Fresno State has earned its respect.
Rice coach Willis Wilson had plenty of respect for the Bulldogs men's basketball team even before it pulled off a stunning victory over then-conference leader Texas-El Paso on Saturday.
"My reaction when I saw that score was not of surprise, because that's the WAC," Wilson said. "That's what happens in the WAC.
"But I don't think there's any question Fresno State has the respect of the league, because beating UTEP certainly goes a long way. Ray Lopes has done just an incredible job getting his team to play with a lot of confidence, a lot of poise."
Your first step to your next job offer.
The compliments don't stop there. "Wow, what a statement game," Louisiana Tech coach Keith Richard said of the Fresno State-UTEP outcome.
Nevada's Mark Fox said no coach in the league deserves success more than Lopes following last season's turmoil.
Even UTEP's Doc Sadler ? no doubt still sour about Ja'Vance Coleman's winning shot ? had to give Fresno State its due.
"Playing with unbelievable confidence," Sadler said. "They have been successful and they don't know any different. They're young. They're enthusiastic. And they have good players.
"As long as they continue to win close games, they'll continue to have confidence."
That's enough praise to give anyone a big head. But Fresno State ? the first-place Bulldogs ? can't afford to be overconfident. Especially on the road.
Tonight's game at Rice quickly could kill Fresno State's emotional high. The Bulldogs haven't had success at Autry Court, where they are 1-3. They haven't faced too many players as good as Michael Harris. They didn't have a good practice Tuesday before leaving for Houston.
And, don't forget, they're still young.
"We have to stay grounded as a group," Lopes said. "There's still a lot of basketball yet to be played.
"I mean, it's a great honor when your peers make nice comments about you and your program. But it's definitely nothing to get an ego about. We have to understand the things we did to get us to this point."
Lopes could not even imagine being in this position. He stood on the podium during WAC media day and vowed to produce a team that would be competitive and fun to watch.
First place never came out of his mouth that day. Plus, the preseason media poll had Fresno State picked near the bottom of the conference.
Rice, UTEP and Nevada got all the preseason respect. Now look at the Bulldogs ? 11-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
"I would have picked us [near the bottom], too," Lopes said. "I mean, eight new faces. But that's why I always say that those are opinion polls. Games are not won on opinion."
In Lopes' opinion, his team still has a lot to prove. Wins against Hawaii and UTEP were admirable, but there also was that 11-point loss to mediocre Southern Methodist.
"Can there be a letdown? Yes, absolutely," Lopes said. "Rice is a good basketball team, a mature basketball team. If we get the same type of performance we had at SMU, we'll get beat badly at Rice."
Lopes wants his Bulldogs to respect all their opponents ? just as their opponents respect them.
Both Donovan Morris and Mustafa Al-Sayyad were back at practice Wednesday in Houston. Morris missed Tuesday's practice with an abdominal strain, while Al-Sayyad missed half the session after getting poked in the eye. Both players are expected to start tonight.
Rice coach Willis Wilson had plenty of respect for the Bulldogs men's basketball team even before it pulled off a stunning victory over then-conference leader Texas-El Paso on Saturday.
"My reaction when I saw that score was not of surprise, because that's the WAC," Wilson said. "That's what happens in the WAC.
"But I don't think there's any question Fresno State has the respect of the league, because beating UTEP certainly goes a long way. Ray Lopes has done just an incredible job getting his team to play with a lot of confidence, a lot of poise."
Your first step to your next job offer.
The compliments don't stop there. "Wow, what a statement game," Louisiana Tech coach Keith Richard said of the Fresno State-UTEP outcome.
Nevada's Mark Fox said no coach in the league deserves success more than Lopes following last season's turmoil.
Even UTEP's Doc Sadler ? no doubt still sour about Ja'Vance Coleman's winning shot ? had to give Fresno State its due.
"Playing with unbelievable confidence," Sadler said. "They have been successful and they don't know any different. They're young. They're enthusiastic. And they have good players.
"As long as they continue to win close games, they'll continue to have confidence."
That's enough praise to give anyone a big head. But Fresno State ? the first-place Bulldogs ? can't afford to be overconfident. Especially on the road.
Tonight's game at Rice quickly could kill Fresno State's emotional high. The Bulldogs haven't had success at Autry Court, where they are 1-3. They haven't faced too many players as good as Michael Harris. They didn't have a good practice Tuesday before leaving for Houston.
And, don't forget, they're still young.
"We have to stay grounded as a group," Lopes said. "There's still a lot of basketball yet to be played.
"I mean, it's a great honor when your peers make nice comments about you and your program. But it's definitely nothing to get an ego about. We have to understand the things we did to get us to this point."
Lopes could not even imagine being in this position. He stood on the podium during WAC media day and vowed to produce a team that would be competitive and fun to watch.
First place never came out of his mouth that day. Plus, the preseason media poll had Fresno State picked near the bottom of the conference.
Rice, UTEP and Nevada got all the preseason respect. Now look at the Bulldogs ? 11-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
"I would have picked us [near the bottom], too," Lopes said. "I mean, eight new faces. But that's why I always say that those are opinion polls. Games are not won on opinion."
In Lopes' opinion, his team still has a lot to prove. Wins against Hawaii and UTEP were admirable, but there also was that 11-point loss to mediocre Southern Methodist.
"Can there be a letdown? Yes, absolutely," Lopes said. "Rice is a good basketball team, a mature basketball team. If we get the same type of performance we had at SMU, we'll get beat badly at Rice."
Lopes wants his Bulldogs to respect all their opponents ? just as their opponents respect them.
Both Donovan Morris and Mustafa Al-Sayyad were back at practice Wednesday in Houston. Morris missed Tuesday's practice with an abdominal strain, while Al-Sayyad missed half the session after getting poked in the eye. Both players are expected to start tonight.
