The Fresno State men’s basketball team has had a bad February. With one game remaining in the month, they have just two wins — one being a miracle, come-from-behind victory over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels.
Yet, if you’ve tuned in to any game in the first half this month, chances are that you’ve seen the team hold a substantial lead.
In every game except one against Utah State, the ‘Dogs have had a lead of either 10 points or led for over 65% of the game. It feels improbable to lose all these games, but there is always one moment when I confidently say to myself, “They won’t hold on.”
After the craziness against the Rebels, the ‘Dogs traveled to the Silver State to take on the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack. Despite leading for almost 30 minutes, the ‘Dogs lost by 10.
Against Utah State, the Bulldogs got out to a swift 8-0 lead, but then the Aggies decided to play like the best team in the Mountain West and knock down the ‘Dogs.
The win against the Air Force Academy was nice, but Clovis High School could beat this team. (No offense to the Air Force; I salute your service.)
Despite winning by 30, the team has not been able to use the momentum to win critical games down the stretch. Games against the University of Wyoming and Colorado State could very well have propelled the ‘Dogs in the standings to have a better opponent in the tournament.
Instead, the ‘Dogs dropped both of these games.
In both games, they held leads but lost their advantage late and could not climb back in the game.
Against the University of Wyoming, it was too many 3-point attempts that sunk the ‘Dogs. The Cowboys only shoot 33% from beyond the arc on the season; naturally, the ‘Dogs let the Cowboys chuck up 33 3-pointers, knocking down 15 of them.
Against Colorado State, a team the ‘Dogs defeated earlier in the season, they simply let the game get away. They were up seven at halftime, yet ended the game making just one field goal on their final 12 shots.
And of course, I cannot omit the 22-point choke against the University of New Mexico. Frankly, it’s unacceptable to be up 40-18, and then be outscored 62-38 for the remainder of the game. Perhaps, it’s the perfect encapsulation of the past two years of Bulldog basketball.
There have been so many chances this season to right the wrongs from last season’s disaster. And honestly, I thought they did that when they beat Colorado State for the first time in seven years.
Maybe we can chalk this stretch up to the ‘Dogs losing David Douglas Jr. for the season. Losing your second-leading scorer for much of conference play is tough, but let’s not pretend they can’t find offense from someone else.
As the ‘Dogs barrel toward their final Mountain West tournament, the momentum could not be further away from them. Someone needs to take the reins as the “closer” that this team needs before the tournament.
