'Dogs to host Wyoming in MW series

Saturday, January 2

Fresno, Calif.

4 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Wyoming

Orlando Robinson focused at the free throw line

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

'Dogs to host Wyoming in MW series

12/31/2020 9:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Series Preview: Wyoming at Fresno State (PDF)Gameday Program (Jan. 2-10, 2021)

Both games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Mountain West Series: Wyoming at Fresno State
Jan. 2, 2021 (4 p.m. PT) & Jan. 4, 2021 (6 p.m. PT) • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Online: Mountain West Network (Ralph Wood/Matt Norville/Gabe Camarillo)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Fresno State leads 20-11 (overall) & 13-2 (games played in Fresno)
Last Meeting: Fresno State 63, Wyoming 55 (2/29/20 • Fresno, Calif. • Save Mart Center)
Next up: vs. San Jose State (Jan. 8 & 10); at Nevada (Jan. 15 & 17)

Opening Tip

All-Mountain West candidate Orlando Robinson recorded a double-double in all four of the Bulldogs' games so far this season (15.8 ppg/11.5 rpg).
Three Bulldogs are averaging double-figures in scoring: Robinson (15.8 ppg), Isaiah Hill (11.3 ppg) and Deon Stroud (11.3 ppg).
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is in his third season back home in the San Joaquin Valley.
Since joining the MW in 2012, Fresno State has won the 2016 MW tournament championship to earn the league's automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament and finished as high as second and no lower than seventh in the conference standings.

Fresno State returns home for series with Cowboys
Fresno State (2-2, 0-2 Mountain West) returns home to the Save Mart Center for a two-game series with the Wyoming Cowboys (6-1, 0-0 MW), starting Saturday at 4 p.m. PT and concluding Monday at 6 p.m. PT. Both games will be on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Series History: Fresno State vs. Wyoming
This will be the 32nd and 33rd meetings in the all-time series between Fresno State and Wyoming with the Bulldogs holding a 20-11 advantage in the first 32 contests. Since joining the MW in 2012, Fresno State is 11-5 against Wyoming, including a 4-0 record in Hutson's tenure. The Bulldogs are 6-2 versus the Cowboys in games played at the Save Mart Center.

Robinson: A Double-Double Machine
Fresno State 7-foot sophomore forward Orlando Robinson has drawn inspiration from one of his former teammates - Nate Grimes - with a focus to also becoming a "double-double machine." Grimes, who is now playing professionally overseas for Kobrat (Finalnd), produced 25 career double-doubles (11 last season) over the course of four seasons playing for the Bulldogs (2015-20) and finished his collegiate career as the fourth-leading rebounding in MW history for most rebounds (445) in conference games.

Entering the series with Wyoming, Robinson has recorded a double-double in all four of Fresno State's games this season (nine in his Bulldog career). Robinson is the first Bulldog to have a double-double in four straight games since Dominic McGuire did so during the 2006-07 season (all four in March 2007). No Bulldog has had five double-doubles in a row since Quinton Hosley did so during the 2005-06 season (all five in December 2005). McGuire was a second-round selection as the 47th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards and played six seasons in the NBA, while Hosley played pro basketball internationally (2007-19).

New additions playing major factor in rotation
Fresno State has eight brand-new players on its roster this season, along with two players who redshirted the 2019-20 season for a total of 10 newcomers. Those eight brand-new additions have produced 63.9 percent of the Bulldogs' scoring offense (177 of 277 points) with the four new Division I transfers (Junior Ballard - Cal Poly, Devin Gage - DePaul, Isaiah Hill - Tulsa and Deon Stroud - UTEP) accounting for 46.6 percent (129 of 277 points) of that overall total scoring. Hill and Stroud are each averaging 11.3 points per game through the first four contests of the 2020-21 season.

Bulldog Breakdown: Situational Notes to Watch

Fresno State is seeking its second 3-0 home start in Hutson's tenure.
Fresno State is 10-0 in Hutson's tenure when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
Fresno State is 15-2 in Hutson's tenure when scoring at least 80 points.
Fresno State is 11-0 in Hutson's tenure when allowing under 60 points.
Fresno State is 3-5 in MW home openers, with a 1-1 record in Hutson's tenure (W, 78-67 vs. CSU • 1/5/19; L, 81-80 vs. UNLV [OT] • 12/4/19).
Through games played on Dec. 30, Fresno State's Orlando Robinson was one of 21 players in the nation with four double-doubles and tied for the ninth-most in the nation. Robinson is the only player in the country with a double-double in all of his teams' games (minimum four games played).

A look back at the Bulldogs' MW road starts
For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, Fresno State opened MW play on the road. In Hutson's tenure, the Bulldogs are 1-2 in MW openers -- all three road games (a 73-53 win at San Jose State on Jan. 2, 2019, a 61-52 loss at San Diego State on Jan. 1, 2020 and a 75-53 loss at Colorado State on Dec. 28, 2020). Since joining the league in 2012, Fresno State is now 2-7 all-time in MW openers and 2-7 in MW road openers.

Fresno State contending in the Mountain West
Since joining the Mountain West in 2012, Fresno State has won the 2016 conference tournament championship and finished as high as second in the regular season. The Bulldogs have finished no lower than seventh in league play in its first eight seasons in the Mountain West, which includes four top four finishes in the past five seasons. Fresno State is one of four MW programs to win 65 or more MW games in the last six seasons. In the last five MW campaigns, the 'Dogs have won an average of 11 MW contests per year, including twice going 13-5 against MW opponents, including Hutson's first season at Fresno State during the 2018-19 season.

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