'Dogs host Aggies in home series

Thursday, February 4

Fresno, Calif.

6 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Utah State

Photo by: CARY EDMONDSON - FRESNO STATE

'Dogs host Aggies in home series

2/3/2021 12:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Program: Utah State at Fresno State Game Notes: Utah State at Fresno State (PDF)

Fresno State enters the series with Utah State on a five-game home winning streak.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Mountain West Series: Utah State at Fresno State
Feb. 4, 2021 (6 p.m. PT) & Feb. 6, 2021 (7 p.m. PT) • Fresno, CA (Save Mart Center)
TV [Game 1]: Stadium/Mountain West Network/CW59 (Bob Akamian/Richie Schueler)
TV [Game 2]: FS1 (Bob Akamian/Richie Schueler)
Radio [Both Games]: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Utah State leads 39-25 (overall) • Fresno State leads 16-11 (in Fresno)
Last Meeting: Utah State 71, Fresno State 59 (2/15/20 • Fresno, Calif.)
Next up: at Air Force (Feb. 11 & 13); vs. San Diego State (Feb. 18 & 20)

Opening Tip

Fresno State enters its two-game series with Utah State on a five-game home winning streak. The Bulldogs are 7-1 at home this season.
All-Mountain West candidate Orlando Robinson has six double-doubles this season (15.5 ppg/9.9 rpg).
Three Bulldogs are averaging double-figures in scoring per game: Orlando Robinson (15.5 ppg), Deon Stroud (13.2 ppg) and Isaiah Hill (10.2 ppg).
From Jan. 4-10, Fresno State won three consecutive MW games by at least 15 points or more for the second time since joining the conference in 2012.
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., 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.

Bulldog Breakdown: Situational Notes to Watch

During MW play, Fresno State is averaging 2.2 more offensive rebounds per game than its opponent (125 offensive rebounds to 101 allowed).
Fresno State is 65th in the nation in offensive rebounding (11.8/game) and 101st in rebounding margin (+3/game).
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 22-7 in Hutson's tenure when holding its opponent to under 40 percent from the field (5-1 this season).
Fresno State is 17-2 in Hutson's tenure when scoring at least 80 points (3-0 this season).
Fresno State is 30-8 in Hutson's tenure when allowing under 70 points (7-0 this season).
Fresno State is 12-0 in Hutson's tenure when allowing under 60 points.
Through games played on Feb. 2, Fresno State's Orlando Robinson was one of 32 players in the nation with six double-doubles and tied for the 26th-most in the nation (tied for second in the MW).

Protecting the yard

Fresno State enters the series with a 7-1 record at home this season.
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by +13.9 points per home game with a +7.4 rebounding margin at the Save Mart Center this season.
Fresno State is seeking its first six-game home win streak in MW play since winning its final eight MW home games in 2016, which started a 13-game MW home streak spanning from Jan. 6, 2016 to Feb. 1, 2017.
Fresno State is 195-86 (69.4 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State put streak on the line, host Aggies
Fresno State (7-6, 5-6 Mountain West) is hosting Utah State (13-5, 10-2 MW) for a two-game series, which starts on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT on Stadium, the Mountain West Network, CW59 (in Fresno) and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Series History: Fresno State vs. Utah State
This will be the 65th and 66th meetings in the all-time series between Fresno State and Utah State with the Aggies having a 39-25 advantage in the previous games in the series. USU has won the last four contests between the programs, with the Bulldogs' last win coming in a 78-77 thriller in Logan when Braxton Huggins crossed over Sam Merrill for the game-winner. Fresno State is also seeking its first home win over Utah State defeating the Aggies 75-68 on Feb. 20, 2016. Since joining the MW in 2012, Fresno State is 5-8 against Utah State, which includes a 1-4 record in Hutson's tenure.

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 (Finland), 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, Robinson has recorded six double-double this season (11 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). Robinson's last double-double came in a Jan. 8 win over SJSU.

Soaring into the Stroud-osphere
Fresno State sophomore guard Deon Stroud is the Bulldogs' leading scorer in MW home games this season (15.5 ppg) -- shooting 53.4 percent from the field (31-for-58), with a 50 percent clip from downtown (8-for-16 3FGA).

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. In the last five MW campaigns, the 'Dogs 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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