Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Strange, Disappointing End to Strong Season for Bulldogs
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 6 years ago on
March 19, 2019

Share

First, Sam Merrill and his Utah State teammates ended Fresno State’s quest to land an NCAA men’s basketball tournament berth.

Then the National Invitation Tournament dropped an anvil on the Bulldogs’ hopes of playing in that post-season affair by including only two teams from the West: University of San Diego and Colorado.

By any reasonable yardstick, coach Justin Hutson’s team deserved an NIT invite.

And, finally, Fresno State Athletic Director Terry Tumey said that the Bulldogs wouldn’t play in either of the less prestigious postseason tournaments, the College Basketball Invitational or the  CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

Tumey: ‘We’re Disappointed’

“We’re disappointed,” Tumey told The Fresno Bee. “We really thought that with our resume and where we were with our NET (ranking) there was a strong possibility that we’d be playing in postseason play. We just have to move forward and keep building our program. That’s the best thing we can do right now.

“We’re not going to be playing in any other tournaments, we’re going to keep concentrating on the future and celebrate the great season that these people had. There are not many times you get more than 20 wins and not many times do you perform the way these guys have. We’re going to appreciate that and continue to build our program.”

Aggies Put Hot Bulldogs in Deep Freeze

Talk about letting all the air out of a basketball.

Fresno State headed into Friday’s Mountain West Tournament semifinal riding a four-game winning streak, including an impressive runaway victory over Air Force in the quarterfinals.

But Merrill had 22 points as Utah State easily beat Fresno State 85-60, dropping the Bulldogs’ record to 23-9.

Diogo Brito added 20 points and seven rebounds for the Aggies (27-6), who won the MW Tournament the next night by turning back San Diego State, a surprise 65-56 winner over regular-season champion Nevada in the other semifinal.

Nate Grimes scored a career-high 21 points and had three blocks, and Braxton Huggins added 11 points for Fresno State. Deshon Taylor, whose 18 points per game heading into the matchup ranked second on the Bulldogs, scored only 6 points on 2-of-13 shooting.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Madera County Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Warnings, Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Sanger Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Teen

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Everyone Should Immediately Evacuate Tehran

DON'T MISS

Inside Trump’s Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids

DON'T MISS

Trump Approval Steady at 42%, Support Weakens for His Immigration Policy, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

DON'T MISS

Person Rescued from Fresno Canal, Third Incident in Recent Days

DON'T MISS

Arias Dodges Questions About His False Fresno ICE Raid Claim

DON'T MISS

Iranian State TV Halts Live Broadcast After Israeli Strike

DON'T MISS

Global Markets Recover on Iran Ceasefire Reports, Central Banks in Focus

DON'T MISS

Madera Man Sentenced to Over 21 Years for Fentanyl, Meth Trafficking

UP NEXT

Giants Get Slugger Rafael Devers in Blockbuster Deal With Red Sox

UP NEXT

Great News for Dodgers: Ohtani Returns to Mound Tonight

UP NEXT

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

UP NEXT

Caitlin Clark Returns and Leads Fever to Upset Win Over Unbeaten Liberty

UP NEXT

Casey Schmitt’s 1st Career Grand Slam Powers Giants Past Dodgers in Series Opener

UP NEXT

A Starter Pack for Aspiring Wine Lovers

UP NEXT

Ex-NFL Star Wide Receiver Antonio Brown Facing Attempted Murder Charges in Miami Shooting

UP NEXT

JJ Spaun Leads US Open at Oakmont on a Wild Day of Great Shots and Shockers

UP NEXT

Game 4: Pacers Look to Move 1 Win From Title, Thunder Seeking to Show Resiliency Once Again

UP NEXT

Arcia Has 2-Run Single in 9th to Rally Rockies to Win Over Giants

Sanger Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Teen

15 hours ago

Trump Says Everyone Should Immediately Evacuate Tehran

16 hours ago

Inside Trump’s Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids

17 hours ago

Trump Approval Steady at 42%, Support Weakens for His Immigration Policy, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

17 hours ago

Person Rescued from Fresno Canal, Third Incident in Recent Days

17 hours ago

Arias Dodges Questions About His False Fresno ICE Raid Claim

17 hours ago

Iranian State TV Halts Live Broadcast After Israeli Strike

19 hours ago

Global Markets Recover on Iran Ceasefire Reports, Central Banks in Focus

19 hours ago

Madera Man Sentenced to Over 21 Years for Fentanyl, Meth Trafficking

19 hours ago

Touring a Tunnel That Leads Underneath a Hospital in Southern Gaza

19 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Probably Extend TikTok Deadline Again

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would likely extend a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. ass...

49 seconds ago

A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken January 19, 2025. (Reuters File)
49 seconds ago

Trump Says He Will Probably Extend TikTok Deadline Again

1 hour ago

Immigration Raids Add to Absence Crisis for Valley Schools

A wildfire near Raymond Road and Avenue 16 in Madera County has prompted evacuation warnings and road closures as officials urge residents to prepare to leave if threatened on Monday, June 16, 2025. (Madera County SO)
15 hours ago

Madera County Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Warnings, Road Closures

Sanger police are searching for Kaylani Thompson, 17, who went missing Saturday, June 14, 2025, after leaving her home and was last seen getting into a white sedan. (Sanger PD)
15 hours ago

Sanger Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Teen

A view of the cityscape in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
16 hours ago

Trump Says Everyone Should Immediately Evacuate Tehran

17 hours ago

Inside Trump’s Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

Trump Approval Steady at 42%, Support Weakens for His Immigration Policy, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

A person was rescued from a Fresno canal Monday, June 16, 2025, near Dakota and Ninth Street, marking the third such incident in recent days, officials said. (Fresno FD)
17 hours ago

Person Rescued from Fresno Canal, Third Incident in Recent Days

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend