Thursday night, Fresno State (19-13) will face Eastern Washington (18-15) in The Basketball Classic.
"I'm honest with them, I'm disappointed too (on missing out on the NIT) but how long are you going to stay disappointed?" Hutson said Wednesday. "We're in the postseason tournament and we're playing at home, so let's go play good basketball and get a win."
The Basketball Classic replaces the now discontinued Collegeinsider.com Tournament. Organizers originally said there would be 32 teams playing but there are just 21 teams listed and with no official bracket, it's unclear where the Dogs would head if they win.
"It's like a random bowl game, right? It's very similar to a bowl game that's not a New Years Eve bowl, not a College Football Playoff bowl," Hutson said.
A win would be the 20th of the season for FS after they were knocked out of the Mountain West Tournament last Thursday.
"We're excited and we're happy for our accomplishments. We're not satisfied -- we had 4-5 close ones that went the other way or maybe we're playing in something bigger, but we're not so now that we're in this tournament, it's time to make the most of it, have a good time and play well," Hutson said.
It could also be the final home game for Orlando Robinson, who could leave for the NBA Draft. The Bulldogs junior forward was named first team all-Mountain West and averaged 28 points per game in the MW Tournament.
Tipoff from the Save Mart Center is set for 7 pm & parking is free. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.