Fresno State Bulldogs (11-13, 4-7 MWC) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (12-12, 7-4)
WHEN: Wednesday, February 12, 7:00 PST
WHERE: Lawlor Events Center, Reno, NV
TV: The game can be seen online as part of the Campus Insiders and right here on Mountain West Connection.
RADIO: The Fresno broadcast can be heard on the local ESPN affiliate, 940 AM, while the Nevada feed can be found in and around Reno on 94.5 FM.
LAST MEETING: The Bulldogs were unable to hold late leads in regulation and the first overtime, and the Wolf Pack secured a 98-86 win in two overtimes on January 22 in Fresno.
Love is in the air, so perhaps it should be no surprise that Fresno State has gotten off to a fine start in February. The Mountain West schedule makers may have jumped the gun on Valentine's Day, since the 'Dogs were gifted with winnable games against Wyoming, Air Force and San Jose after a brutal January gauntlet, but I am sure no one is complaining. Tyler Johnson is surely winning the hearts of basketball fans throughout the Central Valley with his prolific scoring spree, as well.
Meanwhile, Nevada received little love in its recent foray on the road, with back-to-back losses against Utah State and San Diego State. The home crowds haven't been much warmer, either, as the Wolf Pack enter Wednesday with the second-worst home record in the conference. They did manage to steal a win in Fresno three weeks ago, however, so expect the rematch to be hotly contested.
What to Watch - Fresno State: Johnson has rightfully received attention for his offensive performance the past few weeks, but it has overshadowed the contributions of Cezar Guerrero. Guerrero has averaged 13.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in conference play, and he has shot over 50% during the Bulldogs' winning streak. In the first matchup against Nevada, he did not shoot particularly well (4-of-12). The team may not get to count on many contributions from the bench as it did in that first game, too, so getting him some open looks will be critical.
What to Watch - Nevada: It is probably not a coincidence that the Wolf Pack don't win when Deonte Burton doesn't shoot well. Burton was 9-of-18 from the floor against Utah State, but was only 4-of-7 on free throw attempts. In the most recently loss to San Diego State, he was just 4-of-15 on field goals. The Wolf Pack have multiple offensive threats, but Burton is pretty clearly the man and his success will go a long way toward determining a victor.