Sitting in the Boise airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Spokane, I keep thinking about last year's game at Cowan Spectrum, Ja'Vance Coleman's final college appearance... Fresno State won in overtime, avoiding what would have been a horrendous loss...
Darin Nagle missed the last Fresno State/Idaho game for undisclosed reasons, likely not attributed to injuries since he participated in pre-game warmups and looked to be in good health... Wonder if Jordan Brooks will break his recent shooting woes; he had a double-double at the Save Mart Center... Idaho turns the ball over too much to beat anyone right now. Fresno State has improved in this category. This might be the difference tonight...
I've seen two versions of Fresno State road games this season. Games like Louisiana Tech, where Fresno State dominates for most of the game. Then I've seen the games were they play good enough to hang around for about 36 minutes, then miss enough shots late to fall short. It's happened at San Jose State, at New Mexico State...
Not to look over Idaho tonight, but I can't help but wonder the reaction of the Taco Bell Arena crowd when Boise State hosts Fresno State on Saturday. It will be the first time most Broncos fans have seen the Bulldogs post-Quinton Hosley elbow and Hector Hernandez/Kevin Bell failed inbounds connection.
Can't wait to grab a taco. Why don't I remember eating one last season?
Gary, you said that a loss to Idaho last season would have been a "horrendous loss" for the Bulldogs. What do we call the 79-74 loss to Idaho this week? I'd say horrendous is as good a word as any. This is clearly the worst Fresno State men's basketball team since the Ron Adams era over 15 years ago. Will the 2008-09 season become a must-win season for Cleveland or he's out as head coach?
Hey J.T.
I think the 2008 loss at Idaho was bad, but not nearly as bad as it would have been last season... Face it: this team wasn't very good this season. The top four projected scorers were out for most of the season (Harvey, O'Neil), if not the entire season (McGuire, Sims)... Kevin Bell was left to shoulder the scoring with Eddie Miller. Hector Hernandez struggled with the opponents focusing on him... To expect this team to beat Idaho may have been a stretch. Partly because the Vandals weren't as bad as their history says they are.
Another losing season and Cleveland will feel some heat... He gets a well-earned break this season if the seniors graduate...