BYU basketball: Jimmer Fredette is player of the week

PROVO — Jimmer Fredette continues to leave his mark on BYU and Mountain West Conference basketball.

Fredette, after leading the Cougars last week to a comfortable win over Vermont in a tiring but rewarding trip to Glens Falls, N.Y., and then helping the Cougars blast Arizona for the second straight year, was named Monday as the MWC's player of the week for the second time this season and a record ninth time in his career.

"I was able to have another good night, and shoot the ball well, and sometimes that happens," Fredette said after Saturday's win over the Wildcats. "And sometimes when I'm shooting the ball well my teammates will find me and things will go right."

In BYU's 86-58 win over Vermont on Wednesday, Fredette scored a game-high 26 points, with five assists and one steal. At EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday, he scored 33 points (20 in the first half) and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in an 87-65 victory over Arizona.

For the week, Fredette averaged 29.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals.

"He's had quite a week," BYU coach Dave Rose said after the win over Arizona. "Not that I'm surprised that he played like this, but for what he just did in going back home and dealing with all those emotions and then coming back out here in a game where had a once-in-a-lifetime kind of game a year ago and still be as good as he was, that's a player. I'm glad he's on our team."

MOVING ON UP: As one of only 14 teams remaining with unblemished records, the 10-0 Cougars moved up in both college basketball polls on Monday. The Cougars are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25, up two notches from last week's ranking. In the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, BYU is now ranked No. 18, three spots higher than last week's ranking.

The Mountain West Conference continues to get a lot of respect in the polls, with San Diego State (10-0) ranked No. 10 in the coaches' poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels, despite suffering their first loss of the season Saturday morning at Louisville, are ranked No. 22 in both polls. New Mexico is among the teams receiving votes in the coaches' poll.

ON THE REBOUND: Cougar junior center Noah Hartsock, who suffered a concussion and lacerated mouth seven minutes into Saturday's game after taking a head butt under his chin from Arizona's Jesse Perry, is on the mend.