Most days, a hefty portion of practice involves getting the ball through the basket. That was not the case at Fresno State, not on Monday and Tuesday at least, the Bulldogs' first days back after a loss at Utah.
After allowing the Utes to hit 59.6% of their shots while scoring 90 points, the practice plan did not include many shots.
"We didn't take one," coach Rodney Terry said.
It was all about defense, an area in which the Bulldogs have struggled during a 6-4 start -- due in part to an injury-depleted roster in the first month of the season.
Minus forward Braeden Anderson for the season with a neck injury and also down forward/center Tanner Giddings for another week or two with a wrist injury, it has been most glaring around the basket.
Bulldogs opponents have scored 49.6% of their 754 points in the paint -- easy shots within a few feet of the rim, layups and dunks and floaters in the lane.
But there is more to it.
"It's a mindset still," Terry said. "We want a mindset that we're going to get stops. We know we can score. We know we can get up and down the floor. But we've got to get stops and we have to guard.
"They got a chance to see themselves on tape in the areas we need to improve. But defense gets down to want-to, effort, heart, understanding, 'Hey, this is what we have to do to win.'
"We have to have some grit about us in trying to guard, and this group, I'll give them a lot of credit, each time we've tried to correct something, they've really bought into it and really tried to do it."
They will try again Saturday in a nonconference game at Cal, needing a turnaround in a tough place to start one.
The Golden Bears are 7-3 overall but 6-0 and averaging 77.3 points at Haas Pavilion. In their last game, six players scored in double figures in a 92-84 victory over Nevada -- the most points Cal has scored since putting up 105 in a 2011 victory over Arizona.
The Bulldogs are allowing 75.4 points per game, after allowing 61.0 last season. They have allowed opponents to hit 45.3% of their shots, including 53% inside the 3-point line, after allowing rates of 41.2% and 46.7% last year.
Five times in 10 games, Fresno State has allowed 80 or more and twice 90 or more. Last season, the Bulldogs allowed an opponent to hit 80 just once, a 91-78 loss at UCLA.
Guard Tyler Johnson, who has missed the past four games with a right foot injury, could be back in the Fresno State lineup.
That, Terry said, should help stabilize a lineup that includes three freshmen, one redshirt freshman, one junior college transfer playing his first season of Division I basketball and one transfer.
Two of those players, Paul Watson and Alex Davis, are playing out of position in the post because of the injuries to Anderson and Giddings.
"Six new guys, so you're really trying to emphasize to them what our identity has been over the past two years," Terry said. "Now, we have better scorers. We got guys that can score the ball. But our identity was defensive-minded and we still have to get back to that.
"But you get Tyler back out there, now you have another guy that has gone through it, that can show the guys and say, 'Hey, we have to get stops. We have to guard.
"I'm not surprised by it because we still have guys that are having to understand how important it is to defend, and we have three guys that are adapting to Division I basketball and understanding that Division I basketball is not a pickup game."
After allowing the Utes to hit 59.6% of their shots while scoring 90 points, the practice plan did not include many shots.
"We didn't take one," coach Rodney Terry said.
It was all about defense, an area in which the Bulldogs have struggled during a 6-4 start -- due in part to an injury-depleted roster in the first month of the season.
Minus forward Braeden Anderson for the season with a neck injury and also down forward/center Tanner Giddings for another week or two with a wrist injury, it has been most glaring around the basket.
Bulldogs opponents have scored 49.6% of their 754 points in the paint -- easy shots within a few feet of the rim, layups and dunks and floaters in the lane.
But there is more to it.
"It's a mindset still," Terry said. "We want a mindset that we're going to get stops. We know we can score. We know we can get up and down the floor. But we've got to get stops and we have to guard.
"They got a chance to see themselves on tape in the areas we need to improve. But defense gets down to want-to, effort, heart, understanding, 'Hey, this is what we have to do to win.'
"We have to have some grit about us in trying to guard, and this group, I'll give them a lot of credit, each time we've tried to correct something, they've really bought into it and really tried to do it."
They will try again Saturday in a nonconference game at Cal, needing a turnaround in a tough place to start one.
The Golden Bears are 7-3 overall but 6-0 and averaging 77.3 points at Haas Pavilion. In their last game, six players scored in double figures in a 92-84 victory over Nevada -- the most points Cal has scored since putting up 105 in a 2011 victory over Arizona.
The Bulldogs are allowing 75.4 points per game, after allowing 61.0 last season. They have allowed opponents to hit 45.3% of their shots, including 53% inside the 3-point line, after allowing rates of 41.2% and 46.7% last year.
Five times in 10 games, Fresno State has allowed 80 or more and twice 90 or more. Last season, the Bulldogs allowed an opponent to hit 80 just once, a 91-78 loss at UCLA.
Guard Tyler Johnson, who has missed the past four games with a right foot injury, could be back in the Fresno State lineup.
That, Terry said, should help stabilize a lineup that includes three freshmen, one redshirt freshman, one junior college transfer playing his first season of Division I basketball and one transfer.
Two of those players, Paul Watson and Alex Davis, are playing out of position in the post because of the injuries to Anderson and Giddings.
"Six new guys, so you're really trying to emphasize to them what our identity has been over the past two years," Terry said. "Now, we have better scorers. We got guys that can score the ball. But our identity was defensive-minded and we still have to get back to that.
"But you get Tyler back out there, now you have another guy that has gone through it, that can show the guys and say, 'Hey, we have to get stops. We have to guard.
"I'm not surprised by it because we still have guys that are having to understand how important it is to defend, and we have three guys that are adapting to Division I basketball and understanding that Division I basketball is not a pickup game."
