As the Cougars open the 2017-18 season, which tipped off against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 11, here are five games worth rewatching to get pumped for another year of BYU basketball.
Led by Danny Ainge, the Cougars sealed their first-ever Elite Eight appearance when Ainge took the ball coast-to-coast and laid it in with just two seconds left in the game to secure a 51-50 win over the Fighting Irish.
BYU finished the season ranked 16th in the nation with a 25-7 record after losing to Virginia in the Elite Eight.
BYU at Utah, 2011
Jimmermania was in full swing as the Cougars traveled north to face archrival Utah at the Huntsman Center on Jan 11, 2011.
The Cougars trailed early before an 8-2 run gave BYU a lead they never relinquished.
Just before halftime, Fredette sank a half-court buzzer beater to send the Cougars into the locker room up 53-42.
Jackson Emery, current play Nick Emery’s older brother, became BYU’s all-time steals leader and 42nd member of the 1,000 point club in the win while Fredette became the fourth player to score 2,000 points at BYU.
Fredette finished the game with a then-career-high 47 points on 16-of-28 shooting, which included a 6-of-9 performance from 3-point range and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.
The Cougars went on to win the game 104-79.
BYU currently leads the all-time series 129-128, with the rivalry set to return to Provo on Dec. 16 (9 p.m. MST, ESPN2).
BYU at No. 1 Gonzaga, 2017
The rivalry with Gonzaga has been an interesting one for the last three years as the road team has won the last six regular-season meetings.
However, when the Cougars entered a raucous McCarthey Athletic Center to face No. 1 Gonzaga last season, it looked like that streak would end with a Bulldog home win.
Gonzaga jumped out to an 18-2 lead in the first six minutes and dominated the first half before the Cougars cut the lead to six before halftime.
BYU’s first lead came with 8:40 to play in the second half when Eric Mika hit a jump shot to make it 61-60.
Later, Elijah Bryant’s lay-up started a 10-0 BYU run and tied the game at 71-71. Mika hit the go-ahead jump shot to give BYU a 73-71 lead with 1:06 to play and Gonzaga couldn’t answer.
The Cougars’ win meant that Gonzaga, which had entered the night 29-0, would fall just short of a perfect regular season record.
In a game played before the days of high definition, instant replay and the three-point line, the Cougars defeated the La Salle Explorers 108-106 in 3OT in the final of the 1979 Cougar Classic.
The teams ended the second half tied 82-82 and couldn’t break the deadline in the first or second overtimes.
Entering the third overtime period, BYU finally found an edge and Mike Trumbo’s block helped the Cougars hold on for the win.
BYU vs. San Diego State, 2011
No. 9 BYU hosted No. 4 San Diego State in 2011 in one of the most memorable games in BYU men’s basketball history.
Fredette scored 43 points against future NBA draft pick Kawhi Leonard and the Aztecs to lead BYU to a 71-58 win.
Honorable mentions: BYU at Gonzaga, 2015 and 2016.
