Bulldogs no longer surprise to conference or themselves

■ Predicted finish in MW: Fourth ■ Last season: 25-10, 13-5 MW ■ Coach: Rodney Terry, sixth season (85-84) ■ Returning starters/lettermen: 3/6 ■ Top returning scorer: Forward Karachi Edo (10.1)

■ Top returning rebounder: Forward Karachi Edo (6.3)

■ Notable nonconference games: at Oregon State, Nov. 25; at Marquette, Dec. 6; at Oregon, Dec. 20

This is part of a series of daily stories on UNLV’s Mountain West basketball opponents. The series is in reverse order of how the teams were voted to finish in the conference, as voted by the media. ■ Oct. 18: San Jose State ■ Oct. 19: Wyoming ■ Oct. 20: Air Force ■ Friday: Colorado State ■ Saturday: Utah State ■ Sunday: Boise State ■ Monday: Fresno State ■ Tuesday: New Mexico ■ Wednesday: UNR ■ Thursday: San Diego State

They return three starters, but lost their top two scorers, Marvelle Harris and Torren Jones, who combined to average 31.2 points.

Last season showed Fresno State what can be accomplished. The question is whether the Bulldogs will build on that experience this season.

“We talk about last year’s team as that team,” Terry said. “This is a new team with a new identity. I like this team. I like the blend of talent that we have. We’ve got good young guys, and we’ve got good experience in the frontcourt.” Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal. com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.