Jimmer Fredette and BYU Basketball Squeak Out a Close One Against Wyoming

It certainly wasn't pretty basketball, but BYU was able to leave Laramie with a 69-62 win over Wyoming on Wednesday night.

It was a horrible shooting night for Jimmer Fredette and the rest of the Cougars. They shot just over 40 percent from the field, including a horrible 20 percent from behind the arc. Fredette and Jackson Emery were a combined 4-of-19 shooting from three. It was a dismal, dismal performance.

Fortunately for the Cougars, their shooting woes came on a night that they played a very bad basketball team. Wyoming played extremely hard, and played very well by its standards, but it just wasn't enough.

It was a sloppy game, full of turnovers and missed shots. The refs also kept the game tight; whistles were blowing seemingly all game. For lack of a better word, the game was ugly.

Poor defense and dismal shooting kept Wyoming in the game. With just over a minute left, the Cowboys trailed by only a 61-60 margin. At that point, BYU's All-American point guard took the game into his own hands. He shook a defender, got to the basket and was able to finish a three-point play to put BYU up by four.

The Cougars didn't look back. A Wyoming turnover and two more free throws by Brandon Davies put the game out of reach.

While watching the game and the subpar performance by Fredette and the Cougars, I couldn't help but wonder how good this team really is. If Fredette doesn't score more than 40, will BYU be able to make a significant tournament run? Can BYU hang with the schools from power conferences that are ranked in the top 10 with them?

Fredette woes can possibly be explained by his illness. He complained of a minor head cold going into the game against New Mexico, and it appeared that he was still battling that cold tonight. Fredette looked a little slower and a little more flat than he normally looks. But, sickness or not, he still put up 26 points to lead all scores.

Any player in the country that finishes an "off game" with 26 points is a special, special player.

This game was a hard-fought, tough victory for the 21-2 Cougars. It was a good rebound after suffering the tough loss against New Mexico last week. BYU fans should hope the Cougars can shake the shooting woes and return to form as they take on the UNLV Rebels in Provo on Saturday.