Game 29 - Cougars vs. Aztecs in a Top 10 Matchup

Cougars to Battle Aztecs in Top 10 Matchup

No. 7/7 BYU basketball will face No. 6/4 San Diego State in a battle for first place in the Mountain West Conference on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 11 a.m. PT in Viejas Arena. The Cougars are 26-2 overall, the Aztecs are 27-1 overall and both teams are 12-1 in league action. BYU has won six-straight games and is coming off an 84-76 win over Colorado State at home. Jimmer Fredette scored 34 points in the win and Brandon Davies added 14 points and a career-high 15 boards. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game and is shooting .411 from three. Jackson Emery adds 12.6 points and 2.8 steals per game and Davies is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game. San Diego State’s only loss came to the Cougars in Provo on Jan. 26. The Aztecs have since won seven in a row. Kawhi Leonard leads San Diego State in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.7 rebounds per game) while D.J. Gay adds 12.1 points per game. Malcolm Thomas contributes 11.6 points and 8.2 boards per game. Saturday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 10 a.m. PT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on CBS.

Up Next

No. 7/7 BYU will host New Mexico on Wednesday, March 2, at 8 p.m. MT. Live stats and audio links will be available on www.byucougars.com and fans can listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 7/7 BYU head coach Dave Rose is 153-42 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .785. He is second all-time in wins behind Stan Watts.

— In MWC action, Jimmer Fredette is averaging 31.2 points, 3.7 threes and 3.9 assists while shooting .446 from the field, .449 from three and .901 from the free throw line.

— Jimmer Fredette was named to eight preseason All-America teams and is a Cousy Award finalist and a Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy midseason candidate. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game and adds 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

— Senior guard Jackson Emery is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game and adds 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team-best 2.8 steals per game. He has posted four-plus steals 11 times this season and is the program’s all-time leader in career steals. Brandon Davies is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game on .531 shooting. He has scored in double figures 20 times this season.

— At 26-2, BYU has the best 28-game record in program history.

BYU GAME #29 FAST FACTS

No. 7/7 BYU (26-2, 12-1) at San Diego State (27-1, 12-1)

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011

Viejas Arena

San Diego, Calif.

11 a.m. PT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (153-42 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

San Diego State, Steve Fisher (225-150 in 12th season at SDSU; 409-232 in 20th season overall)

Series

BYU leads 47-22, including a 71-58 BYU win in Provo on Jan. 26

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

TV

CBS (Verne Lundquist, play-by-play; Clark Kellogg, game analysis)

Web

Live audio and live stats links are available on the men’s basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at San Diego State

2010-11 Record: 27-1, 12-1

Conference: Mountain West

2009-10 Record: 25-9, 11-5 (T-3rd)

2010 Postseason: NCAA First Round

Highlights:

- No. 6/4 San Diego State is 27-1 overall and 12-1 in the MWC. The Aztecs’ only loss was against BYU in Provo on Jan. 26. San Diego State has since won seven games in a row.

- Kawhi Leonard averages a double-double to lead San Diego State with team-best averages of 15.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 38 steals. D.J. Gay adds 12.1 points and a team-high 3.5 assists. He leads the team with 59 threes on .381 shooting from downtown. Malcolm Thomas adds 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

- San Diego State averages 72.4 points and shoots .471 from the field. Aztec opponents average 58.6 points and shoot .393 from the field against San Diego State.

Coach: Steve Fisher (12th season at San Diego State)

San Diego State’s Last Outing — No. 6 Aztecs Pull Away From Falcons, 70-58

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Once they had dispatched of feisty Air Force, the sixth-ranked San Diego State Aztecs were free to focus on BYU, the only team to beat them this year.

They talked about cleaning up all that went wrong in a 13-point loss to the Cougars last month. Atop that list ...

“We have to try to keep Jimmer under 43,” cracked Aztecs point guard D.J. Gay, recalling Jimmer Fredette’s point total in that Jan. 26 game in Provo, Utah.

The Aztecs, who lead the nation in wins (27) and winning percentage (96.4), have six days to prepare for the big rematch against the nation’s leading scorer and seventh-ranked BYU.

“This game we really want,” Thomas said. “We want to show that we’re one of the best in the nation.”

They warmed up by holding off Air Force 70-58 Saturday and setting a school record with its 27th win. Malcolm Thomas posted his seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard posted his 19th double-double with 18 points and 15 boards as the Aztecs (27-1, 12-1 Mountain West) beat the Falcons (13-12, 4-8) for the seventh straight time.

Air Force, which was led by Michael Lyons’ 18 points, was beaten on the glass 50-27 and allowed 21 offensive rebounds. The Falcons fell to 0-30 against top-10 opponents and 1-71 all-time against ranked teams.

But they sure made a game of it before fading down the stretch.

Fow’s pair of 3-pointers served as the Falcons’ only points in the first eight minutes of the second half as the Aztecs began to find a rhythm.

Even with their 21-8 spurt spanning halftime, the Aztecs weren’t able to pull away until the final 10 minutes.

With 9:52 left, Adam Brakeville was whistled for an intentional foul as Billy White had a breakaway to the basket, and Brakeville’s technical foul shots made it 52-44. On the ensuing possession, Leonard sank two more freebies to make it a double-digit lead.

Although Air Force surprisingly outscored the athletic Aztecs 10-0 on the fastbreak, they were outscored 19-2 by San Diego State on second-chance points.

Series Notes

BYU leads the all-time series against San Diego State, 47-22. The Cougars are 29-3 against the Aztecs at home and 17-17 in San Diego (7-7 at Viejas). BYU is 9-4 against San Diego State under Dave Rose.

CLICK HERE to see where Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery rank in the BYU and Mountain West Conference record books.