BYU basketball notebook: Cougar fans fill TCU's arena

FORT WORTH, Texas — The seventh-ranked Cougars could get used to sellout crowds on the road. Especially when most of folks in the stands are on their side.

The third-largest crowd in TCU history packed in Daniel-Mayer Coliseum to witness BYU run past TCU 79-56 on Saturday. Most of the bodies were clad in blue and white here to witness and support the Cougars and the nation's leading scorer Jimmer Fredette.

"That was quite the experience," said BYU forward Steven Rogers. "We came out of the locker room and I was kind of confused, were we in Provo? It was something I haven't seen in a while. Our fans are amazing. Every gym we go into is at least a good section dedicated to just us."

The DMC sellout was the first since 2004 for a game with Texas Tech.

Fredette said BYU's stop in Texas didn't feel like a road game. "We always have a lot of fans down here, and they show up to support us."

Fredette spent plenty of time afterwards signing autographs, marking up showcase basketballs, shaking hands with kids wearing his jersey and posing for photographs. Before tipoff, BYU fans took over the arena, filtering down from their seats to the rail where they were shooting pictures and video of Fredette warming up.

"It was a great crowd, we sold out the place and I'm sure that was good for both teams, it was a fun atmosphere," said Fredette.

"I got slammed hard for tickets," said TCU sports information director Mark Cohen.

The disparity in TCU and BYU fans — estimated by some to be a percent of 70-30 in favor of the Cougars — wasn't helped by the fact TCU's No. 1 ranked baseball team played Kansas at the same time nearby.

COUGAR NOTES: Jimmer Fredette's numbers almost matched his output in the last TCU game. Fredette tied Jonathan Tavernari (88) for most 3-point baskets in a season with just over 16 minutes left in the game. ... Dave Rose tied Roger Reid for second most wins (152) in school history. ... The TCU loss was the 10th straight for the Frogs, who are 0-14 against BYU since joining the Mountain West. ... The sellout crowd of 7,258 in Daniel Meyer Coliseum was the largest since the Frogs joined the MWC in 2005-06.

Among the many BYU fans in the crowd was former BYU quarterback Steve Clements, once a Texas High School all-state quarterback. He now lives in Fort Worth. "I just game to see The Jimmer," said Clements, a former high school coach at Lehi High School. ... The father of BYU wide receiver McKay Jacobson, Evan Jacobson paid $60 each for a pair of tickets that put him in the center near the front row. Former Cougar slotback and KSL sideline reporter Nate Meikle found his way to the game from a nearby law conference. The Stanford Law School student helped out KSL radio with postgame interviews outside the locker room.

e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com