The Mountain West Conference's Fresno State and the Pac-12's Washington Huskies will square off in the opening game of the Wooden Legacy Tournament that will take place during the holiday weekend in Anaheim, California. The Huskies are 3-1, while Fresno State is 1-3 thus far this season. The first tap is set for 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Washington was led by Franck Kepnang (14 PTS, 8 REB, 66.67 FG%) and PJ Fuller (11 PTS, 41.67 FG%) but fell to Cal Baptist 73-64 at home in their most recent game. Jordan Campbell and Jemarl Baker Jr. helped Fresno State lose to North Texas on the road, 61-52, in their most recent contest. Campbell had 14 points, two blocks, and a 50.00 field goal percentage.
Washington vs Fresno State Betting Odds
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Washington vs Fresno State Match Details
Fixture: Bulldogs vs Huskies
Date and Time: Wednesday, November 23 at 9:30 PM ET
Venue: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
Washington vs Fresno State Key Stats
The Bulldogs, who won their first game, have now dropped three straight games and are only 1-3 going into the Wooden Legacy Tournament. Through their first four games, the struggling Bulldogs have a -2.5 average point differential. With just 25% of their long-range shots coming from the 3-point line, they have struggled.
With a -6 average rebounding differential this season, the Bulldogs have also had trouble winning the battle of the boards. They do have a season-high +1 turnover differential. The Bulldogs have played effectively defensively. Overall, just 39% of shots are made by the opposition, and the Bulldogs only allow 30% of three-point attempts by the opposition.
On their way to a 3-0 start, the Huskies were cruising through the early stages of their schedule against weaker opposition. Up until their shocking defeat in their most recent game, the Huskies were on a roll. They still have a +6.7 average point differential for the season.
They are hitting the ball 37% from the three-point range and 45% from the field overall. Through four games this season, the Huskies have an average rebounding differential of +2.2 and a turnover differential of +1. The opposition is only able to shoot 28% from three-point range and 40% from the field overall against Washington.
Washington vs Fresno State Betting Prediction
There are two perspectives on this matchup: the Huskies either struggle to recover from the significant upset they suffered at home in their previous game or they come out refocused and take their anger out on the Bulldogs. In this contest, I'm siding with the latter. Prior to a complete letdown game on Thursday, the Huskies had won three straight games.
They had over a week to figure things out, and they probably paid the price throughout practice this week. They have substantially stronger shooting and rebounding abilities than the Bulldogs. These two pretty significant advantages will help the Huskies to their fourth victory in five tries.
Pick: Huskies (-156)
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