Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
The Best Is Yet To Come
2/19/2004 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2004
By Marcus Malmberg, Sports Information Student Assistant
Runnin' Ute Nick Jacobson is carrying extra weight around these days; but no, it's not the kind you're thinking of.
You see, Jacobson is the chosen leader to guide a young Ute squad to a conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth. Though these two successes have become common to Utah basketball, Jacobson faces a tough task this season being one of only two seniors on the team. The North Dakota native shoulders a great deal of the responsibility to lead this team, which has four sophomores and nine freshmen.
In spite of its youth, the 2003-04 edition of the Runnin' Utes is off to a great start. But, their continued success is contingent on the leadership Jacobson will provide. As his senior season winds down, Jacobson is having his best year. Through 18 games, he has led the team in scoring eight times. Not only has he shown the ability to last the duration of the season without slowing down, he is actually getting better as the season goes on and continues to come up big when he's needed the most.
In Utah's three ESPN Big Monday games, Jacobson torched Pepperdine, UNLV and Colorado State with an average of 21 points per game-all three were Ute victories. Though he played well against nonconference opponents, he is thoroughly punishing those in the Mountain West Conference. His scoring average has jumped from 15.4 to 20.7 points per game in the young conference season. After he blitzed UNLV for 27 points in the conference season opener, Rebels' Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour evaluated, "...once he gets rolling you've got real problems."
With the conference race starting to simmer, Jacobson still has some unfinished business, which he hopes to attend to as the season progresses.
"One of the goals of this team and myself is to win the conference outright. I have not done that in my career and that's something we hope to do this season. We also want to win the conference tournament and make a run in the NCAA Tournament," comments Jacobson.
Looking back on his career, Jacobson points to the NCAA Tournament for his most memorable moment. "Last year, when we beat Oregon in the first round, it was one of the best games I've ever been a part of here at Utah." If things continue to come together for this young Ute team, there is a very good chance that another NCAA run could be around the corner.
Besides the team accolades Jacobson is hoping to add later this season, he has also posted a few individual ones as well. In the game against Cal State Northridge earlier this season, Jacobson knocked down a three-point basket that set him apart from his peers in the record books. The 6-4 guard became the all-time Utah leader in three-pointers made, passing Ute legend Keith Van Horn who had 206 during his career.
Though Jacobson is arguably the best long distance shooter Utah has ever seen, the success has not gone to his head. "I'm still playing basketball right now-the record doesn't affect me. I'm sure that it might mean a lot later on. To pass the former Utah players that were ahead of me is a great honor," explains Jacobson.
This season, the hot-handed Jacobson ranks in the top 20 in the nation in shooting percentage from beyond the arc with a blazing 46.8 percent accuracy.
Jacobson came to Utah from Fargo, N.D. After refining his game in his first season with the Utes as a redshirt, and working diligently to become one of the best defenders in the West, Jacobson has exceeded all expectations. He has also become a player that Head Coach Rick Majerus relies on to lead this team every night.
"Nick has already proven to be a captain extraordinaire. He's an unheralded defender who will be called upon to pick it up even more in that category this season," states Majerus.
The success Jacobson has experienced at Utah can be largely attributed to his family. One of four children of Tim and Kim Jacobson, Nick's father played basketball at Valley City State in North Dakota and went on to become a high school coach. His older brother Jesse played at St. Cloud State in Minnesota, while his younger brother Adam is playing at North Dakota. Rounding out the Jacobson children team of four is his older sister Sarah, who played college basketball at Concordia College.
"Nick is the son of a coach whose commitment to the fundamentals would indicate that," adds Majerus.
Keeping the family tradition alive, it's no surprise that on May 31, 2002, Nick married another basketball player in former Ute All-American Amy Ewert. "Amy is a lot of help," reveals Jacobson. "She understands a lot of the things I'm going through, being a former player herself. She understands my schedule and the time restraints I have to deal with. I can't say enough about her."
With his final season winding down, more honors await this sharp-shooting guard. In his three previous years at Utah, Jacobson has been named MWC Freshman of the Year, third team all-MWC as both a sophomore and junior, and second team NABC All-District 13 in his sophomore season. He has played in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT.
Even with all the accolades and big games he has experienced, Jacobson says that once his career ends, it is his teammates that he will miss the most. "I'll miss the team camaraderie. This team has gotten to be really close, and I'll miss leaving that," Jacobson admits.
With some of the biggest games of the season coming up, Jacobson cites simply the passion to play the games as his motivation. "I don't look forward to playing against certain teams more than others. As a senior, you only have so many games left to play and every one of them is fun. The games are the reward for all the hard work done during the week," relays Jacobson.
The path to the conference title and the NCAA Tournament will not be easy, but Jacobson has the talent and experience to help this year's team fulfill its potential. "We have a lot of young guys on this team. My role is to lead them not only on the court, but off it as well. I'm just trying to guide them the right way and lead by my actions," adds Jacobson.
Only time will tell if Jacobson can navigate this team through all the trials and tribulations that are a part of a season. But, if the Utes can stay on the path and be at their best come March, this team has the chance to accomplish all of its goals and make this season one that will be remembered for years to come.
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