Sophomore swingman Nick Jacobson was named the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after his marksmanship from the 3-point arc landed the Utes two conference wins.
The award was the Fargo, N.D., native’s first in his second season with the Utes. Jacobson is the first Ute to receive the honor this season.
In Utah’s two wins, the sharpshooter averaged 22.0 points on 69 percent (11-16) shooting from 3-point range, and 65 percent (15-23) shooting from the field.
In Utah’s 76-70 home win against San Diego State, Jacobson sank 9-14 from the field, including 7-10 3s, which tied a school record. Jacobson’s seven 3s knotted him with Phil Dixon, who made 7-8 in a game with Wichita State on Dec. 22, 1990.
Jacobson ended with 25 points, which would have been a career-high had he not scored 26 versus UNLV a game prior.
Against Air Force, Jacobson scored a game-high 19 points (4-6 three-pointers), as Utah won in overtime 63-57.
Jacobson is continuing where he left off last year. He won the MWC’s Freshman of the Year honor after averaging 7.9 points a game and starting in 27 of Utah’s 31 games.
Jacobson is also Utah’s most prolific scorer this season. He leads the 14-3 Utes with 15.3 ppg. He is third in the conference in 3-point accuracy (52.5 percent), and first in treys a game (3.06).
The honor came at the right time, as Jacobson’s normally consistent production plummeted at New Mexico Monday night. In Utah’s 81-51 thrashing of the Lobos at the Pit, Jacobson sat the pine the majority of the game with foul trouble.
“I need to keep on Nick in terms of playing smart,” coach Rick Majerus said after the defeat.
After playing a complete 45 minutes in a win at Air Force, two quick Jacobson fouls sent him to the bench with 13:58 left in the first half of the NM game. Jacobson was relegated to the bench much of the game after picking up two more fouls over a 47-second span in the second half.
The sophomore played just 11 minutes, well under his previous team-best average of 32.5 minutes a game. Jacobson scored 2 points on 1 2 shooting, had four fouls, and never put up a 3.