Fresno State hopes to build on last season’s success

Fresno State was picked by the media to finish fifth in the Mountain West last season, and the Bulldogs were largely overlooked when they opened conference play at UNLV on Dec. 30.

But then Fresno State upset the Rebels 69-66 to send UNLV into a tailspin and provide hope for the Bulldogs.

“We knew we were going to have to come in and play at a very high level and on their home court,” Fresno State coach Rodney Terry said. “We did. We competed really hard. We were fortunate enough to come out of there with a win that night. That was a really big win for us in terms of confidence, guys trusting the process and saying, ‘If we work hard, play hard, we do have a chance in this league to be highly competitive this year.’

“I think from that point on, we never really looked back in terms of our confidence and the psyche of our team.”

The Bulldogs went on to finish second in the Mountain West, and then beat regular-season champion San Diego State 68-63 in the league tournament final to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Hopes are a little higher this season for Fresno State. The Bulldogs, who last season finished 25-10 (13-5 MW), were picked fourth by the media.

They return three starters, but lost their top two scorers, Marvelle Harris and Torren Jones, who combined to average 31.2 points.

Last season showed Fresno State what can be accomplished. The question is whether the Bulldogs will build on that experience this season.

“We talk about last year’s team as that team,” Terry said. “This is a new team with a new identity. I like this team. I like the blend of talent that we have. We’ve got good young guys, and we’ve got good experience in the frontcourt.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.