NEW ORLEANS — A year ago, Florida coach Billy Donovan called Jimmer Fredette one of the best-kept secrets in college basketball.
That secret is out now.
After a 37-point performance against the Gators in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year, Jimmer-mania has continued almost unabated.
The Cougars lost in the second round, but at 32-4 have been among the nation’s elite this year. If there’s any doubt why, it’s the dangerous-from-anywhere point guard who has made opposing coaches lose sleep at night.
“Last year finding out a little bit more about him because he started to kind of get the kind of attention he’s gotten this year, I’ve always admired his work ethic and I’ve admired his love and passion for the game,” Donovan said. “He’s a better player this year than he was a year ago.”
With a Sweet 16 matchup against third-seeded BYU in New Orleans Arena on Thursday night, Fredette has been the primary focus of the media as well as Florida’s game-planning.
Last year’s game against Florida served as his coming out party of sorts. He had 23 points in regulation, but scored 14 after that as the Cougars took a double-overtime win. In the last year, he’s become a one-name sensation.
His name has become a verb, as in you got Jimmered. A Salt Lake City DJ wrote a song of that name, sung to the tune of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
“He’s a Cougar and he’s always a threat, He’s Jimmer, Jimmer Fredette,” the Jimmer Jammers sing in “You’ve been Jimmer’d.”
It’s what the Gators are hoping to avoid, but few teams have had much luck with that. Fredette leads the country with 28.8 points per game, and his average of 33 per game in BYU’s last two games leads the tournament field.
Fredette is three games removed from a school-record 52-point performance against New Mexico, and has scored 30 or more points in 15 games this season.
“I think they have to do the best they can to control Fredette, but I don’t think you can go crazy with double teams and trying to get the ball exclusively out of his hands because you’re going to open up too many open shots,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said.
The task of slowing Fredette — and let’s be honest, teams can only hope to slow him down since none has shown he can be stopped — falls largely on Kenny Boynton.
The Gators’ sophomore had one of his better games last year against Fredette, scoring 27 before fouling out. He has remained the best on-ball defender this year but enters the game dealing with a sprained ankle.
The Gators have spent more time this week talking about the quality of the team they’re facing than lauding Fredette. Containing Jackson Emery and Noah Hartsock will be equally as important although less difficult than slowing Fredette.
“It’s not just Jimmer Fredette, the other guys are very good players and they understand their role,” Florida’s Chandler Parsons said. “We’re not just focused on Jimmer, we’re focused on the entire team.”
If the Gators can do that, they’d be among the few. Everyone else, it seems, is focused on Fredette.
“It’s been crazy,” Fredette said as he was pulled by the arm out of the locker room, off to another media session to speak more about the life of Jimmer.
