'Dogs host SJSU for two-game series

Friday, January 8

Fresno, Calif.

6 p.m. PT

Fresno State

San Jose State

Save Mart Center, arena inside photo, no fans, lights out

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

'Dogs host SJSU for two-game series

1/7/2021 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Gameday Program (Jan. 2-10, 2021)Notes: San Jose State at Fresno State (PDF)

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: San Jose State at Fresno State
Jan. 8, 2021 (6 p.m. PT) & Jan. 10, 2021 (4 p.m. PT) • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Online: Mountain West Network (Ralph Wood/Matt Norville)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Fresno State leads 94-77 (overall) & 56-36 (games played in Fresno)
Last Meeting: Fresno State 84, San Jose State 78 [OT] (2/12/20 • San Jose, Calif.)
Next up: at Nevada (Jan. 15 & 17); at Boise State (Jan. 20 & 22); vs. UNM (Jan. 28 & 30)

Opening Tip

All-Mountain West candidate Orlando Robinson has had a double-double in five of the Bulldogs' six games this season (18.5 ppg/10.7 rpg).
In Fresno State's last game, Robinson scored a career-high 33 points with 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to an 81-61 win over Wyoming.
Three Bulldogs are averaging double-figures in scoring per game: Orlando Robinson (18.5 ppg), Deon Stroud (12.5 ppg) and Isaiah Hill (11.2 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 hosts Spartans for two-game series
Fresno State (3-3, 1-3 Mountain West) finishes a four-game homestand at the Save Mart Center with a two-game series with the San Jose State Spartans (2-6, 0-4 MW), starting Friday at 6 p.m. PT and concluding Sunday at 4 p.m. PT. Both games will be on Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Series History: Fresno State vs. San Jose State
This will be the 172nd and 173rd meetings in the all-time series between Fresno State and San Jose State with the Bulldogs holding a 94-77 advantage in the first 171 contests (56-36 in games played in Fresno). Since joining the MW in 2012, Fresno State is 11-2 against San Jose State, including a 4-0 record in Hutson's tenure. The Bulldogs are 14-1 versus the Spartans 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 San Jose State, Robinson has recorded a double-double in all five of Fresno State's six games this season (10 in his Bulldog career). Robinson was 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 (256 of 432 points) with the four new Division I transfers (Junior Ballard - Cal Poly, Devin Gage - DePaul, Isaiah Hill - Tulsa and Deon Stroud - UTEP) accounting for 45.1 percent (195 of 432 points) of that overall total scoring. Hill and Stroud are each averaging over 11 points per game through the first six contests of the 2020-21 season.

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.

Bulldog Breakdown: Situational Notes to Watch

Fresno State is 11-0 in Hutson's tenure when shooting 50 percent or better from the field (2-0 this season).
Fresno State is 20-6 in Hutson's tenure when holding its opponent to under 40 percent from the field (3-0 this season).
Fresno State is 16-2 in Hutson's tenure when scoring at least 80 points (2-0 this season).
Fresno State is 26-8 in Hutson's tenure when allowing under 70 points (3-0 this season).
Fresno State is 11-0 in Hutson's tenure when allowing under 60 points.
Through games played on Jan. 6, Fresno State's Orlando Robinson was one of 14 players in the nation with five double-doubles and tied for the ninth-most in the nation.
Robinson is also second in the nation in double-doubles per game (five in six) - trailing only Saint Louis' Jordan Goodwin (seven in eight).

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