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Denver • A win away from making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 in 30 years, the third-seeded BYU Cougars to a man on Friday described the only way they can "upset" 11th-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday in a third-round game at Pepsi Center and pack their bags for New Orleans.
Give Jimmer Fredette some help.
"He's carried us in a lot of games. Everybody knows that," said Noah Hartsock. "We've got to do our part."
The future West Coast Conference foes will meet for the second time ever at 5:45 p.m. in front of a national television audience (CBS), the start of what's sure to be a rivalry. Despite being seeded much lower, Gonzaga is a slight favorite.
For the 31-4 Cougars and their fans, the outcome will likely determine whether they can say they realized their dreams this season, whether it was, as many believe, the best season in BYU basketball history.
"So much is at stake," Jackson Emery said. "So, so much."
And so much depends on what Cougars not wearing No. 32 are able to do against a 25-9 Gonzaga team that has won 10 straight games and was so impressive in an 86-71 win against sixth-seeded St. John's here on Thursday that Red Storm coach Steve Lavin called it a "national championship-capable team."
Since Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team six games ago, Fredette has accounted for almost 47 percent of BYU's scoring.
The Cougars were able to get away with that kind of imbalance in winning four of those games, including Thursday's 74-66 win against Wofford.
But Gonzaga is obviously much better offensively and defensively, not to mention that the Bulldogs will have a huge size advantage, with 7-footer Robert Sacre in the middle, flanked by 6-foot-7 Elias Harris.
"That will be one of our challenges [Saturday] … our ability to rebound the basketball, our ability to be able to defend the low post," BYU coach Dave Rose said.
He also mentioned that it would be nice if the Cougars found their long-lost shooting touch.
BYU was shooting 45.2 percent from the field in its first 29 games. Since Davies was suspended, the Cougars have shot better than that just twice — against Wyoming (54.7) in the regular-season finale and New Mexico (50.0) in the Mountain West Conference tournament semifinals, when Fredette was 22 of 37 and the rest of the team was 12 of 31.
"We haven't shot the ball great," Fredette said. "Maybe we've rushed a little too much. I think we're going to be fine."
Hartsock, who broke out of a slump Thursday with a 4-for-6 effort against Wofford, said the Cougars shot the ball well in Friday's closed practice at Pepsi Center, as players became more accustomed to the rims and the surroundings.
Hartsock attributed the dismal shooting in the post-Davies era to factors such as the familiarity MWC teams have with BYU's offense and better competition.
Charles Abouo, who has been hot and cold in March, said nobody has lost confidence.
"If you miss a shot, have a short-term memory, like Jimmer said," Abouo said. "With our team, [with] a lot of shooters we have, it has been easy because you get a lot of confidence from other guys and the coaches."
Still, Fredette has clearly tried to carry the team in Davies' absence, even more so than before. He took about 19 shots a game before Davies' suspension — and 26 a game after it.
Some of that disparity is because he is going to the free-throw line fewer times but is playing more, having logged 40 minutes a game during the past four.
"I always have confidence in my teammates that they can make plays, make shots," Fredette said when it was suggested he will need help Saturday.
That confidence will be tested against the Zags, especially in the Cougars' second-biggest offensive weapon, Jackson Emery.
The senior guard is just 12 of 43 from the field in tournament games (MWC and NCAA) and just 5 of 27 from 3-point range.
"We just have to go out and play as hard as we can," Fredette said. "Rebound the basketball, make shots, just grind it out, find a way to win."
And get a little help along the way.
Third round: BYU vs. Gonzaga
P At Pepsi Center, Denver
Tipoff • Saturday, 5:45 p.m.
TV • Channel 2
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
Records • BYU 31-4, Gonzaga 25-9
Series history • Gonzaga leads 1-0
Last meeting • Gonzaga, 46-41 (Dec. 16, 1949)
About the Cougars • Jimmer Fredette has averaged 34.8 points a game in the six games they've played since sophomore center Brandon Davies was suspended. … Noah Hartsock now has 120 career blocked shots, the fourth-most in school history. … Fredette has scored 118 points in the NCAA Tournament, more than any player in BYU history.
About the Bulldogs • Seeded 11th, they were 9 of 15 from 3-point range in Thursday's 86-71 win against St. John's. … Former Utah coach Ray Giacoletti and former Utah assistant Donny Daniels are assistants under head coach Mark Few. … They outrebounded St. John's 43-20 on Thursday. —
With or without you
BYU's shooting without Brandon Davies:
Date Opp FG% 3FG%
March 17 Wofford 39.3 27.3
March 12 SDSU 32.2 25.0
March 11 New Mexico 50.0 32.0
March 10 TCU 42.0 26.1
March 5 Wyoming 54.7 39.1
March 2 New Mexico 33.9 19.2
BYU's shooting with Davies:
Date FG% 3FG%
Through Feb. 26 45.2 37.0