NCAA Tournament: BYU Overcomes Wofford In Second Half, 74-66

March Madness Scores: BYU Outlasts Wofford, 74-66

After an early scare, BYU pulled away in the second half against Wofford to advance deeper into the 2011 NCAA Tournament. They'll get the winner of Thursday night's game between St. John's and Gonzaga. Jimmer Fredette scored 32 points on 25 attempts from the floor and added eight assists for the Cougars.

Wofford looked capable of hanging with BYU early on, but simply ran out of firepower. Noah Dahlman led the Terriers with 22 points and nine rebounds. 

It wasn't pretty, with 23 combined turnovers and shooting percentages under 40 percent for both teams, but that's what happens when you step into the jungle with the Terriers. 

For more on this game, BYU fans should visit Vanquish The Foe and Mountain West Connection, and Wofford fans should visit Mid Major Madness.

Here is an updated look at the Southeast Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket.

No. 1 Pittsburgh at No. 16 UNC-Asheville, March 17, 3:10 p.m., truTV

No. 8 Butler def. No. 9 Old Dominion, 60-58; will face winner of Pittsburgh-UNC-Asheville

No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Utah State, March 17, 9:57 p.m., truTV

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Belmont, March 17, 7:27 p.m., truTV

No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, March 17, 9:45 p.m., CBS

No. 3 BYU defeats No. 14 Wofford, 74-66; will face winner of St. John's-Gonzaga

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State, March 17, 9:20 p.m., TBS

No. 2 Florida defeats No. 15 UC-Santa Barbara, ; will face winner of UCLA-Michigan State

NCAA Tournament Update: BYU Fighting Off Wofford, 33-29

BYU is having to work against Wofford in the opening ("second") round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, holding only a four-point lead at halftime. And it could be even worse than that for Cougars fans. Jimmer Fredette, for his part, has 15 points and five assists.

Late in the half, the Terriers had a chance to re-take the lead after James Anderson committed a personal foul and chased it with a technical, but Noah Dahlman missed three of his four free throw attempts. Fredette then nailed a three pointer from Jimmer range.

Dahlman leads Wofford with 11 points and five rebounds. 

Anderson is in foul trouble, with three, and the personal foul column is about the only one in which Wofford holds an advantage.

For more on this game, BYU fans should visit Vanquish The Foe and Mountain West Connection, and Wofford fans should visit Mid Major Madness.

March Madness resources: Printable 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket ... Full 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule.

NCAA Bracket Preview, Predictions: No. 3 BYU Vs. No. 14 Wofford

The Jimmer Fredette express begins its 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket conquest on Thursday as the BYU Cougars take on perpetual No. 14 seed Wofford in the Southeast region. The Terriers, a nickname that strikes fear in the hearts of opponents, almost reached up and smacked Wisconsin in the 2010 NCAA Tournament as a double-digit seed, making them a dangerous out. But on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. on CBS, the Terriers meet Fredette and a BYU squad looking to make a deep run in the tournament.

BYU shared the WCC regular season title with San Diego State, defeating the Aztecs twice during the regular season. The third time around, though, San Diego State got its revenge in the WCC Tournament, handing BYU a 72-54 loss. Without Brandon Davies, suspended after a conduct code violation, BYU has lost the biggest inside compliment to Fredette, changing the whole dynamic of the team.

Wofford shared the Southern conference's South division crown before rattling off wins in the conference tournament to secure the automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The Terriers finished the year at 21-12, including a 14-4 mark in conference play. Against major conference competition, though, Wofford was 0-fer the season, a mark that doesn't inspire confidence in March Madness.

Star Watch: There shouldn't be any question: It's Jimmer Fredette for BYU. Fredette is the BYU offense in every way, using 36.1 percent of BYU's possessions and taking 37.8 percent of the team's shots while on the floor, which rank second and first in the nation, respectively. With Brandon Davies out, it's all Fredette, all the time.

For Wofford, keep an eye on Noah Dahlman. The 6-foot-6 senior boasts the seventh-ranked offensive rating in the nation, at 131.4, while using the bulk of the Terriers' possessions and taking the bulk of their shots. He can also get to the line, drawing 6.2 fouls per game with a free throw rate of 52.1.

Prediction: Fredette bursts onto the scene in the tournament and BYU rolls, 85-69.

More Reading: For more on the Cougars, swing by Vanquish the Foe and MWC Connection. For more on the Terriers, check out our Wofford NCAA Tournament preview.

Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation's full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.

Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.