Fresno State basketball: 2017-18 preview for the Bulldogs

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Head coach Rodney Terry of the Fresno State Bulldogs calls out during the second half of a semifinal game against the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas /

Key Non-Conference games

Nov 17 – at Arkansas

Dec 2 – at Long Beach State

Dec 5 – Cal State Bakersfield

Dec 9 – at Cal Poly

Dec 16 – Oregon

The life of a mid-major when it comes to scheduling can be rough, especially when it comes getting power five programs to come to your place. That’s what makes the home game versus Oregon as much of a must-win as possible. The Ducks are just around the top 25 and a likely tournament team. A win against them is crucial for at large hopes.

But an even bigger objective would be to avoid crushing losses to lesser opponents. Many mid-major programs take themselves off the bubble by losing multiple games to sub-200 programs early in the season. If the Bulldogs want to have a shot, then games like the Prairie View one from last year can’t happen.

Key Conference games

Dec 27 – Nevada

Jan 9 – Boise State

Jan 17 – at San Diego State

Jan 31 – at Nevada

Feb 3 – at Wyoming

Feb 6 – at San Diego State

Feb 21 – at UNLV

Mar 3 – at New Mexico

Once again, Fresno State and Nevada will kick off conference play this season. Last year showed that it doesn’t affect how the standings will end but winning all your home games will be important.

This particular unbalanced schedule with the Mountain West is a double-edged sword. On hand, the Bulldogs only play Boise State, a team expected to finish in the top half once. However, they will be on the road for all the other difficult road games (Wyoming, New Mexico, UNLV) which sometimes are as difficult to win than versus more talented teams.