The Cougars are back. For the first time since Jimmermania, BYU has made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The Cougars have come into the national scene behind star forward Richie Saunders and first-year coach Kevin Young. BYU runs an NBA-style offense that is hard to stop. The Cougars love to shoot threes and play a quick game, moving the ball and shooting fast.
BYU has had a wonderful season and exceeded expectations. The six-seeded Cougars are coming off a 14-win Big 12 Campaign, where the Cougars were almost invincible at home. The Cougars went 15-2 at home and beat big teams like Kansas and West Virginia. BYU also beat Utah in Provo.
Jimmer Fredette averaged 28.9 points per game in the Cougars en route to a 34-5 season and a Sweet 16 appearance. BYU went 14-2 in conference and finished second in the Mountain West Tournament. Jimmer led the Mountain West in free-throw percentage (89.4%) and three-point percentage (39.6%) in the 2010-11 season. Jimmer won the AP Player of the Year Award, Rupp Trophy, Naisthimth award, and 3 Mountain West Player of the Year awards in his time at BYU.
Richie Saunders has been compared to Jimmer in a few different ways. Both players are talented three-point shooters and can hit clutch free throws. BYU today is a very three-centered team, living and dying by the three. BYU's typical starting five, Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, Mawot Mag, Egor Demin, and Trevin Knell are dangerous when they get hot early. Just like BYU was with Kyle Colinsworth, Jimmer Fredette, Danny Ainge, Brandon Davies, and Noah Hardstock.
BYU has been a three-point shooting team for a long time. But it isn't often that they get this good at threes. Of course, what set Jimmer apart was the distance from the basket. He shot from deep, what would be called "Jimmer Range." BYU was hard to beat, especially in the 2010-11 season. The Cougars may not shoot as deep as Jimmer did, but they still have a good three-point attack.
BYU also has a solid game down low, with Fousseyni Traore and Keba Keita sharing minutes at center. Both players are physical and love to finish at the rim. BYU needs to have a balanced attack and rely on the whole team to make it happen. The Sweet 16 will be difficult, and Alabama will be looking to make it hard for BYU, but if the Cougars work as a team and stay focused, they can win.