Teams such as Wofford and Morehead State may not bring household recognition to this week’s NCAA Tournament at the Pepsi Center, but BYU’s Jimmer Fredette brings as much star power as anybody in the country.
The 6-foot-2 senior leads the nation in scoring, averaging 28.5 points, and is coming off a historic performance this past weekend at the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Fredette scored 52 points against New Mexico in the MWC semifinals.
Wofford (21-12) gets the first chance at defending Fredette in a Thursday matchup against BYU (30-4), a No. 3 seed.
Morehead State coach Donnie Tyndall said his team may fly under the radar, but his star, forward Kenneth Faried, should not. Faried, a 6-foot-8 senior, grabbed an average of 14.5 rebounds per game, best in the nation.
“Our biggest strength is our power forward,” Tyndall said. “We know Denver has great basketball fans, and they like to pull for the underdog. They’ll see two of the best players in the country this week.”
The Eagles (24-9) draw a tough assignment in facing fourth-seeded Louisville (25-9).
“We’re excited about being a No. 13 seed,” Tyndall said. “That’s quite an accomplishment for our program.”
In the other games at the Pepsi Center on Thursday, fifth-seeded Vanderbilt (23-10) plays 12th-seeded Richmond (27-7) and sixth-seeded St. John’s (21-11) takes on 11th-seeded Gonzaga (24-9).
There are some area ties among the coaches. Richmond is coached by Chris Mooney, who led Air Force to an 18-12 record in 2004-05. Former Metro State coach and Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap is an assistant coach at St. John’s.
“I guess they’re bringing me back home,” Dunlap said.
Playing in Denver always brings up the question of playing at a 5,280-foot elevation.
“We’ll be fine,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We scrimmaged out there against Texas in the summer. This is a great day for Gonzaga basketball, our 13th straight year in the tournament. Thirteen straight doesn’t mean you automatically get in.”
Tyndall has previous experience playing in Denver. He coached Middle Tennessee against the University of Denver in the Sun Belt Conference.
“Absolutely, from a selfish point of view, we’d like a playing site closer to our fans,” Tyndall said. “We don’t have anything against the altitude.”
But BYU coach Dave Rose said Denver might be just close enough.
“Hopefully, our fans travel with us,” Rose said. “What’s important now is to settle into the routine of this week. It’s a bounce-back game for us and we have to get back on the winning track.”
The Cougars lost 72-54 to San Diego State in Saturday’s finale of the MWC Tournament.
“The best way to deal with the altitude is to be extremely fit,” Dunlap said from his experience at Metro State. “There’s a concern initially, but players acclimate pretty quickly.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
