WELCOME HOME: After consecutive tough games against teams expected to compete for their respective conference titles, Seattle University returns home for the first game of the season at its new home, KeyArena at Seattle Center. Fresno State serves as the opponent for SeattleU on a night when Elgin Baylor, the greatest basketball player in school history, will be recognized by having the court named in his honor. Seattle University will be looking for a combination of the good defense during its 17-0 run at Oklahoma State and the good offense from Tuesday night's game at Portland.
THE PORTLAND GAME: Charles Garcia reached a single-game scoring mark no Seattle University player had accomplished in over three years, but a second-half surge by the University of Portland allowed the Pilots to pull out a 98-81 victory Tuesday night at the Chiles Center. Garcia shot 10-of-17 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 9-of-14 from the free throw line to total 30 points. The junior college transfer also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished out three assists. The two teams basically traded baskets for the first seven minutes of the second half, with back-to-back baskets by Aaron Broussard and Garrett Lever giving SeattleU a 60-59 lead. Portland struck back with a 17-4 run, highlighted by a three-pointer by Jared Stohl and four points each from Robin Smeulders and Ethan Niedermeyer. Seattle University used defensive pressure to start an 8-1 run, punctuated by a three-pointer from Chris Gweth to cut the Pilot lead to five at 77-72. The Redhawks had a chance to move closer, but Garcia could not convert on a layup, and Portland took advantage with a three-pointer by Stohl, two free throws by T.J. Campbell, and a basket by Nik Raivio to reestablish a 12-point lead. For the second straight game, Broussard finished with 12 points, hitting 6-of-12 shots from the field, plus he grabbed four rebounds.
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs come into Thursday's game with a 2-0 record after identical 65-59 victories against San Francisco State and at Northern Arizona. As a team, Fresno State is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, including 22.9 percent from behind the three-point line, and 64.4 percent from the free throw line. The Bulldogs are winning the rebounding battle, averaging 37.0 rebounds versus 32.5 boards for their opponents. Paul George leads the way for Fresno State with 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game. He has started the season 16-of-18 (.889) from the free throw line. Sylvester Seay is averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Greg Smith has hit all nine of his field goal attempts and is averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
JEFF SAGARIN SAYS: The Sagarin ratings are one of the ways experts judge potential matchups. As of Nov. 18, Fresno State is 156th (73.08), and SeattleU is 183rd (70.94). Using this system which incorporates an advantage for the home team, the Redhawks would be favored by about two points. Last season Seattle University finished 132nd in the Sagarin ratings after a 13-8 season against Division I opponents.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the third meeting all-time between Seattle University and Fresno State, with the schools splitting the first two meetings. On Dec. 10, 1960, in Portland, Ore., SeattleU defeated Fresno State, 104-73. That SeattleU team featured SU Athletic Hall of Famers Eddie Miles and Ernie Dunston and finished with an 18-8 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the magical run to the title game in 1958.
LAST MEETING: After a couple of wins at home over Division II schools to open the season, Seattle University faced its first Division I school of the season, traveling to face Fresno State last Nov. 25. The team showed that it could play with Fresno State at times, but the Bulldogs used a significant rebounding and shooting advantage to pull away with a 79-58 victory at the Save Mart Center. Fresno State broke the game open early in the second half with a 13-3 run, thanks in part to three Bulldog three-pointers, that gave the home team a 52-34 lead. Seattle University scored the next eight points, the last three on a traditional three-point play by Shaun Burl to cut its deficit to ten, but Fresno State answered with nine straight points to extend the lead again and put the game out of reach. Chris Gweth led Seattle University in scoring with 16 points, plus he earned four rebounds, two assists, and five steals. Leigh Swanson came off the bench and contributed 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, while Austen Powers and Drew Harris each scored eight points and Michael Wright pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
SEATTLEU VS. THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Against current members of the WAC, Seattle University holds a 48-38 record. After losing at Fresno State early last season, the Redhawks traveled to Anchorage for the Great Alaska Shootout and defeated Louisiana Tech on Thanksgiving night, 61-46. Seattle University has never faced Boise State, but has a winning record against Louisiana Tech (1-0), Hawaii (7-3), Idaho (13-7), and Nevada (11-9). Utah State (13-14) and San Jose State (1-3) have each earned the upper hand over SeattleU, while Fresno State and New Mexico State have identical 1-1 records against Seattle University. Idaho will come to KeyArena Saturday, Jan. 30, and SeattleU will face back-to-back WAC schools on the road with games at Idaho (Feb. 18) and at San Jose State (Feb. 22).
ELGIN BAYLOR DAY: In anticipation of the court dedication ceremony to take place Thursday, the city of Seattle has announced that November 19, 2009, will be declared Elgin Baylor Day. Mayor Greg Nickels issued the proclamation, calling Baylor "SU's all-time greatest basketball player" and saying that he "has gone on as a pioneer of the game, becoming the first to 'play above the rim.'" Baylor is scheduled to be in attendance for the dedication of Elgin Baylor Court, to take place before tip-off. "I am honored to be recognized in this way by both Seattle University and the city of Seattle. I look forward to seeing my former teammates as well as other friends Thursday night at KeyArena," said Baylor.