Next up, the Fresno State Bulldogs

Dead week, which seems like at least a month, is almost over. The Cardinal will be back on the court at Maples against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. I'm sure that they will be as eager to play again as we will be to see them! The Bulldogs were a strong team last season, They were the WAC tournament champion and the conference co-champion. They went to the NCAA for the first time ever and lost to Baylor in the first round.

They've lost four key defenders this season-- two to graduation, one injured and one suspended -- and have just one player taller than 6 ft, 6-1 Hayley Munro. Coach Adrian Wiggins thinks that defense has hurt them big-time this year, but they've out-rebounded their opponents by more than 10 in each of their six wins.

The three-point shot is a big part of their defensive game. Their top three scorers -- Bailey Amundsen, Jaleesa Ross and Hayley Munro -- are 43.5%, 42.1 % and 37% respectively from beyond the arc. Jeff Davis writes about their focus on 3s in this article from the Fresno Bee.

So far this season, the Bulldogs are 6-2, including a win over TCU, the team that recently beat Cal. They are #1 in the WAC and their RPI is 65. They're unranked, but they got 5 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Here are their 2008-09 Team Statistics and their roster .

If you need more basketball before the Cardinal reappear at Maples on the 28th, head down to the Event Center at San Jose State after our game. There's plenty of time to get there by 6:00 for the game between Cal and Oklahoma.

• Will the Bears surge back from their loss to TCU?
• Will Courtney Paris get her 102nd consecutive double-double?
• Or will Dev and Ashley shut her down like New and Brooke did in the 2006 Sweet Sixteen -- remember? OK, they didn't shut her down -- she got 12 rebounds and 26 points, but that wasn't enought to win the game.
• Will there be a big crowd, as SJ State coach Pam DeCosta expects? I doubt it, but you can order tickets in advance, as explained here.