Game 34 - Cougars vs. Aztecs in MWC Final

Cougars to Face San Diego State in MWC Championship

Eighth ranked and No. 1 seed BYU (30-3) will play No. 2 seed San Diego State (31-2 and ranked No. 7/6 nationally) in the title game of the 2011 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT in the Thomas and Mack Center. The Cougars defeated New Mexico 87-76 on Friday in the semifinals while San Diego State defeated UNLV 74-72. Jimmer Fredette set BYU and MWC single-game records with 52 points against New Mexico and also passed Danny Ainge as BYU’s all-time leading scorer. Jackson Emery added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals and now has 93 steals this season, BYU and MWC single-season records. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 28.5 points per game. Kawhi Leonard leads San Diego State in scoring and rebounding at 15.3 points and 10.8 boards per game. Malcolm Thomas and D.J. Gay add 11.6 points per game apiece while Thomas also contributes 8.3 rebounds per game. BYU and San Diego State were both ranked in the top 10 in the two regular season matchups between the schools. The Cougars won 71-58 at home and 80-67 on the road. Saturday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 3 p.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 VERSUS.

Up Next

The winner of No. 8/8 BYU vs. No. 7/6 San Diego State will receive an automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday at 4 p.m. MT on CBS.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 8/8 BYU head coach and MWC Co-Coach of the Year Dave Rose is 157-43 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, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Rose has been named MWC Coach of the Year a league record three times and has won a record four regular season league titles. Rose was also named the USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year.

— MWC Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 28.5 points per game and adds 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Fredette also earned All-MWC First Team honors and has been named National Player of the Year by CBSSports.com and SI.com.

— MWC Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Emery leads the MWC in steals at 2.8 per game and adds 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Emery was also named second-team All-MWC and to the All-Defensive Team.

— Noah Hartsock adds 8.6 points per game on .502 shooting from the field and .444 shooting from three. Charles Abouo adds 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

— Brandon Davies received All-MWC Third Team honors and Hartsock was named honorable mention.

— At 30-3, BYU has the best 33-game record in program history and is tied for the most wins in school history (2010-11).

BYU Game #34 Fast Facts

No. 8/8 BYU (30-3, 14-2) vs. San Diego State (31-2, 14-2)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Thomas and Mack Center

Las Vegas

4 p.m. PT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (157-43 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

San Diego State, Steve Fisher (229-151 in 12th season at SDSU; 431-233 in 20th season overall)

Series

BYU leads 48-22 vs. San Diego State with BYU sweeping the 2011 regular season series

Radio

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

TV

VERSUS (Ted Robinson, play-by-play; Blaine Fowler, game analysis)

Web

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

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