duarte)
Series History: California leads 6-1 (overall) & 3-0 (games played in Fresno)
Last Meeting: California 64, Fresno State 57 (11/30/14 • Fresno, Calif.)
Next Up: vs. Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 22 • 4 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif.)

Opening Tip

First-year Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is back home in the Valley. Hutson, a Bakersfield native, spent the last 12 seasons (San Diego State and UNLV) as one of the most respected assistant coaches in country.
Fresno State has won at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons (four of the past five seasons).
Last season, Fresno State (21-11, 11-7 MW) finished fourth in the MW standings and earned its third straight Top 4 seed for the MW Tournament.
Fresno State is one of two MW teams (Boise State) to have earned a first round bye in each of the past four seasons.
Fresno State's 2018-19 roster includes two Division I transfers who redshirted last season: Braxton Huggins (New Mexico State) and Noah Blackwell (Long Beach State). Deshon Taylor (UMKC) and New Williams (Auburn) are also D-1 transfers, as is Chris Seeley (Utah - redshirting).

Bulldog Bones - By the numbers

Fresno State has outscored three autonomy five conference schools (TCU, Northwestern & Miami) by a combined score of 223-214 this season.
Fresno State is 40-3 in its last 43 games when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Fresno State has made at least seven 3-pointers in every game this season. The Bulldogs are 20-3 in the last 23 games making at least 10 3pt-FGs.
Fresno State senior guard Braxton Huggins (19.3 ppg/3.3 rpg) was named to the 2018 Wooden Legacy All-Tournament team and Deshon Taylor (19.0 ppg/4.3 apg) earned second-team honors. (Stats from Wooden Legacy)
Fresno State is in the middle of a 12-game stretch of playing exclusively in the state of California. Fresno State is 6-1 in the first seven games of the Golden State run.
Fresno State leads the Mountain West in steals, averaging 7.6 per game. The Bulldogs also are ranked second in 3-pointers made per game (9.6), 3-point percentage (37.9) and free-throw percentage (75.1).
Fresno State redshirt junior guard Noah Blackwell is averaging 19.0 points per game in his last two starts this season (13.0 ppg in his four starts).

'Dogs host Cal in Wednesday night match-up
The Fresno State men's basketball team will host the California Golden Bears on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT inside the Save Mart Center. The game between Fresno State (7-2) and California (4-5) will be broadcast on the STADIUM/Facebook, 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes. Tickets start at $15 at the Save Mart Center Box Office. Mini-plans are also available through the Bulldog Ticket Office by calling 559-278-3647.

About the California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears (Pac-12) are 4-5 on the season, but Cal has won its last two games with a Dec. 8 win over San Diego State (89-83) and a Dec. 15 victory over Cal Poly (67-66). The Golden Bears are led by Paris Austin (13.4 ppg), a Boise State transfer originally from Oakland, Calif. Fresno State trails the all-time series 6-1, with the Bulldogs' win in the series coming back on March 16, 2001 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament when Fresno State beat Cal 82-70 in Memphis, Tenn. This is the start of a home-and-home with Cal, as the 'Dogs will travel to play the Golden Bears in Berkeley next season.

Grimes delivering on both ends of the floor
Fresno State junior forward Nate Grimes (Las Vegas, Nev.) is proving himself as one of the most efficient rebounders in the nation. Grimes currently ranks third nationally in rebounds per 40 minutes (17.4). He also has four career double-doubles, including one this season (15 points/14 rebounds in a 21-point win over LBSU). Grimes ranks third in the Mountain West in blocked shots (1.8 bpg).

Coach Hut in elite company
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson (Coach Hut) is one of five head coaches in program history (out of 19) to start his career with a 7-2 record or better. The four other coaches to start 7-2 or better are: J. Flint Hanner (8-1), Ed Gregory (7-2), Boyd Grant (7-2) and Ray Lopes (7-2). Gregory (1965-66) and Lopes (2002-03) went on to win conference championships in their first seasons, while Grant is the Bulldogs' all-time winningest head coach (194 wins, 1977-86). Hutson also current owns the best winningest percentage (.778) of any head coach in program history.

George, Johnson represent Fresno State in NBA
Former Fresno State basketball players Paul George (2008-10) and Tyler Johnson (2010-14) are two of the 30 former Bulldogs to have played in the NBA. George is currently in his ninth NBA season and second with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being drafted 10th overall in 2010 by the Indiana Pacers, who he played for from 2010-17. Johnson is in his fifth season with the Miami Heat.

’Dogs host Cal in Wednesday night match-up

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Noah Blackwell

Nate Grimes

Braxton Huggins

Chris Seeley

Deshon Taylor

New Williams

Fresno State Athletics

’Dogs host Cal in Wednesday night match-up

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Noah Blackwell

Nate Grimes

Braxton Huggins

Chris Seeley

Deshon Taylor

New Williams

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