NCAA LIVE BLOG: BYU will take on Kansas State Saturday after Cats pummel Mean Green

By Ryan Greene

Published Thursday, March 18, 2010 | 10:29 a.m.

Updated Thursday, March 18, 2010 | 2:49 p.m.

2:45 p.m. — BYU will face 2-seed Kansas State on Friday as Wildcats roll North Texas, 82-62

OKLAHOMA CITY — Behind four starters scoring in double figures, Kansas State pulled away early and pleased a purple-clad, partisan crowd on Thursday, easily dispatching of 15-seed North Texas at the Ford Center.

That sets up a Saturday second-round meeting between No. 7 BYU and No. 2 K-State.

The Wildcats were led by senior guard Denis Clemente, who had 17 points and six assists before the reserves ate up the closing minutes in a game that wasn't close after late in the first half.

The match-up is intriguing, as BYU probably has the best set of guards K-State will have seen all year outside of maybe Kansas. Meanwhile, rebounding will be everyone's focus.

Kansas State is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, while BYU's big men had trouble with Florida's athletic front line today. The Cougars were out-boarder 45-33, and the Gators took down 20 offensive rebounds.

I'll be switching over to a new blog entry for the night session, which will begin at 4:10 p.m. PDT with No. 8 UNLV taking on No. 9 Northern Iowa. Stay tuned at lasvegassun.com and lasvegassun.com/rebels.

12:00 p.m. — BYU ends 'The Streak', downs Florida in double overtime, 99-92

OKLAHOMA CITY — When they needed him most, BYU star junior guard Jimmer Fredette came through big-time in a second overtime frame on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City.

Fredette hit a pair of NBA-range 3-pointers to help the Cougars not only shake off 10-seed Florida, but it also helped seal BYU's first NCAA tournament victory since 1993. It ended an eight-game losing skid in the NCAAs for the program.

Fredette finished with a game-high 37 points, while Palo Verde grad Michael Loyd Jr. provided and incredible spark for the Cougars off of the bench, scoring 27 points. He was 7-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

BYU will now advance to Saturday's second round, where the Cougars will face either No. 2 Kansas State or No. 15 North Texas. Those two will tip-off at the Ford Center in 30 minutes.

Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for live updates from all of the day's action.

11:39 a.m. — BYU, Florida will do overtime all over again, tied at 81-81

OKLAHOMA CITY — Michael Loyd Jr., for the second time today, got hot at just the right time for BYU.

The Palo Verde High grad scored all six points for BYU in the first overtime frame with Florida and was part of a huge defensive stop at the end of it, keeping things tied up, 81-81. The Cougars and Gators will head to a second overtime frame.

Loyd hit all four of his free throw attempts, then hit a spinning bank shot off of the left block to tie it at 81 apiece.

The Cougars, who have struggled to set a defensive tone all day, came up with a huge stop at the end, forcing Kenny Boynton into a contested 28-foot 3-pointer.

Loyd now has 20 points off of 6-of-8 shooting for BYU, who, again, is trying to advance past the tournament's first round for the first time since 1993.

11:25 a.m. — BYU, Florida heading to overtime, tied at 75-75

OKLAHOMA CITY — A flurry of Kenny Boynton 3-pointers helped a once-lifeless Florida squad overcome a double-digit deficit late in the second half.

Heck, it even helped put the 10-seed Gators ahead by four with just over a minute to play against 7-seed BYU.

Then Jackson Emery hit a 3-pointer atop the key for BYU, and after Vernon Macklin split a pair of free throws for the Gators, Jimmer Fredette tied it all up with 14 seconds to play.

UF's Chandler Parsons got the last shot for the Gators, curling off of a screen up top and ending up with a fadeaway look on the right baseline. But it drew the back of the iron, and here we are, heading to overtime in OKC.

Parsons, of course, has established himself as Mr. Big Shot in Gainesville this season on a couple of occasions .... such as here and here.

It's been a great battle scoring-wise between Boynton and Fredette. Boynton has 26 points, including a 5-of-9 showing from deep, while Fredette is just 1-of-6 from long range, but has a game-high 27.

10:30 a.m. — BYU leads Florida at halftime, 35-33

OKLAHOMA CITY — BYU appeared to be slipping into somewhat of an abyss, trailing Florida mid-way through the first half, 28-21. The Gators' stable of athletes had the Cougars thrown for a loop on both ends of the floor.

Enter Palo Verde High product Michael Loyd Jr.

BYU's top overall athlete hit a pair of 3-pointers in transition, then a couple of runners in what turned into a personal 10-0 run, pushing BYU back ahead. That's where Dave Rose's club finds itself at the half, up 35-33.

It was a first half in which Jimmer Fredette drew just one foul cal and had a tough time getting comfortable against a spry Florida club. He scored eight points on patchy 4-of-9 shooting before the half, including an 0-for-2 showing from deep.

Loyd's 10 points, which came on 4-of-4 shooting, led all scorers.

Florida looked great early on, but after Loyd's outburst, it was clear by reading the Gators' body language that they no longer had any interest in being precise. Instead, turnovers piled up and Billy Donovan's team did just enough to simply survive until halftime.

All of that said, combined with the fact that Fredette, by the law of averages, is bound to have a huge second half, things appear to be in BYU's favor right now.

Here are some other numbers of note from the first half ...

— Outside of Fredette's two misses from deep, BYU was 3-of-3 from long range. They were selective in their shooting, while Florida was 3-of-10 from outside, and at times settled for 25-footers out of impatience.

— Freshman guard Kenny Boynton has eight points and three assists for Florida, and he's been the one responsible for bottling up Fredette so far.

— Give BYU's big men some credit, as they out-rebounded Florida's athletic front line, 15-14.

It's a pretty neutral atmosphere in here so far. BYU brought a decent amount of fans, while Florida hardly brought any. Most of the butts in the seats are dressed in purple and blue, as both Kansas State and Kansas will take the floor here at the Ford Center later on.