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Jimmer Fredette may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he has taken the BYU basketball team to the Sweet 16. He even made a 22-point blowout of Gonzaga fun to watch for everyone but the Bulldogs' fans.

"It was amazing," said Bill Raftery, who did commentary on CBS for the Cougars' NCAA Tournament wins over Wofford and Gonzaga. "Our director said after the game that that was the first time she's been in a 20-point blowout where it was still enjoyable because [Fredette] was involved. Usually, it's like, 'Hope the refs don't make any calls. Let's go.'

"But not with him. People want to see him."

A lot of people have been comparing Fredette to a lot of other basketball players, but Raftery said Jimmer is in a league of his own.

"Everybody compares him to [Pete] Maravich, but I think they're different types," he said. "His shooting doesn't offend me. And Pete's did at times. Does that make any sense? Jimmer's shooting is within the framework of the game, and he does so many other things."

Raftery was particularly impressed when, against Wofford, Fredette dived for a loose ball, scraping up his knee in the process.

"[BYU coach] Dave Rose told us the next day that he's usually not the guy diving on the floor, and it just excited the team. Like — here's the All-American and the guy who's getting all the plaudits just giving everything he had."

Raftery also sees in Fredette an echo of a prominent New York Yankee.

"He just seems to have a magnetism," he said. "Fans really relate to the kid, I think. Some people have it, like Derek Jeter has it.

"[Fredette] has the first name. Michael is Michael — he's Jimmer. People say, 'Hey, I want to go see this kid.' "

Raftery has been a TV basketball analyst for three decades, but he admits that covering Jimmer Fredette is something different.

"I was actually looking forward to just watching him," he said. "I think you become a fan — not rooting for him, but just a fan to see somebody that extraordinary.

"I wouldn't want to be coaching against him."

The last coach who did, Gonzaga's Mark Few, spoke to Raftery after his team lost to BYU 89-67 on Saturday. Both the coach and the sportscaster were marveling at Fredette's long-range 3-pointers.

"That's the amazing thing," Raftery said. "And Few said, 'How do you guard a guy that far out on the floor?'

"Just think of all the area that's open for other people doing things. The other BYU kids had to play, but he certainly makes it easier for them.

"I would think it makes coaching easier, let's put it that way," Raftery said with a laugh.

Next up for third-seeded BYU is second-seeded Florida in a Southeastern region semifinal Thursday at 5:27 p.m. on TBS. And Raftery said he thinks BYU's chances of beating the Gators are "good."

"I've had Florida a couple of times this season, and I don't know how they match up with [Fredette]," he said. "I think if [the Cougars] play their game — and, certainly last week they did against Gonzaga — Florida has a lot to worry about with this team.

"BYU is playing at a different level."

Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. His sports on TV column runs Wednesdays. Contact him at spierce@sltrib.com.