Jimmer Fredette Scores 37 Points, Still Isn’t John Wall

Billy Donovan tends to drink the crazy juice sometimes, so it was easy to scoff at these thoughts on BYU’s Jimmer Fredette.

“Being in the SEC, we had a chance to see a lot of great point guards in John Wall and Devan Downey, and I don’t think either one of those two guys impact the college game like Fredette does,” Donovan said Wednesday. “He has a totally different effect level on the game.

A day later, and maybe Billy Donovan’s not so crazy. Fredette dropped 37 points on 26 shots to lead BYU to a double-overtime win over Donovan’s Gators in a wild game that would have been overshadowed by the Villanova-Robert Morris thriller had CBS had the sense to switch to that game sooner. Fredette didn’t always play perfectly - there were times when Florida played the pick and roll well - but he got hot in the second half and singlehandily carried his team.

Okay, fine, Donovan’s still crazy. Fredette’s not John Wall. Still, he certainly showed today why he’s one of the most overlooked players in the country.