DENVER (AP) — Among the throng of blue-clad BYU fans who packed Ball Arena to witness the Cougars' narrow escape against Wisconsin was Jimmer Fredette.
BYU's last basketball blue-chipper, Fredette sweated it out with the rest of the Cougars fans as they watched Wisconsin scratch and claw and come within another John Tonje basket of sending what had once been a 14-point laugher into overtime Saturday night.
Tonje burned BYU for 37 points — the most by any player in this edition of March Madness so far — but his final shot came up short and when Keba Keita corralled the rebound and took off with a mile-high smile, the Cougars were 91-89 winners.
“Yeah, I was nervous,” Fredette told The Associated Press in the jubilant BYU section of first-level seats. “Look, you watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’
“But look, I think that describes this team. They fight, they’re resilient and play with heart and energy. And you’re going to win a lot of games doing that.”
The Cougars are on their way to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, when Fredette was jacking up jumpers at the beginning of a basketball journey that would include six seasons in the NBA and an appearance in the Paris Olympics for the United States' 3x3 team.
Fredette was in uniform in this very arena the last time the Cougars earned a Sweet 16 berth, with an 89-67 win over Gonzaga 14 years ago.
Now, Fredette has another reason to love Ball Arena — which was called Pepsi Center back when he was in college.
Fredette couldn't be happier for — or prouder of — his alma mater.
“It's been an incredible, incredible team to follow, to watch,” Fredette said. “I think I've caught the last four games that they've played this year. And man, I love how this team plays, the energy, the passion.”
He loves how coach Kevin Young has brought elements of the NBA with him to Provo, Utah, including NBA-caliber talent.
“I don't know all the X's and O's associated with basketball but I like what Kevin has done. And obviously, I'm closely connected to the program. I've heard nothing but good things about having the players and how they bought into what he brought in,” Fredette said.
The last player drafted out of BYU was Fredette, back in 2011. Now, Egor Demon, the 6-foot-9 swingman from Moscow, could be one-and-done, and next year the Cougars will get AJ Dybansta, the nation’s top recruit who made a splash this season when he signed an NIL deal with BYU that's reportedly worth between $5 million and $7 million.
Fredette smiled as he talked about his school suddenly being the talk of the NCAA Tournament and a desired destination for top talent.
“Yeah, a lot of excitement,” Fredette said.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Wisconsin guard John Tonje, right, drives past BYU guard Egor Demin during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Leyba)
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter, left, blocks a shot by BYU center Keba Keita (13) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.
New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.
However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.
“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.
One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.
The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.
So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.
Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.
Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.
Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.
For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.
But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.
“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.
“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.
Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
