Tucson, Ariz. » Like a lot of people associated with college basketball, BYU coach Dave Rose watches the ESPN scroll every night, catching the scores from all the games across the action.
"If I saw this score," Rose said after his unranked Cougars improved to 13-1 with a 99-69 walloping of Arizona at the McKale Center, "I would kind of wonder, 'What happened?"
The next question would be, what can this basketball team do to crack the national rankings?
Arizona coach Sean Miller would vote for the Cougars, to be sure.
"I can't say much postgame that I didn't say pregame about BYU," he said. "The fact that they're not ranked gives almost no credibility to the rankings. I look at them and they are definitely a top-25 team, and I believe they will be competing for a high seed in the tournament."
In delivering Arizona's largest loss in the 36-year history of its on-campus arena, the Cougars hope they made a statement, guard Jackson Emery said after scoring 13 points to complement fellow guard Jimmer Fredette's record-setting 49-point performance.
Emery talked while sitting on a chair outside the locker room, his right foot resting on an ice bag. He said he landed funny on his heel and thinks he might have bruised it.
"A new [injury] to add to the list," he said.
And another fast start, as well.
Just as they did against Nebraska, taking a 37-9 lead to eventually win the Las Vegas Invitational, the Cougars came out blazing hot on Monday.
When Arizona took a timeout with 13 minutes remaining in the first half, the Cougars were shooting 73 percent (11-for-15), including 5-for-6 on three-pointers. The had a 33-11 lead with 11:49 remaining in the first half.
