Men's Basketball Preview
Fresno State (13-11, 6-6) at San Jose State (6-19, 2-9)
Guards
Cold shooting from the guard spot hurt the Bulldogs chances of defeating Creighton last Saturday. Kevin Bell continues to distribute the ball brilliantly, but his inability to knock down open shots hurts the offense. Ja’Vance Coleman is unstoppable when he is on, it’s just that nobody knows when he will be on. Neither Ajay Riding or Jeff Jackson saw playing time against the Blue Jays.
The Spartan attack is led by Carlton Spencer, who controls a very talented offense. Devonte Thomas is just a freshman, so he has room to grow. He averages 2.4 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Forwards
There is no other way to describe the play of Dwight O’Neil except for great. His hustle and effort is very much needed, and his shot selection is usually solid. O’Neil still needs work on his passing game, but that is improving. You know what to expect from Quinton Hosley. Another double-double is likely against the Spartans. Donovan Morris continues to get back to his mold of a year ago.
San Jose State’s Demetrius Brown is unbelievably athletic and talented offensively. He is still raw but has some serious potential. Alex Elam is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game. He’ll need to be on Thursday. Lack of depth is a factor.
Center
The lack of control in the post is becoming too much for the Bulldogs to overcome. It is obvious by watching Quinton Hosley and the coaching staff that James Tchana needs to stick his arms straight up when defending. Against Creighton, that's all that Tchana was told going into timeouts. Hector Hernandez will soon have a custom mask for his broken nose, suffered against Hawaii last week. The Bulldogs are missing his offensive production.
Luckily for Fresno State, the Spartans’ strength doesn’t come by way of the big man. The Bulldogs may actually match up decently with the Spartans’ Menelik Barbary.
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