Men's Basketball Preview
Fresno State (10-8, 3-4) vs. Idaho (3-14, 0-6)
Point Guard
A game after reaching double-figures in points, Fresno State’s Kevin Bell scored only four against Louisiana Tech. Against New Mexico State, he connected on three three-point field goals, giving the Bulldogs another surprising scoring option. Bell will need to limit turnovers and step up his defense against the point guards that Idaho offers. Two games after seeing 17 minutes playing alongside and for Bell, Ajay Riding has seen a reduced role. His energetic style of defense may be able to assist Bell in guarding Idaho's counterparts.
Idaho’s Tanoris Shepard is the go-to scorer, but that doesn’t mean he won’t pass. In 17 games, Shepard has averaged 3.6 assists per game, ranking him in the top 10 in the WAC. Shepard, a senior, also ranks in the top 10 all-time in Vandal history for three-pointers and is the only Vandal to average double-digits in points.
Wing
The most glaring thing in the loss to Louisiana Tech was the inability of Quinton Hosley to make a shot.
Hosley finished with only seven points, his second lowest total of the season. Hosley continues his inconsistent outside shooting while he is more consistent with the mid-range jumpers. On the bright side, the Bulldogs’ Ja’Vance Coleman nearly made up for Hosley’s offensive struggles by scoring 29 of his own, including an over-time forcing three-pointer against Tech. Donovan Morris is a good shooter, he just doesn’t know it. Once his confidence rises, so will his shooting percentage. The Bulldogs also welcomed back Dwight O'Neil, whose hustle and intensity always helps Fresno State's cause.
The Vandals’ Brett Ledbetter should draw the assignment of guarding Hosley. He’d better be up to the task of guarding Hosley, who usually answers an off game with a good one. Helping out with Idaho’s production is the 5’10” Keoni Watson, who averages 9.7 points per game and 3.4 rebounds, while David Dubois averages 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Center
Hector Hernandez and Renato Cesar roam down low for the Bulldogs, although Hernandez will step out and nail the three-pointer. That step-out ability can hurt the opposing team if they lack a mobile big man.
Cesar is capable in spurts, as is the brick wall that is James Tchana. If there was a game for either of the three to dominate the competition, the game against the Vandals is it.
Like the Bulldogs, the Vandals lack a lot of size down low, as they start the 6-foot-9, 225-pounder Desmond Nwoke. Nwoke has had three games with at least eight rebounds. In fact, rebounding is Nwoke’s main strength, as his 4.6 rebounds per game are more than his average of 3.1 points per game.
Against rival Boise State on Saturday, Nwoke also found himself in foul trouble with four fouls in the game.
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