TULSA, Okla. -- Watch Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz, and maybe you'll recognize...

Jimmer Fredettefi

The BYU sophomore point guard was given some glowing praise by Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik after scoring 13 points in 36 minutes of a 74-68 Cougar win Tuesday.

"Fredette is very strong and handles the ball, and is very clever," Wojcik said. "I told the guys, they may laugh at me because he's not at this level, but he's a poor-man's Deron Williams. He doesn't look very fast, he isn't real sleek. But he knows how to pass it, knows how to play, knows where everybody is."

Fredette wasn't always perfect. There were a few times he threw passes point-blank into defender's hands. He played high minutes because of Jackson Emery's head injury early in the second half.

And Fredette was also spending energy by constantly trying to get to the rim.

"I was just making passes I wouldn't normally make. I don't think it was anything that they were especially doing," Fredette said.

Along with 6-foot-6 sophomore power forward Jonathan Tavernari, the duo doesn't look fast but has a knack for getting to the hoop and converting.

Both Cougars had a reel full of highlight-worthy layups, either by using good body balance or caroming the ball smoothly off the backboard (sometimes both skills were at play).

Fredette had all but two of his points in the second half.

Trailing 53-52 with 10:44 remaining, the Cougars went on a 13-3 run to go ahead 65-56. Fredette speared the run with seven points, including an acrobatic three-point play to put BYU up 55-53.

• Good to be home: Bartlesville (Okla.) High coach Tim Bart said a lot of suitors fell by the wayside when star player Noah Hartsock declared his intentions to serve a two-year LDS mission before going to college.

But that plan didn't exactly make BYU the front-runner.

"I think a lot of people, including his momma, thought he was going to Utah State," Bart said.

Hartsock, however, declared as a high school senior that he was going to become a Cougar and he stuck to that pledge following church service in Salt Lake City.

The 6-8 freshman returned home, failing to score and playing just three minutes in front of about 70 people there mostly to see him. He missed one free throw.

"It was just great to come back home," the forward said. "I knew what my role was going to be and it wasn't just going to change because I was back. I was just happy to see us win."

Bart points out that Hartsock was the best offensive player he's ever coached.

"He could take a game over offensively," Bart said. "(Hartsock's senior year) he averaged 27 points per game and is the school's all-time leading scorer. You knew every night he'd shoot a high percentage and you knew he would give you 25-30 points every single night, and that's just amazing. He's a great kid, a good student. He worked hard everyday and never complained. He's just a joy to coach."

BYU coaches would say the same about Hartsock, though his offensive skills have yet to shine at the collegiate level. He's shortly removed from the mission service and a sprained ankle in November has limited his development.

BYU recruited him, and also was acquainted with Hartsock's older brother, Jeremiah, who wound up at Missouri-Kansas City and is now finishing up school but not playing. Hartsock has four older brothers, and Bart, who has coached three, says they're "very similar."

Hartsock also got to play against Sam Mitchell, a 6-9 senior who was part of Bartlesville's 2004-05 team that was the state runner-up in the largest high school classification (6A).

Mitchell had six points and as many rebounds in 24 minutes. They met up after the game, as well.

It didn't appear the friends would also be college teammates, but it also didn't look like Hartsock would ever have this chance.

Hartsock was a highly touted high schooler who had Oklahoma State coming after him fresh off a Final Four appearance.

"But they came into the picture too late," Bart said.

The favorite looked like Utah State. Stew Morrill's program, around 2005, was experiencing a lot of success and the Aggies' offense happened to cater to big men in about the same ways as Bartlesville.

Meanwhile, freshly promoted Dave Rose had to pitch why Provo was the right place even though it came with more uncertainty for the player.

"Coach Rose had to sell himself, he really had nothing except his word," Bart said. "Noah believed in him, and something about coach Rose convinced Noah that they were going to be winners and they were going to turn it around. And they have."

• Still available: BYU is reporting approximately 2,000 tickets remain for the game against No. 6 Wake Forest on Saturday. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.byutickets.com or the BYU Ticket Office. The ticket office is closed until Saturday at noon. Fans are encouraged to get tickets as soon as possible to avoid long lines around game time. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

• Tip-ins: Tavernari scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting against Tulsa, his sixth 20-point game this season and fourth in the last five games. With 10 rebounds it was also his second double-double this year (fourth career). ... Tulsa's 18-game home winning streak had been the nation's ninth-longest active streak. ... Freshman forward Charles Abouo (6) set a career high in rebounds while Chris Miles (7), Tavernari (10) and Emery (6) tied their career highs on the glass.