Jimmer Fredette: BYU Star Hopes to Lead Cougars to Upset over San Diego State

On Wednesday, Colorado State came into Provo looking for a signature win to put on their tournament resume.

The Rams were in the perfect situation to pull off an upset on the road—Jimmer Fredette hadn't practiced all week due to a calf injury and many considered this to be a trap game for BYU, with the big matchup against San Diego State on Saturday.

Much to the Rams' surprise, Fredette scored 34 points and BYU was able to squeeze out the win in a hard-fought, physical game.

Despite Fredette's high-scoring game, he wasn't impressive by any means, shooting just 9-of-25 from the field with eight turnovers and two assists.

BYU's supporting cast had a big night though, led by Brandon Davies' 14 points. Davies and Fredette also combined for 26 points from the free-throw line.

The most impressive stat, and probably the most encouraging one, was that BYU out-rebounded Colorado State, 43-24. CSU has a strong frontcourt, and is bigger and more athletic than BYU, but couldn't manage to pull down rebounds.

That rebounding stat should be enough to give BYU fans some optimism heading into the big game against San Diego State. In their last meeting, the Aztecs out-rebounded the Cougars 35-31, including 14 offensive rebounds. Had BYU been able to pull down those rebounds, it would have been an even more lopsided victory.

Heading into Saturday's game, rebounding will be a major focus for BYU coach Dave Rose. The Aztecs are bigger and more athletic, but if BYU can rebound like they did against Colorado State, an upset could be looming.

The other key factor to a BYU win is Fredette. Whether or not his health had a role in his turnovers or poor shooting, he will need to shoot better and take better care of the ball in order to beat San Diego State.

I realize that Fredette still put up numbers and had a great game, but he has had 14 turnovers in his last two games.

After the TCU game, Fredette said, "I didn't think I played very good. I had some unforced errors and missed some shots I normally make."

If those shots fall and even just half of those unforced errors are eliminated, BYU could be in a good position to pull out a win Saturday.

San Diego State point guard DJ Gay will likely have the assignment of guarding Fredette. In his last game, he had his hands full as he watched Fredette score 43 points. Whether it was his hard work on defense or just a bad shooting night, Gay only scored four points against BYU and missed all seven of his field goal attempts.

Gay is the leader for San Diego State, and when he does well, the team does well.

So in summary, in order for BYU to get the big road win with a hostile San Diego State crowd watching, the Cougars need:

1. A solid effort on the boards and to contain Kawhi Leonard on the offensive glass.

2. Fredette to take care of the basketball and make a few more of the shots that he normally makes.

3. To disrupt Gay's game and force him to struggle.

If BYU can do these things, I think an upset is in the making. If not, BYU will have its hands full.