Men's Basketball Preview

Fresno State (11-10, 4-6) vs. San Jose State (5-16, 1-7)

Guards

It was a quiet night for Kevin Bell on Monday against Idaho as he totaled five points, four assists and one turnover. That can’t happen against San Jose State. Carlton Spencer and Tyree Gardner are capable guards with both averaging a combined 13 points.

 Ja’Vance Coleman is still nursing a sprained ankle but even with the injury, he dropped a 23-point performance on Idaho, including six three-pointers. It was his 11th 20-point performance of the season and that point total shouldn’t go down against San Jose State. Spencer and Gardner shouldn’t provide too much trouble for Coleman, even if he is playing hurt.

 The Spartans always seem to struggle on the road against Fresno State but if the Bulldogs play  like they did against Idaho, the Spartans’ luck may change. The Bulldogs need to be the aggressor and that starts with Bell and Coleman pushing the ball.

Wing

This position needs to improve defensively if the Bulldogs are going to be successful. On Monday, Idaho’s Tanoris Shepard had a career-high 29 points. Even though Quinton Hosley and Dwight O’Neil both scored in double digits, they may have their hands full defensively with San Jose State’s Alex Elam, who is stepping up big for the Spartans lately. In the last three games, Elam has averaged 22.3 points.

Demetrius Brown is another one of San Jose State’s weapons with a 12.9 point average.

 Hosley needs to get back to his usual scoring form. Thirteen is well below his average of 18.5. A swollen shooting thumb may have something to do with that but his 9.2 rebounding average shouldn’t be affected.

 The Bulldogs can turn to their three-point shooting as Fresno State leads the league in 3-pointers (10.7) and must rely on what they do best: rebounds and steals. Fresno State is tied for third in the WAC with 36 rebounds a game and their 7 steals per game ranks them third.

Center

San Jose State’s shot blocking has improved this season, ballooning from 44 in 29 games last year to 59 in 21 games this season.

 Against Boise State Hector Hernandez had 12 points against Idaho and six rebounds and recorded his seventh double figure scoring game of the year but reverted back his old ways with just two points against Idaho. Hernandez has to be more aggressive against San Jose State. He needs to do whatever he did against Nevada a few weeks ago, where he had a career-high 18 points.

 Renato Cesar matches up well with the Spartans’ Menelik Barbary but does have a 15-pound edge.

Barbary's scoring is a little better than Cesar’s 2.9 at 6.6 a game. The Spartans, like the Bulldogs, will rely more on their wings for physical play then the big men.

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