BYU coach Dave Rose wasn't sure how long it would take for his team to take shape.
But three games in, and after a 49-point blowout victory Saturday night over Chicago State in the South Padre Island Invitational, he likes what he sees.
''It just looked more like us,'' Rose said after the 23rd-ranked Cougars had six players score in double figures in their 109-60 victory. ''The ball was going from side to side. We had a lot of wide-open shots that we got as a result of making one extra pass.''
And defensively, BYU (3-0) dominated, forcing Chicago State (1-3) into 21 turnovers and 34.9 percent shooting.
Preseason All-America pick Jimmer Fredette led the way once again with 27 points in 21 minutes, including his fifth career jam that brought the crowd to its feet. But BYU's post players played with just as much confidence.
Sophomore Chris Collinsworth came out firing, scoring 11 points in the first 8 minutes on 4-of-4 shooting. He finished with a career-high 15 points and had six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Charles Abouo started the first 5 minutes with five points and four rebounds, and tied his career high with eight rebounds. Brandon Davies, a starter in the season-opener, came off the bench to score 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, with six rebounds, and freshman Kyle Collinsworth had a career-high 12 points.
''I think we came out and attacked well in the first 10 minutes,'' Rose said. ''We shot the ball with a lot of confidence and defensively we forced them into some tough shots and were able to get the ball out in transition. I was just happy we were able to play a lot of guys a lot of minutes and we were able to work on a lot of things.''
That's important with Mississippi Valley State up Tuesday night followed by South Florida, and December games against Creighton, Arizona and UCLA.
''We feel confident with a certain group of guys. What we need to do is expand that to be where we want to be,'' Rose said. ''We need consistency.''
Against Chicago State, which was coming off a 40-point loss to DePaul and 33-point loss to Notre Dame, everything seemed to be clicking.
BYU's 60 points were the most in the first half since 1993. It also was the first time BYU had six players score in double figures since Dec. 22, 2006, against Western Oregon.
Chicago State simply had no answer for BYU's up-tempo game, not even a full-court press. BYU also dominated on the boards, with a 58-39 advantage, including 39 defensive rebounds.
''We had some guys that really went after the ball,'' Rose said.
BYU guard Jackson Emery set the tone from the start with a 3-pointer less than a minute into the game. Then Chris Collinsworth and Abouo got hot.
After that it was all Fredette. The preseason All-America selection made 4 of 5 3-pointers in the first half was 9 of 12 from the field overall before exiting with 13:51.
Before he left, he not showed fans he can dunk, grabbing an errant Chicago State pass and racing the other way for a 44-15 lead with 5:15 left in the first half.
''We've all been waiting for it,'' Davies said of a slam by the 6-foot-2 Fredette. ''I thought he would lay it up, but he threw it down. That kind of got the crowd more into it and us more into it and set a tone for the rest of the game.''
BYU led by as many as 51 points.
Rose said the only negatives were rushed shots by BYU's reserves after the team built a huge lead, and a 22-of-38 effort from the free-throw line.
''We were able to get a lot of guys a lot of experience,'' said Rose, who recorded victory No. 130. ''That's good when you're playing four games in seven days''
Victor Scott led Chicago State with 17 points, and Antonio Lofton added 13 points and five rebounds.
