BYU Cougars Not Ready to Fade to Black

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The BYU Cougars (27-3, 13-2) were playing hot after sweeping the season series of their conference foe the San Diego State Aztecs (28-2, 13-2)

Jimmer Fredette captured the eyes of many with his scoring ability, but sophomore Brandon Davies is what steered BYU to elite status.

Davies 6'9'' 240 pound frame was a problem for many teams that competed against BYU. Davies is athletic, long and can run the court well.

He was one of Fredette's favorite targets starting 26 of 29 games and turned in 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds.

After meeting with school officials on Monday to confess an honor code violation, Davies was released from the team and could be possibly booted from the school.

BYU's dream season has took an unexpected turn for the worst. Without Davies, it's hard to picture BYU a final four team or a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

"We told him it's OK," Fredette said. "Sometimes in life we make mistakes. We've got to play through it."

After spending one day at No. 3 in the polls, the Cougars suffered a 82-64 loss at home to the New Mexico Lobos (19-11, 7-8) who finished a season sweep of BYU. Without Davies, the spotlight has shifted to Mountain West conference rival San Diego State.

Although, BYU wants everybody to know that it hasn't gone anywhere.

Head coach Dave Rose did give New Mexico a ton of credit for taking it to the Cougars. Coach Rose also said, "we'll regroup," following the blowout loss to New Mexico.

At 13-2 in the Mountain West, a win at home against Wyoming would give the Cougars a share of the conference title. It might also be a chance to show that BYU can win without Davies.

For once this season, the Cougars are considered the underdogs in College Basketball. Their leader Fredette has always had BYU strong and willing to battle against top competition.

Fredette was able to will this team last season before hitting a road block in the NCAA tournament. With more in his arsenal this season, their shouldn't be much holding the senior back.

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Jimmer Fredette Has Become a Can't Miss Player

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Jimmer Fredette’s name has to be a hot topic in the player of the year conversation after his display of his scoring ability all season. Not to mention, Fredette has the BYU Cougars (20-1, 5-0) ranked inside the top 10 and looking for their first conference title in years.

Coming into this season, Yahoo Rivals listed Fredette as the most explosive player in the country. Many also regarded Fredette as a lethal scorer, but nobody really expected him to put up 40-points multiple times in one season—let alone, twice in a row.

Fredette had surpassed former scoring leader Kemba Walker after his 47-point performance against Utah. Since then, Fredette has owned the top spot in the scoring column and is now up to 27.4 per game.

Fredette has also pushed his average up to 35.7 points during conference play

Fredette has scored 20-plus points in 17 games this season, including seven 30-plus games, and three 40-point outings.

After his most recent 43-point game against rival San Diego State, Fredette received props from many formidable players, including NBA stars.

“Jimmer Fredette is the best scorer in the world,” said Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant via Twitter. “Jimmer Fredette is cold, #respect” said Washington Wizards star John Wall.

Fredette isn’t the same player that got locked down in the ’09 NCAA tournament by Jacob Pullen. He finally gets it, and has grown from last year’s disappointment, which is one of the reasons BYU is one of the top teams in the nations.

“Jimmer has a relentless mindset toward scoring the ball, which you might think everyone has, but his is unique,” said coach Rose.

The past few gams, coach Dave Rose has stuck with the same offense that plays to Fredette’s strengths.

“He’s also playing with guys that want to get the best shot possible on every possession,” said Rose. “I think you can see that when Jimmer’s got a hot hand and is rolling pretty good that his teammates really look for him.”

The last two games combined, Fredette has been hot from deep nailing 9-of-17 (52%) of his three point baskets.

Fredette will continue to grow as the Cougars travel to take on the New Mexico Lobos (14-7, 2-4) who are underachieving, but still a formidable opponent for BYU.

If Fredette were to recreate another 40-point night against the Lobos, he would solidify everyone’s notion of being the most dominant scorer in the college game.

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