V. Conference Tournament
With a record of 25-9 overall and 13-5 in conference play, Fresno State earned a No. 2 seed in the Mountain West men’s basketball tournament and a first-round bye.
But Bulldog players paid close attention to one first round matchup in particular — Air Force vs. UNLV — to decide who Fresno State played in the quarterfinals.
“Air Force gave our team a lot of trouble that year,” then-Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. “We’re watching this game because we play the winner. Our guys are literally sitting there, cheering really hard for UNLV to win the game.”
UNLV and Air Force went into triple overtime before the Rebels pulled it out on their home floor, 108-102. Up next was round three against the Bulldogs. Some media members wondered if Fresno State could defeat an athletic UNLV team a third time.
“Going into the quarterfinal, there was a concern because you had to beat UNLV on their home court and you had to play them a third time,” 940 ESPN color commentator Randy Rosenbloom said. “But what I remember vividly was that UNLV could not stop Fresno State. The Bulldogs got out of that game quickly and were really never challenged. You never thought they were going to lose that game.”
Fresno State never fell behind UNLV, putting up 95 points with five scorers in double figures in a quarterfinal victory.
“Everybody was locked in,” point guard Cezar Guerrero said. “We were so set on our goal of winning the championship, so we couldn’t let anything deter us from getting it. We were sharing the ball, we meshed and we felt we were the best team in the conference.”
Up next was a semifinal matchup against Colorado State, a game nothing like its high-scoring predecessor.
“The Colorado State game was a grinder,” Rosenbloom said. “It was not a fun game to call, and it wasn’t a fun game to watch.”
Fresno State shot 31% as a team in the first half against Colorado State. The Rams fared no better, shooting 28.6% and leading by one, 33-32.
In a game where the shots weren’t falling, Fresno State’s defense stepped up and allowed the Bulldogs to regain control of the second half.
The Bulldogs pulled off the semifinal win, 64-56, by limiting Colorado State to a season-low 56 points. Fresno State chipped away at the Rams with a strong paint attack, and guard Julien Lewis scored 11 points after halftime to set up a championship game rubber match against San Diego State.
Many Red Wave members drove to Las Vegas that same night.
“We were up for San Diego State,” Guerrero said. “It’s the championship game, and I don’t think anyone on that team had ever been there before. We were amped, and we received a lot of support from Bulldog fans.”
Players and coaches remembered the competitive energy between both teams, and neither side tried to hide it.
“We knew they had it out to get us, but at the same time, we weren’t hiding from them,” Harris said.
“San Diego State recruited me coming out of high school, so it’s always been a chip on my shoulder,” Karachi Edo said. “I went to Fresno State for a reason, and I wanted to show them why I chose to go there. My deal was to finish everything above the rim, box out and help my teammates out.”
Even with the competitive and emotional aspect, on the eve of the championship game, Fresno State locked in on its goal, then-assistant coach Kenton Paulino said.
“The night before, there was a focus the team had,” Paulino said. “They knew what type of game it was gonna be, a slugfest, and they knew what was on the line — an NCAA tournament bid.”
When Fresno State and San Diego State tipped off, it started a back-and-forth game that, to Terry, remains a clinic of Mountain West basketball.
It was a back-and-forth game, with the Bulldogs countering the Aztecs’ Malik Pope and Winston Shepard with their own star player, Marvelle Harris. The senior scored 18 points in the final.
“In the championship game, Marvelle had it going,” Guerrero said. “There was a spurt where he was automatic. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year, so you’ve got to give it to your best player.”
The Aztecs took a 62-61 lead with 3:27 remaining in the game. Neither side scored for almost a full two minutes.
“It was a close game,” Harris said. “We were back and forth, and it was crazy because I honestly think we could’ve won that game easier, but Julien wasn’t having a good game. He couldn’t buy a basket, and this was the first game I saw him get frustrated, but he never showed it.”
Lewis was 0-for-8 from the field until he stole a San Diego State pass, took the ball himself in transition and pulled up from the 3-point line with 1:36 left.
“I see Julien dribble up the floor,” Fresno Bee reporter Robert Kuwada said. “I’m looking around thinking who’s he going to pass it to, and there’s no way he shoots it. And then he lines up and shoots it right in front of me. It was pure the whole way.”
Fresno State led 64-62 when both teams made free throws. Leading 66-63 with 23 seconds left, the Bulldogs made a game-clinching defensive stop. Karachi Edo blocked Jeremy Hemsley’s attempted jumper. Lewis gained possession of the ball and was fouled with eight seconds to go.
“I remember him running to the camera and waving goodbye,” Harris said. “Like this game is over.”
Except Lewis wasn’t taunting. He was only keeping a promise he made before the game.
“My grandmother told me to wave at the camera when I walked in front of one, so that she would know I’m waving to her,” Lewis said. “I did that for her.”
Lewis sank both free throws to seal Fresno State’s Mountain West tournament championship, 68-63, over San Diego State.
“We had finally climbed to the mountaintop, on the main stage against the premier team in the league,” Terry said.
After the buzzer sounded, each person on the team celebrated in a different way.
“For that first four or five seconds after the game, you’re kind of lost and looking around, like ‘Who do you go hug?’ ” Paulino said.
“I ran to Marvelle and I told him that we did it because it’s something that we’ve spoken about since I got there my sophomore year,” Guerrero said.
“Cezar was the first person I hugged, and we were just running around, having fun,” Edo said. “The supporters came on the floor, and they were hugging us. Then we cut the nets, and they had to call me over because I was busy taking pictures with supporters.”
“My mom and dad were at that game, and she came down to give me a big hug and we were crying,” Terry said.
And celebrating around the players on the court was the Red Wave in the crowd. Cheers erupted among the ardent supporters who watched a team grow before their eyes.
“I think that run said to the Red Wave and to the Valley that those kinds of things can happen at Fresno State,” Loeffler said. “They happened before, and now they finally happened again. And I do believe we’ll see that happen again in the near future.”
After winning the Mountain West tournament and securing the school’s first NCAA men’s basketball tournament bid in 15 years, how did the Bulldogs celebrate?
A bus ride back to Fresno almost immediately after the game ended.
The celebration was short-lived. A new challenge awaited them in March Madness.
VI. The Big Dance
Fresno State settled in on Selection Sunday wondering where the NCAA tournament committee would place it on the bracket.
“We felt like we were a No. 13 seed at worst, but we ended up being a No. 14 seed and we were going to play a Utah team that we were excited about competing against,” Terry said.
No. 14 Fresno State played No. 3 Utah, a team that featured 7-foot center Jakob Poeltl and future Los Angeles Laker and NBA champion Kyle Kuzma.
“That was one of those matchups you thought maybe the Bulldogs could have drawn a little better seed and not had to go up with a team that was playing so well at that time,” Loeffler said.
Schematically, Utah possessed a zone defense that the Bulldogs had to prepare for. The size difference was another factor since 6-foot-6 Karachi Edo was tasked with guarding Poeltl in their matchup.
“Jakob Poeltl was a big deal because Fresno State didn’t have anybody near his size,” Fresno Bee reporter Robert Kuwada said.
Even with the tough opponent ahead of them, the Bulldogs felt confident on their eight-game winning streak that they could play with anybody in the country, Guerrero said.
“We were all hoping for some brackets to be busted,” Guerrero said.
Guard Jahmel Taylor recognized the importance of the upcoming moment when they arrived at the airport.
“It was very different from normal travel to away games,” Taylor said. “It was a pretty big experience flying in a private plane.”
When the Bulldogs arrived in Denver, they found celebrity status.
“We were treated like superstars,” Marvelle Harris said. “I believe we had our own hotel dedicated to Fresno State. We had our fans in there, our band in there, our cheerleaders in there and everyone else. We had a shoot around at the Denver Nuggets’ arena.”
“The whole world is watching you in March Madness,” Terry said. “Once you get to the NCAA tournament, you’re going to want more because you elevate your rockstar status the further you advance.
Utah made it difficult for Fresno State in the first half, building a 33-22 lead at halftime. But the Bulldogs went on a 15-4 run in the second half, capped by a Lewis 3-pointer, to take a 50-49 lead with 10:26 to go.
Yet, all the energy that the Bulldogs spent fighting to come back disappeared in the final stretch of the game.
“When we clawed back and took the lead, the way they responded knocked us back on our heels,” Paulino said. “It was bang-bang, and they pushed their lead back to seven pretty quick.”
Utah went on a 19-2 run after Lewis’ 3-pointer, cruising to a 80-69 victory and ending the Bulldogs’ season.
“It was a game where we had our chances and that’s what you like about those,” Fresno State director of new media Stephen Trembley said. “You always want to win, but you get that taste and then you wonder what it’s going to take to get back there.”
After Fresno State lost to Utah, before the Bulldogs left the floor, Harris brought the team together at center court and talked about the season that had just ended minutes prior.
“I told everybody, while trying not to tear up, how much that run meant to me,” Harris said. “I love those guys, and they’re my brothers for life. I didn’t care about this game. It was always about us. It was about the brotherhood and the family and I appreciated that I was able to go to war with them.”
Terrell Carter remembered Harris’ postgame speech and said a big part of it focused on the program’s future.
“He addressed every one of us individually and told us to keep this tradition going,” Carter said. “We started something good and he wanted us to keep it going, not to let anyone come in and keep it in-house.”
Harris’ final message to his team was only the beginning of a close relationship the 2015-16 Fresno State men’s basketball team holds to this day.
“We still got a group chat and we talk almost every four days,” Carter said. “Sometimes, we even FaceTime with all the guys on there, just to see who’s going to answer. We are all still connected.”
