# 1981–82 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 1981–82 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented California State University, Fresno during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Boyd Grant's fifth season at Fresno State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Selland Arena and were members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. They finished the season 27–3, 13–1 in PCAA play to win the conference regular season title. They defeated Cal State Fullerton to win the PCAA tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs lost in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual runner-up Georgetown, 58–40.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Nov ?, 1981* | | University of Victoria | W 49–45 | 0–0 | Selland Arena (4,958) Fresno, California |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 27, 1981* | | Oklahoma City Sun Met Classic | W 68–48 | 1–0 | Selland Arena (6,530) Fresno, California |
| Nov 28, 1981* | | Nevada Sun Met Classic | W 64–52 | 2–0 | Selland Arena (6,530) Fresno, California |
| Nov 30, 1981* | | Saint Martin's | W 60–31 | 3–0 | Selland Arena (6,460) Fresno, California |
| Dec 5, 1981* | | at Air Force | W 45–37 | 4–0 | Clune Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Dec 11, 1981* | | vs. Ole Miss Bayou Classic | W 46–44 | 5–0 | Blackham Coliseum Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Dec 12, 1981* | | at No. 18 Southwestern Louisiana Bayou Classic | L 51–57 | 5–1 | Blackham Coliseum Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Dec 18, 1981* | | Northern Illinois | W 81–56 | 6–1 | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Dec 21, 1981* | | UC Davis | W 75–43 | 7–1 | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Dec 28, 1981* | | New Mexico State | W 48–41 | 8–1 | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 4, 1982* | | Lamar | W 56–36 | 9–1 | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 7, 1982* | | Pepperdine | W 63–46 | 10–1 | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 14, 1982 | | Pacific | W 74–40 | 11–1 (1–0) | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 16, 1982 | | Utah State | W 71–50 | 12–1 (2–0) | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 21, 1982 | | at UC Santa Barbara | W 40–38 | 13–1 (3–0) | The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, California |
| Jan 23, 1982 | | at Cal State Fullerton | W 43–40 | 14–1 (4–0) | Titan Gym Fullerton, California |
| Jan 28, 1982 | | San Jose State | W 63–45 | 15–1 (5–0) | Selland Arena Fresno, California |
| Jan 30, 1982 | | at San Jose State | W 47–36 | 16–1 (6–0) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, California |
| Feb 4, 1982 | | at Long Beach State | L 42–45 $^{OT}$ | 16–2 (6–1) | Long Beach Arena Long Beach, California |
| Feb 6, 1982 | | vs. UC Irvine | W 55–49 $^{OT}$ | 17–2 (7–1) | Long Beach Arena (8,456) Long Beach, California |
| Feb 27, 1982 | | at Utah State | W 73–61 | 24–2 (13–1) | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Logan, Utah |
| PCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 5, 1982* | (1) No. 12 | vs. (5) Long Beach State Semifinals | W 76–55 | 25–2 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California |
| Mar 6, 1982* | (1) No. 12 | vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton Championship game | W 69–57 | 26–2 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1982* | (4 W) No. 11 | vs. (5 W) No. 14 West Virginia Second round | W 50–46 | 27–2 | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Logan, Utah |
| Mar 18, 1982* 10:40 pm, CBS | (4 W) No. 11 | vs. (1 W) No. 6 Georgetown West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | L 40–58 | 27–3 | Marriott Center (15,237) Provo, Utah |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 31 | Rod Higgins | Chicago Bulls |