BYU: Gassed Cougars struggle to find shot, momentum

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LAS VEGAS -- The No. 8 BYU Cougars (30-4, 14-2) had the opportunity to show that they still had it in them to fight and win, but it seems that the New Mexico game took all the fight they had.

After giving up the lead to the No. 6/7 SDSU Aztecs (32-2, 14-2) a little less than three minutes into the game, the Cougars never really had a chance.

"We were tired, we were beat up. It's been a long couple days," senior guard Jackson Emery said. "We never played three games before right in a row. It was tough on us."

It showed in how the Cougars were attacking the basket. Many of their shots landed short of the hoop. The day after the best game of his career, Fredette struggled to spark any momentum shift for the Cougars.

As crazy as it sounds, keeping Jimmer Fredette at 30 points was containing him.

The difference for the Aztecs this time was effectively taking everyone else out of the game. Forwards Charles Abouo and Noah Hartsock combined for 33 points the last time BYU beat the Aztecs. This time they only scored a combined nine points.

The Cougars will now turn their attention to next weekend.

"This will hurt for probably tonight," Emery said. "We wake up tomorrow, we go home, we get ready for NCAA selection. A good trademark of this team is how well we bounce back from losses."

Not all is lost for the Cougars; sometimes it is easy to lose perspective on just how good they have been this season.

There is a good chance the Cougars will land as a third or fourth seed for the tournament. The last time they were as high as a fourth seed was 1987-88 season. The highest seed they have ever received was a third seed in the 1980-81 season.