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Who will move on to face No. 1 Utah State?
WHO: No. 9 Fresno State Bulldogs (11-20, 4-14 Mountain West) vs. No. 9 Wyoming Cowboys (15-16, 8-10 Mountain West)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 12th — 12:00 p.m. MST / 11:00 p.m. PST
WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center; Las Vegas, NV
STREAM: TheMW.com
SERIES RECORD: Fresno State leads the series 22-17
LAST MEETING: Wyoming won 86-47
ODDS: Wyoming -7.5
Just four days ago these two teams met for their regular season finale in Fresno as Wyoming embarrassed the Bulldogs on their home floor in a 39-point victory for the Cowboys.
Now these two meet again for a chance to face the No.1 Seed Utah State Aggies. For the Bulldogs, a lot more is on the line than just advancing as Head Coach Justin Hutson may be out unless the Dogs make a run in Vegas. For Wyoming this could be a momentum builder as we have seen this program make a run in Vegas before. Can they do it again?
https://twitter.com/wyo_mbb/status/1767741650447876344
Players to Watch For:
F- Mason Walters –Wyoming
The Senior Forward is arguably coming off one of his best games of the season. Walters was a problem for the Bulldogs a couple of days ago dropping 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Walters dominated on the glass and inside the paint which will be a big factor for a Wyoming win. Can he repeat what he did a couple of days ago?
G- Xavier Dusell – Fresno State
Dusell the former Wyoming Cowboy will get another shot at taking down his former team. The Senior Guard is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 ppg and shooting 42 percent from the field. If the Bulldogs are going to have any chance at advancing to the quarterfinals they have to get Dusell going, Before last Saturday’s game, Dusell had scored in double digits in eight straight games. Four days ago he finished with six points going 2-10 from the field. Can he bounce back and give the Bulldogs some much-needed offense?
https://twitter.com/FresnoStateMBB/status/1766620034359857207
Keys to the Game:
Wyoming:
It’s really simple for the Cowboys to do what you did a couple of days ago. Control the inside game, get off to a strong start, and force the Bulldogs to shoot the basketball. Wyoming did a great job last time with 44 points inside the paint they also did a great job forcing the Bulldogs to take a lot of difficult shots. They also controlled the glass with a 41-29 rebound advantage. If Wyoming can win the inside game and space the floor by moving the ball around and hitting shots from the outside this game can be a repeat of the last time these two teams met.
Fresno State
For the Bulldogs can you mentally get over the last game? It’s not easy to play the team you just saw that beat you by 39 points on your home floor four days later. If the Dogs are going to have any chance at this game it’s going to start with their two guards being aggressive and creating offense. The two leading scorers Senior Isaiah Hill and Dusell can’t combine for 5-25 from the field with 12 total points.
Both of these guys need to set the tone early and get some flow on offense. Defensively it’s simple the Budllosg have to do a better job defending the inside and crashing the glass. They have to play with more fire and energy or their season will be over real quick.
https://twitter.com/MountainWest/status/1766703346843636146
Predictions:
This game will be a little different from the last time out but I believe Bulldogs just don’t have enough fire and energy to keep up with Wyoming in the second half. The Bulldogs know this could be Justin Hutson last game and it’s time for a new era of Bulldogs basketball. Wyoming has multiple players that can create and find their own offense which will be a key factor in this one. The Pokes should pull this one out in the second half.
https://twitter.com/samurai_hoops/status/1766644922088632821
Prediction: Bulldogs 57- 72 Cowboys
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