BYU vs. Colorado State

Another game, another win against an overmatched opponent. Here are a few thoughts I had during and after BYU’s 92-70 victory over Colorado State.

1) Jackson Emery nabbed only one steal against CSU but it was enough for him to pass Marty Haws to become BYU’s single-season steals leader. Emery now has 67 steals this season (2.6 per game) and has at least seven more games to pad his record.

2) He might have been taking it easy with only nine points on six shots against Air Force, but Jimmer Fredette turned it on against CSU. After being named as one of 16 finalists for the Oscar Robinson Trophy, Fredette filled up the stat sheet with 36 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal (and six turnovers) against the Rams. He made 6-of-10 three pointers, and there were even patches of CSU fans cheering for him near the end of the game. You can’t blame them — he’s fun to watch.

3) Jonathan Tavernari, who made only 3-of-10 shots from the field, found other ways to contribute on a cold-shooting night. He finished the game with four steals, and the three shots he made were all from long distance.

4) Colorado State’s Andy Ogide was really good against BYU. The junior was all over the court for the Rams and finished with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He had one of the plays of the game — a monster putback slam — even though his team trailed throughout.

5) BYU’s starting frontcourt of Chris Miles and Noah Hartsock owned the low block against CSU. The two combined for 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, 15 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal. Hartsock led the way with the first double-double of his career (12 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) as the Cougars out-rebounded the Rams 37-24.

6) BYU is building toward an important postseason this year. All these blowouts over mediocre teams won’t mean a thing if the Cougars flame out in the conference or NCAA tournament. They’ve set the bar high with their play so far this season, and failure to finish strong would put a huge dent in all they’ve accomplished.