Scouting report: No. 13 Arizona vs. Fresno State

Game info 

Matchup: Fresno State (6-2) at No. 13 Arizona (7-1)

Location: McKale Center

Time: 7 p.m. Wednesday

TV: Pac-12 Arizona

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM 

Probable starters for Arizona 

• G Kadeem Allen (6-3 junior)

• G Gabe York (6-3 senior)

• F Allonzo Trier (6-6 freshman)

• F Ryan Anderson (6-9 senior)

• C Dusan Ristic (7-0 sophomore) 

Probable starters for Fresno State 

• G Cezar Guerrero (6-1 senior)

• G Marvelle Harris (6-4 senior)

• F Paul Watson (6-7 junior)

• F Karachi Edo (6-6 junior)

• C Torren Jones (6-9 junior) 

How they match up 

The series: The Wildcats and Bulldogs are tied at 3-3 but have only met once in the past 35 years, a 69-50 UA win on Dec. 16, 2007, the second game after Lute Olson announced he would sit out the rest of the 2007-08 season (he permanently retired before the next season). Jerryd Bayless had 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting while Jordan Hill added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Kevin O’Neill-coached Wildcats. Fresno State last beat UA exactly 35 years ago Wednesday, 70-60 on Dec. 9, 1980. 

Fresno State overview 

The Bulldogs are a cut above your everyday one-time “guarantee game” opponent —tough and experienced, with a high-level perimeter trio of Mountain West preseason player of the year Marvelle Harris (as voted by conference media), onetime UA recruiting target Cezar Guerrero, and former Phoenix player of the year Paul Watson (as named by azcentral.com). While their backcourt play is more central than fellow Mountain West opponent Boise State, a team UA faced twice last month, the Bulldogs have an athletic big man in Cullen Russo and a rugged scorer around the basket in Torren Jones. They don’t have a marquee win yet but beat Rice by 17 on the road and stayed within five points of Oregon at Eugene on Nov. 30. 

Fresno State's key player: Marvelle Harris 

You may recall that a strong, veteran guard named Jared Brownridge dropped 44 points and made the Wildcats go to overtime before beating Santa Clara on Nov. 26. Harris is capable of the same things, and he’s two inches taller. 

Arizona's key player: Allonzo Trier 

The Wildcats may be starting to see the unleashed potential of their high school All-American wing, and it’s not just his notably aggressive offense. UA coach Sean Miller also credits his improving defense, which will be tested Wednesday night. 

He said it 

“They have maybe one of the best backcourts we’ve played to this point. Harris scores it any way he wants. He can shoot from three and he’s great off ball screens, with great size. Especially with how the games are being called, he’s a guy who can get to the line and get himself going.

“They run a lot of ball-screen stuff and they’re very unselfish and play together. They’re totally opposite of Boise because their guard play is really key for them to do well and their bigs are traditional from the physical aspect of it. Jones is big and physical and scores around the basket. He is a good offensive rebounder.

“Defensively, they are a man-to-man team but I expect everything, even box and one, triangle and two.” — UA assistant coach Book Richardson, who scouted the Bulldogs. 

So who's the real home team? 

If Wednesday night's game was all about Arizona ties, the Bulldogs would win easily.

While none of the Wildcats’ 15 players are from Arizona, two of Fresno State’s starters are, wing Paul Watson and post player Torren Jones. Plus, one of the Bulldogs’ key reserves, Cullen Russo, has a mother who lives in Flagstaff.

Watson starred for Paradise Valley High School, leading the Trojans to the 2012-13 state title with his effort on both ends of the floor, while Jones has taken a meandering path through basketball since beginning his high school career at Chandler’s Basha High School.

Jones played his senior season at a prep school in Indiana, spent his freshman season of 2013-14 at Missouri, transferred to Midland JC as a sophomore, and then showed up in Fresno this season.

The three players are expected to have at least 15 total friends and family total watching them Wednesday night. 

Valley pride 

One side of Fresno State's uniform shorts features a green “V” with a red stripe within it, though neither green nor “V” has anything to do with the school name or colors.

It does have everything to do with Fresno State’s environment and culture, however. The “V” stands for being the “Valley’s team,” with the green a nod to the rich agriculture of the San Joaquin Valley.

Fresno State University also boasts the well-regarded Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology. 

YouTube shooting whiz 

Even though Cezar Guerrero sat out 17 games early last season, he became world famous at the same time.

At least in a YouTube sense.

Guerrero hit five straight halfcourt shots during Fresno State’s Red and White Hoops Night, the highlights of which have generated over 633,000 views on YouTube. It will pop up if you search for “Cezar Guerrero Halfcourt” on YouTube.com.

Guerrero was a former teammate of former UA forward Grant Jerrett on the Southern California travel-ball team Belmont Shore, and received some recruiting attention from the Wildcats before playing for Oklahoma State and Fresno State.

"We know he’s a very confident player, an excellent shooter and he's tough minded," UA coach Sean Miller said. 

Numbers game: 7

7 – Non-West Coast Conference teams (10 overall) to beat Gonzaga at the 12-year-old McCarthey Athletic Center, a club UA joined on Saturday in Spokane. 

Numbers game: 16

16 – Seasons since Fresno State has beaten a ranked team on the road (the Bulldogs beat No. 12 Tulsa on Feb. 24, 2000). 

Numbers game: 28

28 – Straight nonconference opponents (42 overall) that Arizona has beaten at McKale Center.