# 2017–18 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented California State University, Fresno in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by seventh-year head coach Rodney Terry and played their home games at the Save Mart Center as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 21–11, 11–7 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament to San Diego State. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.
On March 12, 2018, head coach Rodney Terry left Fresno State to become head coach at UTEP. He finished at Fresno State with a seven-year record of 126–108. On April 5, it was announced that the school had hired San Diego State assistant coach Justin Hutson as head coach.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the season 20–13 overall; and 11–7 in the conference. During the season, Fresno State was invited and participated in the Mountain West–Missouri Valley Challenge, where they defeated Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. In the postseason, Fresno State won against New Mexico but lost to Nevada in the semifinals of the 2017 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament in Paradise, Nevada. The Bulldogs were invited and participated in the 2017 National Invitation Tournament, where they lost to TCU in the first round in Fort Worth, Texas.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Darryl McDowell-White | 0 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Freshman | Brisbane, Australia | Dismissed due to academic probation |
| William McDowell-White | 2 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Freshman | Brisbane, Australia | Dismissed due to academic probation |
| Paul Watson | 3 | G/F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Phoenix, AZ | Graduated |
| Karachi Edo | 4 | F | 6'6" | 230 | Senior | Richardson, TX | Dismissed due to domestic violence |
| Cullen Russo | 13 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Senior | Bloomington, Minnesota | Graduated| |
| Ryan Beddeo | 14 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Freshman | Valencia, CA | Transferred Canyons CC |
| Grant Shell | 15 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Sophomore | Burlington, KS | Transferred to Emporia State |
| Ountae Campbell | 22 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Transferred to Casper CC |
| Jacob Holland | 24 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Junior | Los Lunas, NM | Transferred to New Mexico Highlands |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| New Williams | 0 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Sophomore | Inglewood, CA | Transferred from Auburn. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Braxton Huggins | 4 | G | 6'3" | 184 | Senior | Bakersfield, CA | Transferred from New Mexico State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have one year of remaining eligibility. |
| Eric Vila | 10 | F | 6'11" | 206 | Sophomore | Girona, Spain | Transferred from Texas A&M. Under NCAA transfer rules, Vila will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Ray Bowles Jr. | 22 | G/F | 6'5" | 215 | RS Senior | Modesto, CA | Transferred from Pacific. Will be eligible to play immediately since Bowles Jr. graduated from Pacific. |
| Noah Blackwell | 55 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Junior | Roseville, CA | Transferred from Long Beach State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Blackwell will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Myles Fitzgerald-Warren PG | Portland, OR | Madison High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | Mar 20, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: – Rivals: – ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Fresno State Commit List for 2017". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "ESPN – Fresno State Bulldogs Basketball Recruiting 2017". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. ||||||

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Isaac Likekele PG | Arlington, TX | Timberview High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 10, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Efe Odigie PF | Houston, TX | Pro-Vision Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Sep 25, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: – Rivals: – |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Fresno State Commit List for 2018". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "ESPN – Fresno State Bulldogs Basketball Recruiting 2018". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 28, 2017. |||||||

## Preseason

In a vote by conference media at the Mountain West media day, the Brulldogs were picked to finish in fourth place in the Mountain West.

## Schedule and results

Source
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 25, 2017* 8:00 pm | | at Saint Mary's Charity Exhibition benefiting North Bay Fire relief | L 76–85 | | 22 – D. Taylor | 7 – Hopkins | 3 – Tied | McKeon Pavilion Moraga, CA |
| October 30, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Pacific Union | W 99–56 | | 19 – Williams | 11 – Williams | 6 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (4,523) Fresno, CA |
| November 3, 2017* 7:00 pm | | UC Merced | W 79–39 | | 20 – J. Taylor | 7 – Willams | 5 – Bowles | Save Mart Center (4,645) Fresno, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 5:00 pm | | UC Santa Cruz | W 86–65 | 1–0 | 16 – D. Taylor | 8 – Grimes | 6 – Tied | Save Mart Center (5,169) Fresno, CA |
| November 13, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Cal State Northridge Cancún Challenge | W 89–73 | 2–0 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Hopkins | 5 – Bowles Jr. | Save Mart Center (4,864) Fresno, CA |
| November 17, 2017* 5:00 pm | | at Arkansas | L 75–83 | 2–1 | 22 – Williams | 10 – Hopkins | 10 – Hopkins | Bud Walton Arena (15,051) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 21, 2017* 5:30 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Evansville Cancún Challenge Riviera Division semifinals | L 57–59 | 2–2 | 12 – D. Taylor | 11 – Williams | 5 – D. Taylor | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (982) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 22, 2017* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. George Mason Cancún Challenge Riviera Division third place game | W 79–73 | 3–2 | 23 – D. Taylor | 10 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (982) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 26, 2017* 12:00 pm | | Montana State Cancún Challenge | W 80–67 | 4–2 | 31 – D. Taylor | 7 – Tied | 3 – Bowles | Save Mart Center (5,097) Fresno, CA |
| November 30, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Weber State | W 83–71 | 5–2 | 29 – Hopkins | 8 – Williams | 4 – Tied | Save Mart Center (5,105) Fresno, CA |
| December 2, 2017* 4:00 pm | | at Long Beach State | W 106–70 | 6–2 | 26 – Hopkins | 7 – Bowles | 6 – J. Taylor | Walter Pyramid (3,706) Long Beach, CA |
| December 5, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Cal State Bakersfield | W 70–55 | 7–2 | 19 – D. Taylor | 13 – Williams | 5 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (5,040) Fresno, CA |
| December 9, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at Cal Poly | W 83–63 | 8–2 | 21 – D. Taylor | 7 – Tied | 3 – 3 tied | Mott Athletic Center (1,994) San Luis Obispo, CA |
| December 13, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 78–52 | 9–2 | 19 – Carter II | 6 – Tied | 7 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (4,530) Fresno, CA |
| December 16, 2017* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | Oregon | L 61–68 | 9–3 | 19 – Tied | 8 – Williams | 3 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (9,225) Fresno, CA |
| December 18, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Cal State Monterey Bay | W 93–56 | 10–3 | 30 – Williams | 17 – Grimes | 9 – D. Taylor | Save Mart Center (4,747) Fresno, CA |
| Mountain West regular season |||||||||
| December 27, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Nevada | L 65–80 | 10–4 (0–1) | 16 – D. Taylor | 8 – Hopkins | 4 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (6,008) Fresno, CA |
| December 30, 2017 4:00 pm | | Air Force | W 71–59 | 11–4 (1–1) | 18 – D. Taylor | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Save Mart Center (6,188) Fresno, CA |
| January 3, 2018 6:00 pm | | at Utah State | L 79–81 $^{OT}$ | 11–5 (1–2) | 24 – D. Taylor | 10 – Grimes | 3 – Tied | Smith Spectrum (8,276) Logan, UT |
| January 6, 2018 2:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Colorado State | W 82–79 $^{OT}$ | 12–5 (2–2) | 22 – D. Taylor | 7 – Williams | 3 – 3 tied | Moby Arena (3,541) Fort Collins, CO |
| January 9, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Boise State | L 64–70 | 12–6 (2–3) | 15 – D. Taylor | 6 – Tied | 5 – Hopkins | Save Mart Center (4,980) Fresno, CA |
| January 13, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | New Mexico | W 89–80 | 13–6 (3–3) | 22 – D. Taylor | 9 – Hopkins | 4 – Tied | Save Mart Center (6,244) Fresno, CA |
| January 17, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at San Diego State | W 77–73 | 14–6 (4–3) | 22 – D. Taylor | 10 – Grimes | 3 – Tied | Viejas Arena (11,358) San Diego, CA |
| January 20, 2018 1:00 pm, ATTSNRM | | at Air Force Postponed due to government shutdown Make up date 2/26/18 | | | | | | Clune Arena Colorado Springs, CO |
| January 23, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | UNLV | W 69–63 | 15–6 (5–3) | 20 – Williams | 6 – Tied | 4 – Williams | Save Mart Center (5,385) Fresno, CA |
| January 27, 2018 4:00 pm | | Utah State | L 62–65 | 15–7 (5–4) | 15 – D. Taylor | 11 – Hopkins | 4 – Hopkins | Save Mart Center (7,317) Fresno, CA |
| January 31, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Nevada | L 92–102 | 15–8 (5–5) | 30 – D. Taylor | 8 – Hopkins | 5 – Hopkins | Lawlor Events Center (8,521) Reno, NV |
| February 3, 2018 11:00 am, ATTSNRM | | at Wyoming | W 80–62 | 16–8 (6–5) | 20 – Grimes | 12 – Grimes | 6 – Hopkins | Arena-Auditorium (5,690) Laramie, WY |
| February 6, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | San Diego State | W 79–61 | 17–8 (7–5) | 20 – Hopkins | 6 – Grimes | 5 – Hopkins | Save Mart Center (6,128) Fresno, CA |
| February 14, 2018 7:00 pm | | at San Jose State | W 77–57 | 18–8 (8–5) | 20 – Hopkins | 7 – Tied | 4 – Hopkins | Event Center Arena (1,682) San Jose, CA |
| February 17, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Colorado State | W 86–65 | 19–8 (9–5) | 19 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 6 – Hopkins | Save Mart Center (6,882) Fresno, CA |
| February 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UNLV | W 77–64 | 20–8 (10–5) | 22 – D. Taylor | 9 – Hopkins | 4 – Hopkins | Thomas & Mack Center (9,302) Paradise, NV |
| February 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Wyoming | L 68–78 | 20–9 (10–6) | 16 – Tied | 10 – Grimes | 4 – J. Taylor | Save Mart Center (9,645) Fresno, CA |
| February 26, 2018 6:00 pm | | at Air Force | W 54–48 | 21–9 (11–6) | 15 – Williams | 8 – Williams | 4 – D. Taylor | Clune Arena (2,150) Colorado Springs, CO |
| March 3, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at New Mexico | L 86–95 $^{OT}$ | 21–10 (11–7) | 23 – Tied | 8 – Williams | 2 – Tied | The Pit (13,069) Albuquerque, NM |
| Mountain West tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2018 2:30 pm, CBSSN | (4) | vs. (5) San Diego State Quarterfinals | L 52–64 | 21–11 | 23 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 2 – Tied | Thomas & Mack Center (6,753) Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||