Pacific Battles Fresno State for 8th Straight Season
By Josh Horton
For the eighth straight season, the Pacific Tigers will battle Fresno State in a developing Mountain West-WCC rivalry.
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2014
Location: Spanos Center, Stockton, Calif.
Time: 7:00 PM PST
TV: Thew.tv
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The Tigers and the Bulldogs are familiar foes, as the two teams have matched up seven times, switching off between the Spanos Center and the Steve Mart center in Fresno every season until recently, where Pacific has hosted the game two season in a row (2013 and 2014). The series started out with Fresno State winning the first two games in 2007 and 2008, Pacific taking the win in 2009 and 2010, then FSU claiming the next two in 2011 and 2012 before the Tigers reclaimed control of the series with a nine point victory at home last season. If the pattern were to continue, the Tigers will be victorious over the Bulldogs tonight. However, games are not played on paper, as you know.
With that being said, here’s a closer look at Fresno State.
Meet Fresno State (4-7)
Nov 14, 2014; Malibu, CA, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs forward Karachi Edo (4) is called for basket interference as he attempts to tip a ball in over Pepperdine Waves guard Shawn Olden (21) during the second half at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Pepperdine Waves defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs 89-74. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs have really struggled this season, posting a 4-7 record thus far. Fresno State does boast a nice win over UC Irvine and a close performance versus California, where the Bulldogs only lost by seven points to a talented Pac-12 team.
Marvelle Harris is the team’s go-to-guy, as the junior guard averages 16.1 points. Harris leads the team in every major statistical category, aside from blocks.
Three other Bulldogs average double-figure points alongside Harris, as Paul Watson, Karachi Edo and Julien Lewis average 11.8, 11.6 and 1.3 points respectively.
Fresno State is extremely thin in the frontcourt, as its tallest starting player is the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Braeden Anderson, a wide-bodied player with limited offensive game. Presuambley, the 7-foot-1 Sami Eleraky will give the Bulldogs fits just based on his size advantage.
In the backcourt, Watson, who is 6-foot-7, will be a matchup nightmare with his size and scoring ability. Edo, who will likely go head-to-head with Eric Thompson, is a strong, but undersized power forward that can do the dirty work.
The Key to a Pacific Win:
- Keep Fresno State out of the paint and on the perimeter
The Bulldogs possess a ton of strong players that can will there way inside the paint and finish around the basket. However, Fresno State is abysmal perimeter shooting team its highest 3-point percentage at 36.8 percent (Watson) and a team average of 28.0 percent.
If the Tigers force the Bulldogs out of their comfort zone and Fresno State chucks up a bunch of 3-pointers, Pacific’s chances for victory are looking pretty solid.
Prediction
While Fresno State has some players that can really fill it up, Pacific is too well-rounded to falter against the Bulldogs. Pacific wins 74-66. ‘