Bulldogs open MW Tourney with Lobos

Wednesday, March 10

Las Vegas, Nev.

4 p.m. PT

Fresno State

New Mexico

Photo by: Kiel Maddox-USA TODAY Sports

Bulldogs open MW Tourney with Lobos

3/9/2021 4:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes: MW First Round - [6] Fresno State vs. [11] New Mexico (PDF)

Wednesday's game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

MW First Round: No. 11 New Mexico vs. No. 6 Fresno State
March 10, 2021 (4 p.m. PT) • Las Vegas, Nev. (Thomas & Mack Center)
TV/Online: Mountain West Network (Nate Kreckman / Marty Fletcher)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN (Paul Loeffler / Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Series tied 17-17 (overall) • Series tied 2-2 (neutral site games)
Last Meeting: Fresno State 65, New Mexico 55 (1/30/21 • Save Mart Center)
Last Meeting (MW Tournament): Fresno State 65, New Mexico 60 (3/9/17 • Las Vegas)

Opening Tip

Fresno State enters its first-round match-up in the 2021 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men's Basketball Championships having won eight of its last 10 games played against New Mexico, which includes a 65-60 MW quarterfinal win over the Lobos in Las Vegas back on March 9, 2017.
Fresno State surpassed preseason projections by the MW media, who picked the Bulldogs back in October to finish eighth in league play. Fresno State played a full 20-game MW schedule and finished alone in sixth place.
Second-team All-Mountain West honoree Orlando Robinson has nine double-doubles this season (14.5 ppg/9.0 rpg), which is third in the MW.
Three Bulldogs are averaging double-figures in scoring per game: Orlando Robinson (14.5 ppg), Deon Stroud (11.8 ppg) and Isaiah Hill (10.0 ppg).
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 won the 2016 MW tournament to earn the MW's automatic bid for the 2016 NCAA Tournament and finished as high as second and no lower than seventh in the MW standings.

Fresno State opens MW Tourney with New Mexico
No. 6-seed Fresno State (11-11, 9-11 Mountain West) opens the 2021 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men's Basketball Championships in a first-round match-up with No. 11-seed New Mexico (6-15, 2-15 MW) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT on the MW Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio. The winner of Wednesday's game will face No. 3 seed Colorado State in the MW quarterfinals on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network. No spectators will be in attendance due to health and safety concerns.

Series History: Fresno State vs. New Mexico
This will be the 35th meeting in the all-time series between Fresno State and New Mexico with the series tied 17-17 entering the first-round contest. Fresno State has won eight of the last 10 contests in the series, including a 5-1 record since Hutson took over as the Bulldogs' head coach in 2018. Fresno State beat UNM in the last game between the programs in the MW Tournament when Jahmel Taylor hit a critical 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining and then Deshon Taylor sealed the win at the free throw line for a 65-60 win in the MW quarterfinals on March 9, 2017. Fresno State and New Mexico are 2-2 all-time against each other when playing in neutral site games (1-1 in Las Vegas during the MW Tournament).

Robinson named second-team All-Mountain West
Fresno State sophomore forward Orlando Robinson earned second-team All-Mountain West honors in separate voting by both the conference's head coaches and a select media panel. Robinson averaged 14.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game during the Bulldogs' full 20-game conference schedule. In MW play, Robinson recorded seven of his nine double-doubles this season while scoring in double-digits in 16 of 20 MW games and grabbing 10 or more rebounds eight times against conference opponents. Robinson had a career-high 33 points in an 81-61 win over Wyoming on Jan. 4 and a career-best 16 rebounds in a 64-62 overtime win versus New Mexico on Jan. 28. Robinson was an honorable mention All-MW selection last season as a freshman (select MW media).

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 nine seasons in the Mountain West, which includes four top four finishes in the past six seasons. In those last six MW campaigns, the 'Dogs won an average of 10.8 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. Fresno State has averaged nearly 10 wins per season in Hutson's three-year tenure as the Bulldogs' head coach.

Bulldog Breakdown: Situational Notes to Watch

Fresno State has made at least 10 3-pointers in five games this season, including three of its last four games for a total of 37 in those four contests.
Fresno State is 4-1 this season in games decided by a single possession.
Fresno State has won its last nine games with a better assist-to-turnover ratio than its opponent (8-0 this season).
Fresno State has led at halftime in each of its last four games.
Fresno State is 8-0 in his first two seasons at Fresno State (5-0 this season) when Anthony Holland scores at least eight points in a game.

Bulldog Player Spotlights

In the last four games, four Bulldog sophomores have averaged at least eight points per game, led by Isaiah Hill (13.3 ppg), plus Orlando Robinson (12.5 ppg), Deon Stroud (11.5 ppg) and Anthony Holland (8.8 ppg).
In the last four games, Hill (16-for-17 FT) and Robinson (14-for-17 FT) have combined to make 88.2 percent of their free throw attempts (30-for-34 FT).
In Fresno State's two wins over UNM earlier this season, Junior Ballard averaged 17.0 points (8-for-15 3FG) in those contests played in Fresno.
Through games played on March 8, Fresno State's Orlando Robinson was one of 30 players in the nation with nine double-doubles and tied for the 25th-most nationally (third-most double-doubles in the MW).
Fresno State sophomore point guard Isaiah Hill currently ranks second in program history for single-season free throw percentage (49-55, 89.1 percent), with a chance to track down the Bulldogs' all-time single-season leader, Paul George (120-132, 90.9 percent) -- minimum two made free throws per team game. George played at Fresno State from 2008-10.

Bulldogs play full 20-game Mountain West schedule
Fresno State was one of three MW teams to play a full 20-game conference schedule prior to heading to the 2021 MW Basketball Championships, which will be held March 10-13 in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Bulldogs had two games postponed (a road game at Boise State and a home game against Utah State), which were later rescheduled for the first week of March. No spectators will be in attendance during the conference tournament due to health and safety concerns.

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