By Matt Weiner (@MattWeiner20) – MBB Beat Reporter
The Fresno State Bulldogs (14-6, 4-3 MW) will come rumbling in to take on a San Jose State Spartans (7-12, 0-7 MW) squad still in search of their first conference win. Both teams are coming off a loss on Jan. 28, but in two very different fashions. The Bulldogs had their hearts ripped from them multiple times during their overtime loss to Boise State while the University of New Mexico had a breezy 86-70 win over SJSU.
Know Your Foe
Tuesday night’s matchup will be the second installment of this series. In the first one, the Bulldogs bulldozed the Spartans on their way to a 79-59 win to open up conference play. Orlando Robinson was the personification of mass carnage and destruction going for a season-high 31 points.
Robinson is the third leading scorer in the conference and has been shooting up NBA Mock drafts every hour. But, there are ways to stop him.
In his bag there are elite post moves, spot up mid-range daggers, and just bully ball that results in him muscling his way through defenders en route to easy dunks. Aggression and ruthlessness are two of his best qualities. The downside to that is getting into foul trouble.
In the clip above, Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart drew three charges against Robinson leading him to foul out with more than three minutes remaining in OT.
Degenhart’s play was all instinct and grit. He knew Robinson’s tendencies and was willing to go out on a stretcher if it meant that he did his job.
A player like Robinson exposes the Spartans lack of size. Forward Shon Robinson is the only one on the fringes competing against him one on one, but they can still force him into foul trouble early.
Forcing Robinson into foul trouble will make him play with less reckless abandon for humanity and more delicacy.
The meat and potatoes of the Spartans is Robinson while Isaiah Hill and Anthony Holland serve as valiant side pieces.
When Robinson was held to 11 points in the Bulldogs second most recent game against New Mexico, Holland had 22 points on 3 of 6 shooting from three.
It’s a simple formula that bodes well for big men. Wait til defenders collapse on Robinson and wait for Holland to find room beyond the perimeter.
Holland plays like a tight end in the NFL. Constantly roaming around and finding soft spots in the defense so he can convert when the ball finds him.
Isaiah Hill has been the marquee sniper from three in the last crop of games for Fresno State. In his last three contests, he’s shooting 9 of 17 from three.
It’s a similar concept for Holland as it is for Hill. Space will open up around the arc due to attention brought to Robinson and it’s on him to burn the net when opportunity comes his way.
Spartans Route To Victory
“Do not confuse the specter of your origin with your present worth.”
This quote is from Master Splinter, head coach of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since 1984. (Underrated philosopher, Master Shredder would’ve made easy work with Confucius.)
Back to basketball.
The Spartans are seemingly eons away from the 20-point beatdown the Bulldogs laid down on them a few weeks ago.
Some facets of their game have remained, while many have changed.
Omari Moore is still head honcho, but Shon Robinson could start being the second guy the team desperately needs. In the 12 games preceding the Spartans’ first matchup he only scored more than 14 in a game once. But in seven games since then has hit that total twice.
In the loss to UNM, he had a season-high 17 points and he tacked on seven rebounds as well.
During the Fresno State game, standard pick and rolls weren’t found very often. Now with the struggles from outside, it has forced the team to emphasize a ground and pound mentality.
It starts with winning the war in the trenches down low and everything else will fall into place after that.
Orlando Robinson’s great game against them from before doesn’t mean it’ll automatically happen again.
