With the Pac-10 regular season title all but wrapped up by the Stanford Cardinal, there is still one more race to keep an eye on down the homestretch of conference play, the Player of the Year award.
While there are currently two players that appear to be the frontrunners, there is still time for a number of players to make up ground and steal the award.
The following is a look at the favorites and dark horses for the Pac-10's top individual honor:
The favorites
CHRIS HERNANDEZ, Stanford: Who better to give the award to than the leader of arguably the best team in the country? After missing all but two games last year with a broken foot, Hernandez has solidified himself as the best point guard in the conference for the undefeated Cardinal.
While the sophomore point guard is only averaging 11.2 points per game (fourth best on his team), and is fourth in the Pac-10 in assists per game (4.89), his presence is felt far beyond the box score.
Hernandez is the only player in the conference to connect on more than 50 percent of his three-point shots, and is the man to go to at the charity stripe with the game on the line -- his 91.7 free throw percentage is tops in the Pac-10 and is sixth best in the country.
How he could lose: Age and numbers. Voters may be distracted by the fact Hernandez is a sophomore, and by his lack of scoring. In the 28-year history of the award, only three underclassmen -- most recently UA's Mike Bibby in 1998 -- have won.
Game to watch: Saturday at Cal. The Golden Bears present the biggest hurdle remaining for the Cardinal in their run to an undefeated season, which is a strong point in Hernandez's argument for POY honors. When the two teams met earlier in the year, a 68-61 win for Stanford, Hernandez scored only nine points in 35 minutes.
LUKE JACKSON, Oregon: If Jackson, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, does come away with the honor, it will partially be a lifetime achievement award. Jackson is one of only two seniors (USC's Desmon Farmer is the other) to grace the Pac-10's top ten in scoring, and is the only player to appear in the top ten in scoring, rebounding and assists.
ASU fans know Jackson by more then just his shaggy haircut earlier this season -- he scored 21 points, had a new career-high in assists (12), and grabbed seven rebounds in the Ducks' 83-76 victory over the Sun Devils.
How he could lose: Because of scheduling rule violations from last year, the Ducks had to take two non-conference games off of their schedule this season. Now, Oregon is in trouble of failing to make the NCAA tournament. In the past 13 years, 12 of the conference's players of the year came from a team that made it to March Madness.
The lone exception was ASU's Eddie House in 2000.
Game to watch: March 6 against UCLA -- the final regular season game of the year for the Ducks. The showdown will also be televised nationally on CBS, giving Jackson a chance to show off his game for the entire country.
The long shots
MATT LOTTICH, Stanford: On a team without a superstar, the senior guard may soon be mentioned with the likes of Stanford's sweet shooting guards of the past, Casey Jacobsen and Dion Cross. While his three-point shooting percentage isn't as high as Hernandez's, the 6-foot-4 Lottich is still Stanford's scoring leader, averaging just under 13 points per game.
Like Hernandez, an undefeated season -- a feat never accomplished in the Pac-10 -- would look great on his POY application.
How he could lose: When it comes down to it, he might be splitting votes with his teammate, Hernandez.
Game to watch: March 6 at Washington. In his career, Lottich has had trouble with the Huskies, averaging just under six points per game in seven contests. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
DESMON FARMER, USC: Farmer is quietly having a solid senior campaign and is currently third in the conference in scoring with 20.4 points per game.
Farmer currently needs just 30 points to reach 1,500 for his career, something only four Trojans have done to date. Three of the four players in front of him on USC's all-time scoring list -- most recently Sam Clancy in 2002 -- went on to win POY honors.
How he could lose: This season, USC lost non-conference games to lowly opponents Cal Poly, UNLV and BYU. The Trojans have also lost five of their past six games. If they keep it up, they'll be dancing by themselves come March.
Game to watch: Thursday at UA. Farmer led the Trojans with 40 points in an upset of the Wildcats in Los Angeles earlier this season and will need an equally impressive game Thursday, as USC hasn't won in Tucson since 1985.
IKE DIOGU, ASU: Diogu's accomplishments speak for themselves this season. The sophomore sensation leads the Pac-10 in scoring with just under 23 points per game, and has made more free throws than anyone else in the conference has attempted. In his relatively short career, the 6-foot-8 Diogu has scored in double digits in all 52 games he has played.
How he could lose: Unless ASU starts winning some games -- it's lost 10 of its 11 -- the Sun Devils won't even make the Pac-10 Tournament, and Diogu will have to wait for his junior year to make a run at the award.
Game to watch: All of them. Diogu and the Sun Devils need to treat every game like it is their last in order for their big man to have a chance at bringing home the hardware.
Notes
Prior to Saturday's Stanford-Cal game, the No. 5 jersey of former Golden Bear Jason Kidd will be retired. While at Cal, Kidd was named the 1993 National Freshman of the Year and the 1994 Pac-10 Player of the Year.
This season, Gonzaga and Cal are the only teams to have played both undefeated schools, St. Joseph's and Stanford.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
