Week 1 Thoughts from Daniel and Preston:

DANIEL'S TAKE:

Well, there's that old saying--a win is a win. And it's true. Especially against an SEC team in their backyard on opening day. Despite being ugly, I'm thrilled with the result.

Some take home points without reading too much into one game (least of all the first game):

The Bright Spot. I never thought I'd live to see the day, but the aspect most firing on all cylinders for the Cougars was actually the defense. Jordan Pendleton seems fairly back with a vengeance, and the run defense was rock solid. USC transfer Uona Kaveinga capably filled the role of general menace at the Linebacker position, and Daniel Sorenson seems intent on making a big impact as well.

If you just saw the score, you wouldn't know that the defense basically pitched a shutout--conceding two field goals after special teams blunders gave Mississippi a short field, and Jake Heaps' interception-touchdown accounting for the other score.

The Glaring Weakness. BYU's red zone offense continues to un-impress. The offensive machine started sluggishly, but was eventually able to shake the rust off and move the ball. The problem is the seemingly inevitable slow-down as they zero in on the goal line.

This blogger offers his opinion that the main issue is really the ground game. J.J. DiLuigi is great in the flat, a serviceable backfield blocker, and (too often?) a reliable check down option for Heaps. But a pure rusher he is not. (And Bryan Kariya seems incapable of running downhill either, enough to make you pine for the days of Harvey Unga like a middle school boy after his first crush.)

And without a ground game to keep the D honest, play action can't do what it's designed to; Mississippi was able to cheat and play more earnest pass defense.

But still. A win is, as we've said, a win. And looking at BYU's schedule this year, the goal was always to get through this first month or so with as many Ws as possible. Not a bad way to start.

PRESTON'S TAKE

Where do I start? This was everything but a normal BYU football game. If you have followed this program at any point during the last decade you have found these all-too-familiar and predictable scenarios to be true: a high scoring Cougar offense that puts plenty of points on the board and a defense and secondary that we constantly pray can avoid giving up the big play.

In this case today playing in Mississippi, however, I never once felt nervous when our defense was on the field and, contrary to popular speculation prior to the game versus Ole Miss, BYU’s offense struggled to finish drives and we found our Cougars sitting on a whopping total of 0 points through three quarters.

Fortunately, the dice rolled BYU’s way in the 4^th quarter and they were able to score 14 unanswered points to beat Ole Miss 14-13. Let us dissect each side of the ball in more detail:

Offense

The immediate reaction to the offensive performance today versus Ole Miss would be a negative one. BYU was unable to put a point on the board till the 4^th quarter and Jake Heaps was far from the gunslinger he proved to be during fall camp. But I argue we need to analyze this a little bit deeper. During the “offensive drought” through the first 3 quarters BYU managed to take the ball inside the Ole Miss 40-yard line four different times.

We can thank a penalty, a bad snap, an interception (that turned into a pick 6 and the only Ole Miss touchdown of the game), and a missed field goal that these drives resulted in 0 Cougar points. I am not making excuses for the BYU offense, they definitely need to limit these mistakes, but I would like to draw attention to the fact that the offense was capable of moving the football consistently against a stronger and more athletic Ole Miss defense. The Cougars accumulated a total of 316 yards in comparison to the Rebels 208, and BYU also converted 20 first downs compared to the Ole Miss 13.

Although the run game was limited to only 3 yards per carry, BYU still out rushed Ole Miss by 30 yards. The Cougars outplayed the Rebels in every aspect of the game and deservedly got the victory. While there needs to be improvement in the execution of the offense (especially in enemy territory), I am surprisingly optimistic going into the Texas game next week. Bring on the haters, but I stand by what I am saying.

The law of averages tell us there is no way that BYU moves the ball that effectively again while only managing to score one offensive touchdown, I guarantee it.

Defense

There is not as much to discuss regarding the Cougar defense as they completely dominated the Rebels in every aspect of the game. They held Ole Miss to 2.2 yards per carry on the ground and limited them to only 144 total passing yards. Without question the defense won the game for BYU today, and more specifically, Kyle Van Noy. He was able to force and recover the fumble late in the 4^th quarter that lead to the go ahead touchdown that gave the Cougars the victory. He actually scored as many points as the entire BYU offense.

To play devil's advocate though, we need to recognize that Ole Miss was using two quarterbacks throughout the game and neither had ever started a collegiate game in their lives. The Cougars hard-hitting also managed to knock two of the Rebels running backs out of the game and ruined any chances Ole Miss had of getting the ground game going.

So, like my analysis of the BYU offense, I will actually go against the public perception here and say that I am more worried about the Cougar defense going into Austin next Saturday than anything else. They looked great against Ole Miss, and they literally won the game for BYU, but with all the question marks on the offensive side of the Rebels’ squad, I am skeptical to believe that the defense can bail them out again against a much more experienced Longhorn team.

I could also see the defensive players getting a little bit too complacent during the week as I am sure BYU will be putting a great deal of their focus in practice on the offense and special teams. This will presumably put more pressure on the offense, which I believe is a good thing in this case, and I would be surprised if Bronco Mendenhall and the BYU defense can duplicate their performance they had today against the Ole Miss. In fact, I dare them to.

Despite the strange mood and flow of the game today, BYU got the victory, and that is what ultimately counts. To win a game and open the season on the road against a SEC school is a feat in and of itself.

My early analysis of next week’s game against Texas is a positive one. While I will not pick an official score or winner now, I am definitely a believer that the Cougars can win the game. They will compete and make things interesting, I promise you this. If not for any other reason than the fact that as I wrap up writing this post-game review, Texas is only beating Rice 20-9 at the end of the 3^rd quarter… they typically beat the Owls by 50-60 every year. #BeatTexas

Thoughts on Big 12, BYU Fan Behavior

For BYU, 2011’s session of conference realignment is a lot different than it was in 2010 – and in a good way.

Last year, BYU going to an automatic-qualifying conference was closer to a pipe dream than a sure thing. Most fans would have given up their family’s pew at church to get into an AQ conference.

This year? Not so much. "Desperate" describes the other side this time around.

When the Big 12 rumors first surfaced, I was somewhere in between “for” and “against.” Obviously going to the Big 12 has the obvious benefits of more money and a guaranteed BCS access.

However, I was afraid of us having to sacrifice things to get there. I loved BYU’s contract with ESPN, and I didn’t want to be stuck with games on FSN or FX. I also didn’t want to disrespect the WCC or all of the BYU staff that have worked so hard on the transition to independence.

But the more I think of it, the less I think BYU will sacrifice much - if anything at all.

The ESPN contract will likely be staying with us, and BYUtv is still going to be allowed to let its freak-flag fly. With Texas and K-State starting their own networks, BYUtv fits in quite nicely.

Why would we have to give any of those things up? When it comes down to it, The Big 12 is more desperate now than BYU is, which will help BYU in this potential transition.

I don't know if this move would actually make it easier to get to a BCS bowl (we still have to beat all of those teams), but an increase in revenue is certain.

I think the best part of this move would be for the non-football sports, especially basketball. Getting teams like Kansas in the Marriott Center would be phenomenal. Had "Jimmermania" happened in the Big 12, his exposure would have been insane (keeping in mind it was over the top as it was).

HOWEVER…

As I mentioned on Twitter today, I don’t like the new trend among some BYU fans.

A month ago, if Utah fans called our new schedule crap, a lot of us were willing to fight them on that. Now I’m reading BYU fans trashing our schedule. What gives?

Ute fans would joke about our “WAC schedule,” and we’d get enraged. Now I’m reading BYU fans denigrate our current schedule by mentioning our WAC opponents. What gives?

Yes, being in the Big 12 is going to improve our overall schedule, but we’re still going to play occasional crap teams. Texas is playing Rice this year. Oklahoma is playing Tulsa and Ball State.

And it was those very same WAC teams gave us the opportunity to go independent. It allowed BYU to fill out their 2011 and 2012 schedules. It wasn’t ever going to be a long-term solution to scheduling.

Challenge: Don’t become what you hated four weeks ago. Don’t pee all over independence in order to promote the idea of membership in the Big 12. It has enough merits on its own without having to trash things we all cherished a month ago.

5 Questions With BYU's Devin Mahina

Devin Mahina finished the 2010 season as the top receiving tight end for BYU (11 receptions, 118 yards). BYU fans are looking for one or two tight ends to separate themselves from the pack, giving BYU the tight end presence it had in years past (Pitta, Harline, George, etc.).

In the quick interview below, Mahina talks about BYU, 2010, and the upcoming season.

Q1: Why did you choose to come to Provo, and what do you like most about BYU?

I chose to come to BYU because, while football is a huge part of my decision, it's not the only factor. BYU fit all my needs perfectly. It holds its students to a higher standard, and that's something I love. I also chose it because I like how BYU uses its tight ends. I love what Bronco has done with the program.

Q2. What was 2010 like for you and the team, and how will going through what you guys did help for 2011?

I look at last season as a learning experience. We didn't do as well as we all hoped, but it helped us understand what we needed to work on and fix. Not many freshmen get as much playing time as I did, and that gives me a huge advantage for this next season and the seasons to come.

Q3. What do you think all of the coaching changes (Doman, Dupaix, Cahoon, etc.) add to the team?

Of course Bronco is only going to make changes that will benefit the team. I am really excited to work with my new position coach, Coach (Lance) Reynolds, as well as our offensive coordinator, Coach (Brandon) Doman.

Q4: How does the tight end position battle look heading into fall camp, and what do you expect from yourself this season?

There are a lot of talented guys at the tight end position, it should be really competitive. I expect a lot from myself. I expect to make an impact on the field. I expect to be someone who is looked to in clutch situations.

Q5: Who is/are the funniest guy(s) on the team, and why?

Since I spend most of my time with the tight ends, I would say a combination of Richard Wilson and Marcus Mathews. They are always cracking jokes, we have a good time together.

Happy Independence Day, Cougar Fans!

Happy Independence and WCC Day! After nearly an entire year of waiting, BYU fans no longer have to pretend to like the Mountain West Conference. We are now independents in football and joined the West Coast Conference in most of the other sports.

Here is the video from the BYU athletics home page:

BYU and the Honor Code: Back in the News

The subject of BYU and the Honor Code is in the news again, as ESPN recently aired an interview with Tico Pringle in which he said blacks and whites are treated differently by the Honor Code. He also suggested Jimmer wouldn't have been suspended like Brandon Davies.

Rather than post/link anything else from the interview, I decided Cougaracity would better serve its readers by posting video footage of interviews of former BYU athletes who disagreed with comments like Pringle's.

Former BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl, who came to BYU as a member of the LDS Church, gives his two cents on the Honor Code:


Former BYU running back Brian McDonald, who came to BYU without being a member of of the LDS Church, shares his opinion on BYU and the Honor Code. Also, McDonald share his experience with the Honor Code Office after being cited for underage drinking.

ESPN's SEC Position Rankings

Over the last few weeks, ESPN SEC bloggers Chris Low and Edward Aschoff has been ranking the different position groups in the SEC, including BYU's first-game opponent Ole Miss. I've kept track of all of the ranking and have made a semi-crude attempt at overall rankings.

The verdict? The idea BYU fans have been either thinking to themselves, telling only close friends, or screaming from the rooftops is true: Ole Miss really is not that good of a SEC team.

As you can see by the chart below, Ole Miss comes in as the third-worst team in all of the SEC. Now remember, the third-worst team in the SEC is NOT equal to the third-worst team in the WAC, MWC, or even the Pac-12. But it is looking more and more likely that BYU has a pretty good chance at coming home from Oxford with a win.

I guess the most exciting revelation from these rankings is that the Ole Miss defense is seen as the worst in all of the conference, with the linebackers and secondary coming in at dead last. With Jake Heaps leading an offense that caught fire towards the end of 2010 and is expected to pick up where they left off, this could lead to BYU starting the season off with a bang!

I think Ole Miss is not as bad as they look with these rankings and who knows how accurate these rankings are, but I think it should be safe to say BYU should be favored in this game.

Here are some of Low and Aschoff's thoughts on Ole Miss (Click on the clip for a better view):

On the QBS:
On the RBs:
On the WRs/TEs:
On the O-Line:
On the D-Line:
On the LBs:
On the DBs:

New Commitments for BYU

BYU held its annual "Junior Day" today, and with it came a few commitments from footballers. Congratulations to Phillip Amone, a linebacker from Florida, and Austin Hoyt, an offensive lineman from California. Here are some highlights:

Phillip Amone:



Austin Hoyt (played TE in high school):



Congrats, guys, and good luck!

UPDATED

Another commit. This one from Bobby Wolford, another LB from Florida. Here are the highlights:



UPDATE

Brayden Kearsley, an offensive lineman from Oregon, also committed. He's actually a recruit for the class of 2013. I haven't been able to find a highlight video of him on YouTube, but here is an interview:

Kemba? Please! Still Riding the Jimmer Bandwagon

Since the loss to Florida last Thursday night, many members of the national media have, as one should have expected, pulled a 180 in respect to Jimmer Fredette. Much of the criticism comes down to this bottom line: He's no Kemba Walker.

Granted, Kemba Walker is a very special talent. He is quick and clutch, and he has enjoyed an enormous of amount of success in this 2010-2011 college basketball season.

But, frankly, I don't get the recent Kemba-Jimmer comparisons, and I certainly don't understand the idea of him winning player of the year.

Jimmer “The Chucker” Fredette

One of the biggest criticisms of Jimmer in the last week is that he is a "chucker." This stems from his last game in which he scored 32 points but took 29 shots to get there.

Sure, 29 shots does seem like a lot when you are only getting 32 points, but that kind of result from Jimmer is pretty much an aberration.

In all of the 2010-2011 season, Jimmer only had four games with an equal or worse ratio of Field Goal Attempt to Points Scored (0.91).

Kemba had 12.

The ratio of 0.91 for FGA-PTS really isn’t very good, so what happens when we lower the bar on the FGA-PTS ratio to 0.85? Jimmer had five games with that.

Kemba had 16, including one in the most recent game against Arizona.

In fact, over the course of the season the FGA-PTS ratio for Jimmer was 0.72.

Kemba’s was 0.76.

If you are going to call Jimmer a “chucker,” because, in one of his worst shooting games of the season, his points and shots taken are too close, you can’t cover your eyes and ears when Kemba takes 14 shots to get 8 points (2/2 at home vs. Syracuse) or 27 shots to get 22 points (1/8 at Texas).

“I've seen dead people play better defense”

Clearly, Rick Reilly had not actually seen a corpse play better defense than Jimmer Fredette when he wrote that. However, defense is likely Jimmer’s biggest weakness on the basketball court.

But I look at it differently.

The opposing team often doubles and even triple-teams Jimmer in hopes of containing him. Sometimes it works (somewhat), sometimes it doesn’t.

Also, Jimmer hardly goes a night without two or three players rotating the defensive assignment of stopping Jimmer. They take rests and get back on him.

Jimmer doesn’t get a break from being Jimmer.

Would any of these haters care to be Jimmer Fredette for a game, have the ball in your hands as much as he does, dribble as much as he does (whether you like it or not), run around as much as he does, use as much energy as he does on offense – and then be expected to shut down quick guards on the other end?

Ridiculous.

We would have all liked to see Jimmer play better defense, but we sure did love his offense, didn’t we?

“…and a set of teammates who looked like pizza delivery guys”

We could argue all day about how good the other players on BYU are or aren’t, but that is not the issue.

The issue is that even with a team Rick Reilly deemed as being as good as “pizza delivery guys,” Jimmer still did what he did this season, and that should be impressive.

Here are the ratings of Kemba’s teammates, according to ESPN Recruiting:

Jeremy Lamb, 92
Alex Oriakhi, 96
Shabazz Napier, 94
Roscoe Smith, 95
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, 94

How many guesses do you want to figure out how many of Jimmer’s teammates were ranked at 92 or higher? Or even in the 90s? Because the answer is “0.”

Now I don’t think Jackson Emery and Kyle Collinsworth are stiffs or “pizza delivery guys,” but if you’re going to trash Jimmer’s teammates, shouldn’t you expect more from someone with Kemba’s teammates?

Other Kemba NOT for Player of the Year notes:

As important as March is, should the "Player of the Year" award be given for waking up in March? People were high on Kemba after his Maui performance, but he disappeared for several months.

You shouldn't able to win POY if you "led" your team to a 4-7 record during any stretch in a season. If a Heisman candidate has one bad game, some write them off. Two bad games? You're done. Why should this award be given to a guy whose team was 9-9 in the Big East?

Frankly, I prefer the Jimmer bandwagon now compared to two or three weeks ago. Getting rid of all of the national media has made it a lot faster.

Passing up Danny Ainge

For all of my life, the only BYU basketball highlight I ever saw run on TV was this Danny Ainge one:

In fact, because of the play it got, as a kid I always had assumed it was for the national title. I even remember telling friends in high school that "BYU has won a title in both football and basketball."

That was obviously not the case.

That Danny Ainge play happened a good eight months before I was born, and BYU's basketball history has not had a lot of things with which fans could compare. Danny Ainge and his tournament run was thebomb.com.

Sure, we've had some things to hang our hats on: Shawn Bradley's (speaking of images of stuff you hang your hat on) NBA career and appearance "in Space Jam," the Rafa years were good, and who doesn't guys like having alumni like Plaisted and Hansen having a cup of hot cocoa in the NBA?

However, nothing had been close to passing up Danny Ainge...until this year.

Quite literally, in fact, as Jackson Emery passed up Danny Ainge has the BYU leader in steals:


Then, Jimmer Fredette passed up Danny Ainge for career points at BYU, while having the best individual statistical season a player at BYU has ever had:


Now the only thing left to do for this team is pass up Danny Ainge's 1981 tournament run. With a win over Florida on Thursday, this BYU team will have gone as far as any BYU team has gone in NCAA Tournament. Could this even be the year that run gets passed, and BYU finds its way into the Final Four?

With everything else that has happened, wouldn't this be the year for it?

Saturday Night Recap

This is a really cool compilation of highlights from Saturday night's game. It shows us torching the Zags. It also backs up what Gonzaga center Robert Sacre said about BYU not being that good. Just kidding.

Enjoy!

My Daughter, the Bracketologist

It's that time of the year again: March Madness. A time where school, job, and sometimes family take a back seat to the bracket. Many of us, I'm sure, have spent an hour or two trying to figure out the perfect bracket only to find out later today and tomorrow our bracket was as accurate as your office's curmudgeon is during one of his rants.

This year, I decided to take a different approach.

I still spent too much time on a bracket destined to give me nothing but heartbreak, but I decided to recruit someone who didn't really didn't care, and, in fact, most likely did not even know what was going on around: my two-year-old daughter.

She took all of the "science" out of it. The only thing she knew about college basketball is whatever was absorbed while she played with her toys during BYU games (and that was pre-Davies suspension, so how credible is that knowledge?).

We went through every game in the first round, and I held out both of my hands and gave her the match-up, with each hand representing one of the teams. Brilliant strategy.

Brilliant, that is, until she got tired of picking hands that had nothing in them. So we moved on to using two blocks - both red, both cubes. That also went well...until she found a blue block and decided to put it in the middle.

Then when I took that one away, assuming we were cleaning up, she would grab both red blocks at the same time and give them back to me. Foiled again!

I decided that, as a last resort, I would grab two character from her barnyard gang, and use them. While she did grab another one to join in on the fun, I was able to use these to finish out her very bracket.

Certainly, she has a lot of upsets picked that are, quite frankly, indefensible, but she ended up with a pretty coherent Final Four, with Ohio State winning it all.

What's the more pathetic thing: that I spent well over an hour filling out a bracket with someone who had neither an interest in it nor an idea as to what was even happening or that her bracket, even with the prediction of the first #16 to beat a #1 and other ridiculousness, might still beat plenty of people in my ESPN group: Jimmer and the Fredettes?

The #1 Seed Debate...

Here is a video of Doug Gottlieb and ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi talking about the teams that should get the #1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament. I honestly don't care about BYU's seed as long as it is a #1 or #2, but it's fun to watch/listen to the debate.

Reasons for BYU fans to be optimistic...

As excited as all us BYU fans were after the Cougars beat SDSU at the Marriott Center last month, there were some extenuating circumstances which may have occurred to some of us.

1. Kawhi Leonard was definitely not 100 percent, suffering from the flu before the game. The dude is a beast, and if he's not all there, it makes a difference.

2. Jimmer Fredette went off. While it is something we've come to expect from him, he doesn't do it every game, and it is likely harder to do it twice against the same opponent, especially a quality team like the Aztecs. Sure, Jimmer gets up for the most of big games, but is that something we should always expect?

But at the same time, we had a lot of things not go our way in that game, so what sort of things could play a role in a possible BYU win today?

1. Supporting cast - Yes, Jimmer had an awesome game last time against SDSU, but outside of him and Brandon Davies, there wasn't much. The rest of the players combined to shoot 5-for-24, including 0-7 behind the arc, and score 14 points. If we get some more from the non-Jimmer and non-Brandon players, we should be good.

2. Breakout players - As has been mentioned in the past on this blog, BYU was going to need better play from Charles Abuou and Stephen Rogers to be an elite team. Our wish was their command. Lately, those two players have really stepped up, and I expect them to be a major asset in this game.

3. JIMMERTIME - Yeah, I know I mentioned earlier we can't always expect Jimmer to keep having all of these big games and big moments, but until he doesn't produce, why can't we? SDSU fans having been messing with him and even his girlfriend on Facebook, all in order to get inside Jimmer's head. In Jimmer's four years, have we ever seen him play like someone was in his head? Not really. In fact, it has been A LOT more frequent to see him go off against someone because of crap like that. I'm expecting a big game from him today.

BYU wins 78-71, and Jimmer scores 30+ points and gets a lot of people involved.

***Also, I stumbled onto this Jimmer photo blog entry from Ed Shoots. Very awesome pics. Check them out.

Jimmer was Jimmered

Jimmered got snubbed.

Jimmered rightfully deserved the MWC Player of the Week award again, and he got snubbed.

I am not the kind of guy who likes to entertain conspiracy theories, but this seemed to have anti-BYU sentiment written all over it. The same thing would have happened to Utah or TCU if either team had a player in Jimmer's neighborhood (bless their hearts, they just don't).

Last week, with Jimmer's performance against SDSU - and especially his stat line in a loss at New Mexico - solidified his status as the leader in the National Player of the Year race. How does he lose the MWC Player of the Week on the same week?

It would be one thing if it was one player given that award, but it's something different altogether when the MWC selects two players as "Co-Players of the Week." That's saying TWO, not just one, but TWO players had better weeks than Jimmer, when not even one did.

Andy Ogdie, CSU, had 21.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg, 1 spg last week in beating TCU and Air Force.

Drew Gordon, UNM, had 13.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2 bpg last week in beating #9 BYU and TCU.

Jimmer, on the other hand, had 37.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg in beating #4 SDSU and losing to UNM.

A few things jump out to me:

1. Jimmer had more points than those two players combined. Points win game, thus, should win awards.

2. Even if everyone of the rebounds from the other guys resulted in 2 points, Jimmer's points were STILL more than the each guy, never mind he had 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg.

3. Ogdie stats were against two teams that have lost more games than they've won.

4. Drew Gordon played both of his games at home at The Pit, a place nationally known for being difficult for visitors to play, including one of them against TCU.

No rational-thinking human being can actually compare those stats and say one of those guys had a better week, let alone TWO of those guys. It is ridiculous.

The only possible explanation is that conference officials weren't able to watch BYU's games this week because of the crappy MWC TV deal.

And people still wonder why BYU is leaving the conference.

Jimmer Fredette on Sportscenter - 1/27/2011

BYU's Jimmer Fredette was on Sportscenter talking with John Buccigross this afternoon. In case you missed it, here is the video clip:

BYU Wins The Heavyweight Slug Fest...Thanks to You-Know-Who

What a game! The much-anticipated showdown between the ninth ranked Cougars and the Fourth ranked San Diego State Aztecs fully lived up to its lofty billing. Exceptional win for BYU and a reminder to fans everywhere why we love college basketball so much. After the excitement wore off, I had a couple realizations. Some good, some not so good.

The bad news first…BYU is a bad ankle sprain away from being a very average team. The Cougars continue to be a one-man show that’s so exciting it makes you lose track of the fact that one injury to Jimmer would derail the entire dream season. For that matter, one off night for the BYU guard would be enough to stop a NCAA tourney run dead in its tracks. Brandon Davies was BYU’s next highest scorer, but couldn’t remain out of foul trouble long enough to get into a rhythm that would force San Diego State to factor him into their defense. Had Jimmer not shown up huge last night, Cougar nation would be staring a big home loss on the calendar.

Now the good news…Jimmer Freddette has shown zero indication that he will do anything but show up huge in any big game situation imaginable. A cool 43 last night, and this after trailing off in the second half. How clutch is Jimmer? He has the attention of everyone in the sports world. He has called in on SportsCenter, done Five Good Minutes with Kornheiser and Wilbon, and celebrities are tweeting about him like crazy. Recently Sports Illustrated featured an article by Luke Winn devoted entirely to stopping this mad man. (I’m told that San Diego State University computers have access to si.com. So Aztecs, there’s really no excuse). And he drops 43, including clutch scoring to keep BYU close in the first half. He scored from outside, crossing over defenders mercilessly. He slashed to the lane and finished in double coverage. When he pulled up and shot that three (and anyone who watched the game knows which one I’m talking about) my face simultaneously exploded and then pieced itself back together again, fully functional. Watching him makes me giddy. Literally.

But still, it’s hard to watch BYU play and not be a little bit nervous about the single dimension to their team. The games have been so fun that it’s easy to burry this apprehension in the back of your mind like some outrageous interest rate on the loan you took out to buy your new Nissan Z.

But the apprehension remains. What if he comes down too awkwardly after one of those jaw-dropping cuts to the hoop? What happens if some goon gives him an elbow while fighting for a rebound? What happens if he goes ice cold in the first round of the tourney? Who will pick up the scoring slack for BYU? Thus far Jimmer has been so dominant that no other Cougar has found much of an offensive rhythm to the season, although all have been serviceable and even stellar in patches. But clutch with their NCAA tournament lives on the line? That’s a big time “gulp” in my book.

At least we have Jimmer. And March is a time when one phenomenal guard can take you the distance. Thus far, The Jimmer has only shown evidence that he’ll be ready to be called such. Perhaps phenomenal is a gross understatement.

Predictions for the SDSU-BYU game tonight

With the big game (SDSU at BYU) happening later tonight, three of the Cougaracity contributors (Nick, Aaron, and Scott) decided to issue some thoughts and prognostications about the game. Enjoy!

Nick said:
I’m not going to lie …I’m crazy nervous for BYU’s game with SDSU. It’s the first ever matchup between MWC teams that are ranked in the top 10. This game is being hyped up to the point that upper bowl bench tickets that usually sell anywhere from $1-5, are being sold for $40-60. I wish I would have been more prepared and bought some early on to turn that huge profit.

As nervous as I am for this game, I am just as much, if not more, confident in this team's ability to play. I swear time has slowed down since BYU beat CSU, game time is taking forever to get here. San Diego State is a very big athletic team that has yet to lose this year (and I’m not going to get into strength of schedule here) and will create some problems for BYU. An obvious key for BYU if they’re going to win is to stay out of foul trouble. The front court needs to play smart and limit their fouls. Because once they are in foul trouble, SDSU will be able to dominate inside.

Given the way BYU has been able to consistently put up more than 70+ points in every game, and the game is at the Marriott Center, I give BYU the edge. Cougars win 86-79.

Aaron said:
The game is going to start out back and forth, the crowd will loud and crazy. SDSU will hit a lot of shots early in the game, and then the Cougars will go all Jimmer on the Tecs. The Cougs will just be too fast, too relentless for the SDSU boys and will pull away in the end.

Besides Jimmer's 30-35 pts, Jacks will add another 20 and Collinsworth will contribute another 15. The crowd will go straight up nuts and the Marriot Center will explode.

Go Cougs!

Scott said:
I recently watched a clip from the ESPNU show "The Experts," and one or two of these "experts" were saying BYU opponents need to blanket Jimmer to stop BYU. They felt as though BYU is a one-man train very capable of being derailed. These people, I would suppose, have not watched enough BYU games (much like the rest of the country. Curse you, MWC!). Jimmer is asked to do a lot, but he is surrounded by very capable teammates.

My gut tells me this is not a "Jimmer" night. Clearly, he will be the defensive focus for this very good SDSU team. However, SDSU has played a Fredette-ful BYU six times. They are well aware you cannot just "blanket" Jimmer to win the game. The fact is Jimmer usually comes up big in big games (ex. @Arizona 2009, Arizona 2010, @UNLV 2011, etc.). So I am going to say this is 30+ game for Jimmer.

But other players will obviously have to come up big. I think we'll see big things from Collinsworth, Rogers, and Emery. I don't know what he'll do, but I think we will come away surprised/impressed with what Brandon Davies does against SDSU's big men. 22,000+ roaring BYU fans and a fast-paced BYU team will be too much for SDSU, and I think BYU will shock the pundits with a double-digit victory: BYU 84, SDSU 72. Now, what will happen @SDSU is a completely different conversation...

Here are some Jimmer/BYU highlights to whet your appetite for tonight's game:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com