'Dogs host Eagles, Paul George Day

Sunday, November 10

Fresno, CA

2:00 PM PT

Fresno State

Winthrop

Tickets

Photo by: Cary Edmondson

'Dogs host Eagles, Paul George Day

11/8/2019 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes: Winthrop at Fresno State (PDF)

The Save Mart Center Box Office will open at 10 a.m. PT on gameday with tickets starting at $10, plus the special 4 for $24 ticket package and $24 club seats (must purchase a minimum of two club seats) also available (while supplies last).

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Game 2: Winthrop (1-0) at Fresno State (0-1)
Nov. 10, 2019 • 2 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
-- Paul George Day (Jersey Retirement • Halftime Ceremony) --
Online: Mountain West Network (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: First Meeting
Next Up: at San Diego (Nov. 12); vs. CSUSB (Nov. 17); at CSUN (Nov. 30); vs. UNLV (Dec. 4)
Fresno State's 2018-19 Final NCAA NET Ranking: No. 82

Opening Tip

Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is in his second season after winning 23 games in his first season back home in the San Joaquin Valley.
Hutson was named the 2018-19 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year.
Hutson, a Bakersfield native, had spent 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 four seasons (five of the past six seasons) and joined the Mountain West in 2012.

Bulldogs to play three preseason AP Top 25 teams early

Fresno State is one of two teams (No. 1 Michigan State) in the nation scheduled to play three teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 poll in the first eight games of the 2019-20 season.
Fresno State opened the season at No. 15/14 Oregon on Tuesday, and then plays No. 20/20 Saint Mary's College in Sacramento at Golden 1 Center on Nov. 20 and visits No. 17/19 Utah State on Dec. 7.

A proven winner and consistent contender in the Mountain West

Fresno State has won the second-most MW games in the last three seasons (35) and in the last four seasons (48).
Fresno State is one of three programs (Nevada and San Diego State) with 58 or more MW wins in the last five seasons.
Fresno State is the only program to earn a MW Tournament first-round bye in each of the past five seasons.
Fresno State is one of two programs, along with San Diego State, with a .500 record or better in MW play in each of the last six seasons.
Fresno State is the only team to win at least 10 MW games in each of the last five seasons.

Fresno State hosts Winthrop on Paul George Day
Fresno State, who went 23-9 last season, returns to the Save Mart Center for its home opener against the Big South's Winthrop Eagles on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio. This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs, who lost 71-57 at No. 15/14 Oregon on Tuesday, and Eagles, who won 67-57 at Hartford on Thursday in their opener. Tickets start at $10 for the game.

Fresno State to retire Paul George's jersey during home opener
Paul George, a six-time NBA All-Star and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, will have his No. 24 jersey retired during the Fresno State men's basketball team's Nov. 10 regular season home opener. George, a native of Palmdale, Calif., has become a bonafide NBA superstar after shining for two seasons at Fresno State before being drafted No. 10 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. George spent his first seven seasons (2010-17) in the NBA with the Pacers, and then two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19) before becoming a member of the Los Angeles Clippers this summer. George will attend and be celebrated during a halftime jersey retirement ceremony and Nov. 10 will be Paul George Day at the Save Mart Center. George is the second former Fresno State men's basketball student-athlete to be honored with a jersey retirement, joining former Bulldog coach and student-athlete Jerry Tarkanian (#2 jersey retired on March 1, 2014). A special 4 for $24 offer, which includes four Nov. 10 game tickets, is on sale now through the Bulldog Ticket Office.

Hutson: 2018-19 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson was named the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year on April 5 by the College Insider Awards at the 2019 Final Four in Minneapolis. Hutson, who earned the nation's best record (23-9, .719 winning percentage) by a first-time Division I head coach during the 2018-19 season, was recognized with the national award, which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball.

Bulldog Bones

During the Justin Hutson era, Fresno State has outscored autonomy-five conference schools (TCU, Northwestern, Miami, Cal and Oregon) by a combined score of 375-358 (+17).
Fresno State was one of 18 programs in the nation to average over 10 made 3-pointers per game during the 2018-19 season (10.9/gm; 9th nationally).
During the Justin Hutson era, Fresno State has only lost twice by more than 10 points (once during the 2018-19 season and once in 2019-20).
Last season, Fresno State had one NCAA Quadrant 1 NET road win (at Utah State, 78-77, Jan. 9, 2019) -- one of two MW teams with seven MW road wins.

Grimes' hard work has fifth-year senior rising
Fresno State fifth-year senior forward/center Nate Grimes is back for his final season at Fresno State and enters the 2019-20 season as a strong all-conference candidate in the Mountain West. Grimes is one of two MW players, along with Colorado State's Nico Carvacho, to average a double-double (11.8 points/10.2 rebounds) during league play in 2018-19. On the defensive end of the floor, the 225-pound Grimes is also a rim protector, who averaged a block and a half per game to post the second-best shot-blocking clip in the MW last season.

Williams focused on consistency, dialing up pressure
Fresno State fifth-year senior guard New Williams, who was a McDonald's All-America nominee out of Santa Monica High School and began his college career at Auburn, has spent countless hours in the gym to become a more consistent offensive threat and dial up the pressure on defense. Williams played in all 32 games (8.2 points/3.2 rebounds/1.0 assists per game in 2018-19) for the 'Dogs last season with some big efforts, especially an important 24-point output on Jan. 30 at Wyoming and the go-ahead steal and dunk in the final minute at San Diego State to lead to two of the Bulldogs' co-leading seven conference road wins.

Protecting the Yard

Fresno State is 181-78 (69.9 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State is 78-22 overall at home since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Fresno State has won 27 of its last 36 home games.
Fresno State has won 37 of its last 47 home games.
Fresno State has won 46 of its last 57 home games.
Fresno State has won 18 of its last 20 non-conference home games.
Fresno State has won at least 11 home games in six straight seasons.

Hutson in elite company
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is one of five head coaches in program history (out of 19) to have started his career with at least 20 wins in his first season and one of two (Jerry Tarkanian) with 22 or more wins in his first season. Hutson (23-9) joined the elite group of Ed Gregory (21-8), Boyd Grant (21-7), Ray Lopes (20-8) and Jerry Tarkanian (22-11). Gregory (1965-66) and Lopes (2002-03) won conference championships in their first seasons, while Grant is the Bulldogs' all-time winningest head coach (194 wins, 1977-86) and Tarkanian went to postseason in all seven of his seasons coaching at his alma mater (1995-2002). Hutson was named the 2018-19 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year, which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball.

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