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Fort Worth, Texas • Turns out, the BYU Cougars really aren't hated everywhere they go, their No. 7-ranked basketball team can win easily even when superstar guard Jimmer Fredette doesn't play well, and the TCU Horned Frogs haven't thrown in the proverbial towel just yet.
That was all proved on a balmy Texas afternoon at sold-out Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday, as the third-largest crowd (7,258) in arena history — about two-thirds of whom were cheering for BYU — watched the Cougars put away the struggling Frogs 79-56 in their final trip here for a Mountain West Conference basketball game.
"I'm pleased," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "We were really aggressive from start to finish."
With several top-10 teams getting upset Saturday, the Cougars stayed out of the trap by taking a big early lead, holding off a mild TCU rally with around six minutes left in the first half, then cruising comfortably in the final 20 minutes.
They could be a top-five team by the time Saturday's showdown with No. 6 San Diego State rolls around, but to ensure that contest stays epic the Cougars must handle Colorado State on Wednesday.
"I think we have one next week," quipped Rose, when asked by a Texas reporter if the Cougars will ever face a hostile crowd.
About the only downer for BYU, which improved to 25-2 overall, 11-1 in MWC play, is that the Legend of Jimmer Fredette didn't grow much in the heart of Texas, where everything is supposed to be bigger and better.
With dozens and dozens of signs in the crowd touting his greatness, and plenty of lads sporting No. 32 T-shirts and jerseys, Fredette had one of his worst performances of the season, but still led all scorers with 23 points. He was 6 of 16 from the field — matching exactly his shooting last month in Provo when he had 21 against the Frogs — and committed six turnovers to go with just two assists and two rebounds in 31 minutes.
"Not great," Fredette said, assessing his play. "I don't think I played very well today, but it doesn't really matter. We got a good win. That's what we came down here to do. I made some unforced errors. I shot the ball OK, but not great."
With Fredette taking awhile to get going — eight of his points came from the free-throw line — his teammates came to the rescue. Stephen Rogers scored 15 points off the bench, and three other Cougars also reached double figures as Brandon Davies and Jackson Emery chipped in 11 each and Noah Hartsock had 10.
In the critical stretch that decided the game five minutes before halftime, Charles Abouo hit a 3-pointer, and Rogers made two free throws and then canned a three after Brandon Davies made and missed free throws.
"It was a great win," said Rose, who picked up his 152nd career victory to tie Roger Reid for second on the school's coaching wins list. "I thought we got a lot of help from a lot of guys. We got off to a great start, and it was a really good team win."
The Frogs (10-18, 1-12) had six dunks to BYU's one (by Davies) and J.R. Cadot led them with 17 points. But they shot just 36 percent and were outrebounded by 10.
"We only turned the ball over eight times, and we took 65 shots," said TCU coach Jim Christian. "But we only make 24 of them, so if you are going to shoot 36 percent, you are not going to beat BYU."
Fredette did make a couple of his trademark long-range 3-pointers to send his legion of fans home happy, but was just 3 of 9 from beyond the arc.
"I just didn't make some shots that I normally would make," he said before accommodating well-wishers with autographs, pictures and the like. "I had some good looks. I was just missing them, some went in and out, and some layups just weren't falling. So that's just what happens sometimes."
Storylines
R In Short • In front of a pro-BYU sellout crowd, the No. 7 Cougars have another easy time with TCU.
Key Moment • After TCU cuts the deficit to three with 6 minutes left in the first half, BYU goes on an 11-0 run.
Key Stat • Jimmer Fredette goes 6 of 16 in both games against TCU, but the Cougars win both easily.