Game 12 - Cougars Face Wolfpack in HoopTV Las Vegas Classic

HoopTV Las Vegas Classic: BYU to Take on Nevada

BYU men’s basketball (10-1) will look to extend its five-game winning streak when it faces Nevada (6-4) in the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at noon PST at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Tuesday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 11 a.m. PST on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on BYU TV and ESPN Full Court, and broadcast live online at BYU.tv, ESPN360.com and HoopTV.net.

Up Next

The Cougars play their second game of the Las Vegas Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 23, against Tulsa or Nebraska. A BYU win and the Cougars play at 7:30 p.m. PST. A loss puts the Cougars in the 5 p.m. game. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show an hour before tipoff on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be broadcast live on BYU TV and online at BYU.tv and HoopTV.net.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Jimmer Fredette is shooting .925 from the free throw line to lead the Mountain West Conference. He has hit 62-of-65 since missing his first two attempts this season and hit 39-straight at one point, a BYU record.

— Fredette’s streak of double figure scoring ended when he netted nine points against Wagner. He continues to lead the MWC in scoring at 17.9 points per game.

— Since Rose took over as head coach of BYU basketball, the Cougars are 68-3 (.958) in the Marriott Center, including a 53-game winning streak from 2005 to 2008 — the longest in school history. With the win over Eastern Washington, the Cougars have a 13-game home winning streak.

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight MWC regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Under Rose, BYU also has four-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances. At 107-35 (.753) overall, he reached 100 wins faster than any other coach in BYU history. Roger Reid held the previous record, reaching 100 wins in 143 games.

— Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari became BYU’s all-time leader in three-pointers with two treys vs. San Francisco to give him 214. He is now at 218 after hitting one vs. Eastern Washington. He is also climbing the lists for points (20th with 1,271) and steals (T6th with 128).

BYU GAME #12 FAST FACTS

BYU (10-1) vs. Nevada (6-4)

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009

Orleans Arena (9,500)

Las Vegas

12 p.m. PST

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (107-35 in fifth season; same overall)

Nevada, David Carter (6-4 in first season; same overall)

Series

BYU leads the all-time series 11-6, with Nevada winning the last meeting 79-77 in 1995

TV

Live on BYU TV

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (11 a.m. PST pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at Nevada

Nevada is 6-4 on the season and has won its last four games, including victories over Fresno Pacific, South Dakota State, Eastern Washington and Wagner. The Wolfpack have defeated Eastern Washington and Wagner as part of the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic. Prior to the four-game streak Nevada had lost three-straight at VCU, at North Carolina and at Pacific. Forward Luke Babbitt leads the Wolfpack, averaging a double-double with 19.1 points and 10.0 boards. Three others average double-figure scoring, including Armon Johnson (15.8), Brandon Fields (14.4) and Joey Shaw (11.9). Johnson also leads the team in assists at 5.3 per game. Dario Hunt is the fifth starter and he averages 7.6 boards and 2.4 blocks per game. The starters account for 83.4 percent of the team’s scoring. Nevada averages 79.7 points per game as a team while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Wolfpack opponents average 74.4 points and shoot .432 from the field. Nevada holds a +7.1 rebounding edge (41.4-34.3) over its opponents. Head coach David Carter is in his first season as an NCAA Division I head coach.

Nevada’s Last Outing — Nevada Downs Wagner 74-61

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Sophomore Luke Babbitt scored 17 points to lead Nevada past Wagner 74-61 on Saturday. Junior Armon Johnson added 12 points and seniors Brandon Fields and Joey Shaw added 11 each for the Wolf Pack (6-4). Chris Martin had 21 points and Michael Orock 15 for the Seahawks (1-9). Nevada led 34-32 with 19 minutes to play before Babbitt sparked a 20-8 run over the next eight minutes. His 3-pointer gave the Wolf Pack a 54-40 lead with 10:43 left. The Wolf Pack’s largest lead was 18 points, 63-45, with 6:56 left. Wagner rallied against Nevada’s reserves in the final three minutes, but could get no closer than eight points at 69-61 on a steal and layup by Martin with 1:52 left.

Series Notes

Tuesday’s game will be the 18th meeting between BYU and Nevada with the Cougars leading the series 11-6, including 4-0 at neutral sites. The game will be the first meeting since Nov. 28, 1995, a game Nevada won 79-77.

39-Straight Free Throws

Junior guard Jimmer Fredette set a BYU record with 39-consecutive free throws without missing. Fredette broke the record when he hit his 33rd-consecutive free throw with 16:56 remaining in the second half against Arizona State. The streak started in the second game of the season when he made his last five attempts against Idaho State. For the season he is shooting .925 from the line and has hit 62-of-65 after missing his first two attempts of the season. His career percentage is .869 — second in Cougar history.

1,000-Point Scorers

With five points vs. Eastern Washington, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,271 career points and is ranked 20th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 14 points from passing Alan Taylor for 19th all-time.

Downtown Record Watch

Jonathan Tavernari hit two threes vs. San Francisco to become BYU’s all-time leader in career threes, passing Mark Bigelow who had 213 for his career. He is also the leader for career attempts. Tavernari owns the record for threes in a season with 88 in 2007-08. He now has 218 makes and 588 attempts.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had one steal vs. Wagner to give him 128 for his career. He is tied for sixth all-time in BYU history with former teammate Lee Cummard.

When Jimmer Scores 20...

Jimmer Fredette had 20 points in BYU’s 91-34 win vs. Eastern Washington, his sixth 20-point game this season and 14th of his career. BYU is 12-2 when Fredette scores 20 or more and has won the last 11 games in which he has reached the 20-point mark. With three-straight 20-point games to start 2009-10, he matched his longest streak for consecutive games with 20 or more points. The first streak came last season when he had 21 at Utah (Jan. 27, 2009), 28 at home against Wyoming (Jan. 31) and 20 at Air Force (Feb. 3).