Utah Basketball: Jakob Poeltl Named Pac-12 Player of the Week

For the third week this season, Jakob Poeltl has been named the Pac-12 Player of the Week. Poeltl helped lead the Utes to a very important two game sweep of the Washington schools on the road this past week. He averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on the road trip. Poeltl's play has been one of the most steady for any team in the conference, and is building a solid case for Player of the Year. Next up for Poeltl and the Utes are the Bay Area schools, starting on Wednesday with Cal at the Huntsman Center.

SAN FRANCISCO - Utah sophomore Jakob Poeltl has been named the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week for a third time this season, the league office announced on Monday.

Poeltl is coming off a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double effort in Utah's 80-75 overtime victory at Washington on Sunday. The Vienna, Austria, native was 8-of-14 from the field, but more impressively, the big man drained 13-of-16 from the free throw line. He scored eight of his 29 points in the overtime period, sinking a lay-up early and then draining all six free throw attempts, which included making all four of his free throw attempts in the final 10 seconds.

Earlier on in the week, Poeltl recorded 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in Utah's win at Washington State on Thursday. In just 23 minutes of action, he also collected five rebounds, five assists and recorded a block in the road victory.

Poeltl averaged 21.5 points on 60 percent shooting (15-25) from the floor and 81 percent at the foul line (13-16), 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while recording only one turnover in Utah's (15-5, 4-3) sweep through Washington State and Washington last week.

Poeltl, who became the first Utah player to be named a Pac-12 Player of the Week twice in one season, now becomes the first player in program history to earn the honor three times. He also becomes the first Utah player to be named player of the week at least three times in a season since Luke Nevill was tabbed a three-time player of the week when the Utes were a member of the Mountain West Conference back in the 2008-09 campaign.

Poeltl and the Utes are back in action this Wednesday, Jan. 27, taking on California (14-6, 4-3) in Pac-12 play. Tip-off between the Utes and Golden Bears is set for 9 p.m. MST at the Huntsman Center.