Game 20 - Cowboys Coming to Marriott Center on Wednesday

Cougars to Host Wyoming on Wednesday

No. 14/13 BYU men’s basketball (18-1, 3-0 MWC) will look to keep its perfect MWC record and 13-game winning streak intact when it hosts Wyoming on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. MST. The game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 5 p.m. MST on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Up Next

The Cougars hit the road for a conference matchup with San Diego State on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. PST. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. PST on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Jimmer Fredette set BYU single-game records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center. BYU handed Arizona its worst loss at the McKale Center, 99-69.

— Jimmer Fredette was named MVP of the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic after averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals in wins over Nevada and Nebraska. Jackson Emery (24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 spg) and Tyler Haws (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) earned all-tournament honors.

— Fredette is 31st all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,119 career points. He leads the conference in scoring at 19.9 points per game. He is also 15th at BYU in career assists with 283 and 12th in steals with 103.

— 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 115-35 (.767) overall, he is BYU’s all-time leader in winning percentage.

— 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 232 after hitting two vs. Colorado State. He is also climbing the lists for points (16th with 1,352) and steals (4th with 138).

— Tavernari is on pace to become the BYU player with the most wins in a career. Since his freshman campaign, he has been a part of 91 Cougar wins, six behind former teammate Lee Cummard (2005-09), who was a part of 97 BYU wins, and three behind Russell Larson, who was a part of 94 wins (1991-95).

BYU GAME #20 FAST FACTS

No. 14/13 BYU (18-1, 3-0) vs. Wyoming (8-10, 1-3)

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

6 p.m. MST

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (115-35 in fifth season; same overall)

Wyoming, Heath Schroyer (39-42 in third season; 74-89 in sixth season overall)

SeriesBYU leads 101--69, including a regular season sweep in 2008-09

TV

Live on The Mtn. (Tim Neverett, play-by-play; Blaine Fowler, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (5 p.m. MST 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 Wyoming

Wyoming is 8-10 overall and 1-3 in Mountain West Conference action with a home win against San Diego State, home losses to Colorado State and New Mexico and a loss at TCU. Sophomore forward Afam Muojeke leads the team and is second in the MWC in scoring at 17.9 points per game. He adds 4.1 boards per game and leads the team with an .835 free throw percentage and 29 threes. A.J. Davis is second on the team at 11.1 ppg and Djibril Thiam (10.2) and Adam Waddell (10.5) also add double-figure averages. JayDee Luster leads the team with 4.5 assists per game while Davis leads with 32 steals. As a team Wyoming averages 78.1 points per game and shoots .447 from the field, .271 from three and .726 from the free throw line. Their opponents average 74.6 points and shoot .429. The Cowboys are out-rebounded by an average of 36.8-37.1. Heath Schroyer is in his third season at the helm and he owns a 39-42 mark with Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Last Outing — Wyoming Falls Late To New Mexico, 70-68

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A.J. Hardeman scored a career-high 18 points as New Mexico held off Wyoming 70-68 on Saturday. The Lobos (16-3, 2-2 Mountain West) took advantage of three straight Wyoming turnovers after the score was tied at 58, scoring six straight points, and never trailed again. Until that point, there were four ties and seven lead changes in the second half. Afam Muojeke led the Cowboys (8-10, 1-3) with 16 points. Adam Waddell and Djibril Thiam added 11 each. Phillip McDonald and Darrington Hobson both scored 15 points for New Mexico. Wyoming still had a chance in the final minute of the game, trailing by three and in possession of the basketball, but Muojeke was called for an offensive foul. The Lobos hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to clinch the win.

Series Notes

BYU and Wyoming play for the 171st time on Wednesday with the Cougars leading the overall series 101-69. BYU is 9-0 against the Cowboys under Rose. The Cougars won 84-60 at home and 78-68 at Wyoming last season. BYU is 64-14 at home (32-5 in the Marriott Center) against Wyoming and has won the last four home games against the Cowboys.

Winning Streaks

BYU’s current 13-game winning streak is tied for the third longest in Cougar history. See the list below to see where it ranks among the best streaks by a BYU squad.

Best Start

At 17-1 overall, BYU men’s basketball has tied the 1987-88 team for the best record through 18 games in program history. See below for the other best starts through 18 games.

In the Rankings

The BYU men’s basketball team entered the top-25 rankings for the first time this season on Jan. 4 at No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, their highest rankings in both polls since 1987-88. Rose has led his teams to the rankings in the each of the last four seasons to become the first Cougar coach to lead BYU into the rankings in four-straight seasons. The Cougar basketball program has now been ranked in the AP Poll during 18 seasons since its first national ranking in 1950-51.

BYU as a Ranked Team

BYU owns a 141-58 record as a ranked team, including 4-0 this season. The Cougars are 81-12 at home, 38-28 on the road and 22-18 at neutral sites when nationally ranked. BYU is 13-6 as a ranked team under Dave Rose.

1,000-Point Scorers

With 14 points against Colorado State, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,352 career points and is ranked 16th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 21 points from passing Trent Plaisted for 15th all-time.

Jimmer Fredette eclipsed 1,000 career points when he hit a three with 10:04 remaining against Nevada. He reached the milestone in 80 games. After scoring 21 points vs. Colorado State he has 1,119 career points — 31st all-time. He is 10 points from passing Steve Schreiner for 30th 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 232 makes and 621 attempts. Jimmer Fredette is tied for seventh with 127 makes and is seventh with 336 attempts.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had four steals vs. Colorado State to give him 138 for his career. He is tied for fourth all-time in BYU history and is three from passing Scott Sinek for third all-time. Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery are tied for 12th with 103 steals apiece.

When Jimmer Scores 20...

Jimmer Fredette had 21 points against Colorado State, his 10th 20-point game this season and 18th of his career. BYU is 16-2 when Fredette scores 20 or more and has won the last 15 games in which he has reached the 20-point mark.