Fresno State came close to beating 16th-ranked San Diego State on Wednesday night, losing by just three points (65-62) and doing it without the services of leading scorer Tyler Johnson (10.1 ppg), who went down with an ankle injury five minutes into the game.
But the Bulldogs' night will be remembered, at least on a national level, more so for giving up that second half dunk to Aztec guard Jamaal Franklin, who passed it to himself off the backboard in what's already being talked about as the dunk of the year. (By the way, it already has nearly one million views on YouTube!)
However, as Fresno State coach Rodney Terry put it after the game, "You only get this game, win or lose, for one night. You take it home, you flush it out and you gotta come back to the drawing board, come back to work the next day."
And next up for Fresno State (6-8, 0-1 MW) is 25th-ranked New Mexico, which is 14-2 (1-0 MW) and coming off a 65-60 win over 24th-ranked UNLV.
The Lobos don't have Jamaal Franklin, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, but they do have their own standout player: Kendall Williams.
Williams leads New Mexico in points, assists and steals. On Thursday, he was named one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award.
And it will be up to Coach Terry and the Bulldogs to try and stop him Saturday in Albuquerque.
