Fresno State vs. San Jose State

Game Preview

By Eddie Hughes

Bulldogs

Point Guard

As the leader of the team, Shantay Legans is the player who needs to guide the team down the stretch. The Bulldogs need to hold on to the No. 6 seed for the WAC Tournament to get a first-round bye. Legans leads the team with 14.2 points per game and leads the WAC with an average of 5.8 assists. Legans had 11 assists in Fresno State’s 61-55 win over San Jose State at The Event Center on Jan. 5.

Shooting Guard

Marcus West has made 45 percent of his 3-pointers this season. But the Bulldogs might like to see his attempts increase. He’s made 56 3s this season, an average of 2.153 per game. To be considered a WAC leader, a player must average 2.5 per game. Otherwise, West would lead the WAC. Suspended Bulldogs guard Terry Pettis led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points in the teams’ previous meeting.

Small Forward

Dreike Bouldin continues to be a vital player for the Bulldogs. He scored just three points on Saturday against Nevada, but he did pull down 11 rebounds. Bouldin looks more confident on the floor than he did early in the season. He will have to play at a high level if Fresno State is going to make any noise in the WAC Tournament.

Power Forward

Francis Koffi played with an offensive edge on Saturday, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Koffi and Chris Adams will split time. Both have modest numbers with Adams averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds and Koffi averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Center

Mustafa Al-Sayyad’s furious performance as of late hasn’t done anything for the Bulldogs in the win column. Fresno State has lost three straight games while Al-Sayyad has a combined 41 points and 21 rebounds in those contests.Spartans

Point Guard

Senior Bim Okunrinboye leads the team with 2.7 assists per game. But the Spartans don’t have a whole lot of offensive power. Okunrinboye averages 3.9 points per game. He, or any guard the Spartans send out against Legans, will be overmatched.

EDGE: BULLDOGS

Shooting Guard

Maurice Moore, a former Fresno City College guard, doesn’t have flashy statistics. But that’s not surprising on a team that has won just one WAC game this season. Moore averages 1.4 points and 2 assists per game.

EDGE: BULLDOGS

Small Forward

When the Spartans look for offense, there’s a good chance they’ll look to Brett Lilly. He’s averaging 9.8 points while shooting 41 percent from outside in a lineup that is filled with five senior starters. Lilly went scoreless in five minutes of action the last time these two squads met. Things could be different this time.

EDGE: EVEN

Power Forward

Phil Calvert is just 6-foot-3, so having him guard any of the Bulldogs’ big men might not be a good idea. Even if he guards Bouldin, there will be a four-inch height differential. Calvert averages 6.4 points per game and 2 rebounds.

EDGE: BULLDOGS

Center

Eric Walton is the Spartans’ best chance to win. He and Lilly will both need to have big games for a victory. Walton leads the team with 11.7 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Walton led San Jose State with 16 points and eight rebounds in the Spartans’ loss to the Bulldogs earlier this season. Al-Sayyad vs. Walton is the premier match-up of this game—if there is one.

EDGE: BULLDOGS