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We are coming down to the last weekend of the Pac-12 regular season, so the age-old question of how a conference player of the year is determined must be asked. And in this Pac-12 season it is a critical question.

Should the Pac-12 player of the year be Arizona’s Caleb Love, an elite player and the best player on the best team? Or should it be Colorado’s KJ Simpson, whose numbers, especially lately, suggest he is the best player in the Pac-12 even though the Buffaloes are only tied for third place?

A few things to note before we continue:

---The award is “Player of the Year,” not “Most Valuable Player,” a minor but significant distinction.

---The results of Arizona’s road games against USC and UCLA and Colorado’s road games against Oregon and Oregon State this week could change the standing of Arizona and Colorado, affecting the “best player on the best team” argument.

---Six of the past seven Pac-12 players of the year were members of a first-place team. However, since the award was started in 1975-76, 22 of the 48 players of the year were not on first-place teams. The biggest outliers were Arizona State’s Ike Diogu, who won it in 2005 despite playing for a team that finished sixth in the standings with a 7-11 record, and Oregon’s Terrel Brandon, who won it in 1991 even though the Ducks went 8-10 in conference play and finished tied for fifth.

---An Arizona player has won the award 10 times, the most of any Pac-12 member. Colorado is the only current Pac-12 team that has never had a player win Pac-10/Pac-12 player of the year. In fact, the last time a Colorado player won conference player of the year was 1971, when Cliff Meely won his second Big Eight player of the year award.

OK, so let’s look at the two contenders.

Caleb Love

Love is the leading scorer for an Arizona team that is in first place, is ranked No. 5 in this week’s AP poll, and has a good shot at being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. And he has been an important factor -- probably the most important factor -- in the Wildcats' achieving that lofty position. He is averaging 19.4 points, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12, and he has been even more productive in conference games, averaging 21.2 point against Pac-12 foes.

KJ Simpson

Simpson is averaging 19.9 points (second in the conference), 4.8 assists (fourth in the Pac-12) and 5.8 rebounds while shooting a Pac-12-best 46.2% on three-pointers. He has scored 30, 28, 27 and 22 points during the Buffaloes’ current four-game winning streak that has kept them in the running for an NCAA berth, and has made 18-of-31 three-point shots (58.1%) during that four-game run. You could make a pretty good argument that Simpson has been the conference’s best player this season; however, Colorado is unranked and tied for third place, three games behind Arizona.

What’s our conclusion? See below.

Arizona consistency

Going virtually unnoticed during Arizona’s impressive season is that this is the 40th consecutive season in which the Wildcats have had a winning overall record. Only one Division I school has a longer active streak – Kansas, which barely edges out Arizona with 41 straight winning seasons.

Interestingly, Arizona’s began in 1984-85, immediately after the Wildcats’ fifth straight losing season. Lute Olson got Arizona headed in the right direction in his second season as head coach after going 11-17 in his first.

The second-longest active streak of consecutive winning seasons among current Pac-12 members belongs to Oregon, which is having its 14th straight winning season.

It’s been 41 years since Washington State . . . . .

Washington State won its 14th conference game over the weekend, tying a school record for most conference wins, which was last accomplished 1982-83. If the Cougars win Thursday’s home game against Washington, it will set a WSU record for conference wins.

Granted, playing 20 conference games rather than the 18-game schedule of many previous seasons is a factor, but a record is a record. Folks didn’t seem to care that it took Iowa’s Caitlin Clark four years to surpass Pete Maravich’s totals collected in three seasons.

Improvement Noted

Despite losing both games last week, Cal has won 13 games this season after winning just three a year ago. That 10-win improvement under Mark Madsen is the best in the Pac-12, and among the best in the country. (South Carolina, picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference, is 24-5, a 13-win improvement over its 11-21 season last year.)

To say Cal is a different team this season is literally true. Not a single one of the Bears’ five starters played a single second for Cal last season.

Heading the Wrong Way

---UCLA, which seemed to turn its season around when it went 8-1 from January 14 to February 15, has lost four in a row since that streak ended. At 14-15, the Bruins are in danger of finishing with their first losing season under Mick Cronin. The Bruins host Arizona and Arizona State this week.

---Stanford has lost six in a row, all by double-digit margins. Perimeter shooting was the Cardinal's strength for the first half of the Pac-12 season, but Stanford has made only 28.8% of its three-point attempts during the six-game losing streak.

Pac-12 Player of the Year Standings

(A team’s place in the standings matters . . . or does it?)

1. KJ Simpson, Colorado – His recent performances in games Colorado had to win puts him on top – for now.

2. Caleb Love, Arizona – When Arizona needs points, Love delivers.

3. Myles Rice, Washington State – A Washington State player deserves to be here, and Rice has been more productive than Isaac Jones lately.

4. Oumar Ballo, Arizona – Double-doubles in each of the past nine games.

5. Keion Brooks Jr., Washington/Jaylon Tyson Cal – They may be the two most talented offensive players, but they play for teams that have losing Pac-12 records.

Top Five Pac-12 Teams

(Based on results, not the eye test)

1. Arizona (23-6, 14-4 Pac-12) – Wildcats are rolling again, having won their last three games by 16, 18 and 20 points.

2. Washington State (23-7, 14-5) – The Cougars bounced back from the loss to Arizona State with wins over USC and UCLA

3. Colorado (20-9, 11-7) – The Buffs have won four in row and are playing their best basketball of the season.

4. Oregon (19-10, 11-7) – Ducks' 20-point loss to Arizona had to sting.

5. Utah (18-11, 9-9) – Somehow the Utes are still in contention for an NCAA tournament berth.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cal Sports Report and was syndicated with permission.

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