Friday Night Basketball in Vegas

Game 16: Fresno State (11-4, 1-1 MW) at UNLV (9-6, 1-1 MW)
Jan. 14, 2022 • 8 p.m. PT • Las Vegas • Thomas & Mack Center
TV/ONLINE: FS1 (Daron Sutton & Doug Gottlieb)
RADIO: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler & Marc Q. Jones)
SERIES HISTORY: UNLV leads 33-16 (overall) & 20-6 (games in Las Vegas)
LAST MEETING: UNLV 68, Fresno State 67 [2/26/21 • Thomas & Mack Center • Las Vegas]
NEXT UP: vs. Utah State (1/18); at Nevada (1/21); at New Mexico (1/25)

THE BREAKDOWN

Fresno State Athletics is celebrating its centennial year and the 2021-22 men's basketball season is the 100th season of competition in program history.
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is now in his fourth season back home in the San Joaquin Valley.
Fresno State (11-4) and UNLV (9-6) will face off on Friday night in Las Vegas.
As of Jan. 13, the Bulldogs are ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (55.9 PPG).

OPENING TIP

The Fresno State men's basketball team visits the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Friday at 8 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center on FS1 (television) and the Bulldog Sports Network (radio).
Fresno State leads the MW and ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense (55.9 ppg allowed).
Fresno State also leads the MW in rebounding defense (29.1/avg) and turnover margin (+3.40).
As of Jan. 13, Fresno State ranked 22nd in the nation in turnovers committed per game (10.3).
Fresno State has limited its opponents to fewer than 70 points in 14 of its 15 games this season.

ROBINSON'S PRODUCTION COMPARES TO THE BEST IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Through games played on Jan. 11, Fresno State junior forward Orlando Robinson was ranked fourth in KenPom's 2022 Player of the Year Standings with a 1.372 kPOY rating.
With 1,008 career points, Orlando Robinson (19.5 ppg/8.3 rpg) enters the game ranked 32nd on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list - 25 points away from climbing into the Top 30 all-time in program history.
Robinson was named to the Mid-Season Watch List for the 2021-22 Lute Olson National Player of the Year.

Fresno State junior forward Orlando Robinson has never been shy about his ambitions and goals. And before the start of the 2021-22 season, Robinson shared that one of those is to earn Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. While his offense continues to shine, Robinson has also elevated his defensive production. Robinson, a Las Vegas native, is a 2021-22 preseason All-MW selection and earned 2020-21 second-team All-MW and NABC All-District honors, along with 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District and MW Scholar Athlete honors.

NOTHING BUT NET

Through games played on Jan. 12, Fresno State was No. 51 in the NCAA's NET rankings.
Fresno State has been as high as No. 50 this season in the NET (through games played on Dec. 27).
Fresno State checked in at No. 93 in the NCAA's first NET rankings release of the 2021-22 season on Dec. 5.
In nonconference play, Fresno State played four NET Top 100 teams (2-2 record).
Fresno State has two Quad 2 wins: vs. Santa Clara (59-52, neutral); vs. UC Irvine (63-55, home)
Six Mountain West teams are currently in the Top 64 of the NCAA's NET rankings (five in Top 60).
The NCAA's NET rankings assist the NCAA Tournament selection committee seed and select at-large bids.

BULLDOGS VISIT RUNNIN' REBELS UNDER THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Fresno State trails the all-time series with UNLV, 33-16 (overall) and 20-6 (in Las Vegas), but all six of those road wins have come since the Bulldogs joined the MW in 2012.
Fresno State has won eight of its last 11 meetings between the programs, with all three of those losses coming by a single point in the last two seasons.
The last four games played between Fresno State and UNLV have been decided by a single possession.
This is the first of five straight Friday nights that the Bulldogs currently have conference games scheduled.

ROBINSON NAMED TO MID-SEASON WATCH LIST FOR 2021-22 LUTE OLSON AWARD
Fresno State's Orlando Robinson was named to the Mid-Season Watch List for the 2021-22 Lute Olson National Player of the Year award on Jan. 12, 2022. Robinson is one of 30 players included on the watch list for the award, which is presented annually to the top player in Division I college basketball, and named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at Arizona, and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Through the first two months of the 2021-22 season, Robinson has produced at an elite level (19.5 PPG/8.3 RPG) while helping lead the Bulldogs to an 11-4 record and a Top 60 national ranking in the NCAA's NET evaluation tool.

TRENDING

Fresno State is 9-1 when Jordan Campbell has scored at least 10 points in that game (nine straight wins).
Fresno State's Isaiah Hill has made a 3-point field goal in each of the last six games, including two each in each of the last three contests.
Fresno State has held four teams this season to 20 points or less in the first half (FPU, USD, CSUN, WSU).
Fresno State has forced 70 first-half turnovers in its last eight games (averaging 8.8/game in that stretch).
Fresno State has attempted an average of 19.9 free throws (15.0 FTM/GM, 150-199 FT, .754) in non-road games (home + neutral) versus 8.0 free throw attempts (5.2 FTM/GM, 26-40 FT, .650) in true road games.

HOLLAND GROWING INTO EVEN BIGGER ROLE

Fresno State junior Anthony Holland scored a career-best 20 points with 11 rebounds and five assists for his second career double-double in the Bulldogs' 79-59 home win over San Jose State on Jan. 11, 2022.
Fresno State junior Anthony Holland leads the Bulldogs in 3-point field goal percentage (19-41, 46.4%).
Fresno State junior Anthony Holland leads the Bulldogs in assist-to-turnover ratio (21-5, 4.2 A-TO).
Fresno State is 13-2 when Holland scores nine or more points (14-3 when he scores eight or more points).
Holland was unavailable for the Bulldogs' Dec. 28 MW opener at Boise State (health & safety protocols).
In the 2021 MW Tournament, Holland played 78 of the possible 80 minutes with six assists and just one turnover. Holland also recorded a double-double (15 points/10 rebounds) in a first round win over UNM.

BRINGING THE HEAT ON DEFENSE
Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson has been known throughout his career as a great defensive coach. In his first season at Fresno State (2018-19), the Bulldogs ranked 24th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (225-735, 30.6 percent). This season, Hutson and the 'Dogs have dialed up the intensity again and ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense (55.9 points allowed per game) and 47th in field goal percentage defense (295-746, 39.5 percent) through games played on Jan. 12.

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 -- twice going 13-5 against MW opponents, including Hutson's first season at Fresno State during the 2018-19 season. Fresno State averaged nearly 10 conference victories per season in Hutson's first three seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.

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