“Just a fair night,” said Bill Raftery in regards to Jimmer Fredette’s 32-performance following BYU’s 74-66 victory over SoCon champion Wofford.
The sarcasm was palpable, but it’s fair to categorize the Cougars’ star player’s night as just one of many that we’ve seen from him this season, and his career.
Despite going 2-9 from beyond the arc, Fredette displayed a more concerted effort of getting into the lane, converting on 10-12 free throws. Even more impressive was Fredette’s utter disdain for the double team. Sure, it’s natural to call for one when the most electric player in the country is looking to score on every possession, but the help the Terriers Jamar Diggs got on defense was fairly useless, as Jimmer was able to either split or go around the double for an easy layup.
So while the Cougars continue to roll while being heavily reliant on their star, I’m still just not ready to tip my cap to a team that got 43 percent of its points from just one guy. Inside, where BYU is most vulnerable after losing their horse Brandon Davies, Wofford’s Noah Dahlman, posted a cool 22-points and seemed to get the ball just about wherever his hand demanded around the basket. This has to catch up to them at some point, no?
Next up for BYU will be either St. John’s or Gonzaga. Neither should strike fear, but both offer a bit more athleticism on the perimeter and a bit more competition. It will be interesting to see if they uncover a way to not get Jimmered.
Nick Fasulo is the manager of Searching for Billy Edelin. Follow him on Twitter @billyedelin