By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two months ago, the idea of David West winning a national player-of-the-year award seemed implausible. Xavier's two-game losing streak and West's frustration-fueled on-court antics raised the question of whether West was indeed as good as his Preseason Associated Press All-America honor predicted.

As Xavier prepares to play Atlantic 10 East leader Saint Joseph's tonight, West is positioned back near the top of an unusually large player-of-the-year race.

Entering the final week of the regular season, at least five players can make a legitimate case for being named player of the year.

"It's the most wide open the race has been in probably the last decade," ESPN.com college basketball analyst Andy Katz said. "There is not a clear-cut favorite among the top five or six guys."

Not since 1995 has there been a non-consensus player of the year. That year, UCLA's Ed O'Bannon won the John R. Wooden and Oscar Robertson awards, while Maryland's Joe Smith won the James Naismith and Adolph Rupp awards.

A similar scenario could play out this season without a marquee player such as Duke's Jason Williams, last year's winner, leading the way. Consensus honors have gone to Duke players three of the last four years; the exception was Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin in 2000.

"Usually at this point someone steps up to the front," said CBS Sportsline.com analyst Dan Wetzel. "Often that's been a Duke player, and then they run away with it. There isn't a Dukie out there this year, and the two best teams, Arizona and Kentucky don't have a superstar player."

The favorites are West, Josh Howard (Wake Forest), Nick Collison (Kansas), Dwyane Wade (Marquette) and T.J. Ford (Texas). Kyle Korver (Creighton,) Hollis Price (Oklahoma) and freshman Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) have outside chances.

TOP FIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES

PLAYER, SCHOOL STATS WHY HE WILL WIN WHY HE WON'T WIN Josh Howard, Wake Forest 19.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg He's the best player on the best team in the best conference. Lacked the preseason hype of the competition. David West, Xavier 20.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg West gets the best numbers every game, and XU continues to win. Much of what West does in the A-10 is not seen on national TV. T.J. Ford, Texas 14.8 ppg, 7.1 apg Ford creates more for his team than any other player. He's a sophomore who scores 14 points a game. Nick Collison, Kansas 18.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg Collison is a workaholic who has kept Kansas in the spotlight. Collison could split Midwest votes with teammate Kirk Hinrich. Dwyane Wade, Marquette 21.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, Wade is coming on strong late. He lacks a breakout game. OTHERS TO WATCH

Kyle Korver, Creighton 18.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg He's one of the best outside shooters in the nation. Korver has faded as Creighton has fallen out of first in the MVC. Hollis Price, Oklahoma 19.3 ppg, 3.0 apg Price does what it takes to win. He might not have the stats. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 22.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg This freshman could be the most talented player in college. It's hard for a freshman to win Player of the Year.

Since mid-January, no one has been as consistent as West, who has averaged 22 points and 12.8 rebounds in 13 consecutive Xavier wins and is averaging 20.3 points and 12.0 rebounds for the season. He re-emerged in the player-of-the-year picture Feb. 8 when he finished with 47 points and 18 rebounds in an 85-77 victory over Dayton and won several national honors as player of the week.

"David West has made a number of statement games," Wetzel said, "and he's climbed back into it. It's tough to come out of a non-power conference and win it, though."

It helped when West tipped in the game-winning basket Saturday against George Washington.

"It keeps his name out there," Katz said.

In a race this undecided so late in the season, it might come down to individual voter preference. Do West's statistics, often against double teams, make him the choice, or does Ford's playmaking ability move him to the top? Are Howard and Collison frontrunners because their teams are in first place in power conferences?

"There is no definitive guy right now," ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. "But if you look at what West has done, he's had a high level of consistency throughout the season in scoring and rebounding, and he does it against double and triple teams. It's not just the numbers he's putting up, it's how he's putting them up against teams designed to stop him."

Most of the awards are voted on by national college basketball media, some of whom may argue that West has done most of his damage against weaker Atlantic 10 Conference competition. But in four games against current Top 25 teams, West averaged 26.5 points and 12.8 rebounds. A national TV loss to Mississippi State on Dec. 14 that seemed detrimental at the time doesn't look so bad now to voters; West had 13 points and 17 rebounds.

That was one of eight nationally televised Xavier games during the regular season. By the end of the season, Kansas will have played 16 national TV games, and Wake Forest will have played 14.

"If (West) played at a more high-profile place, he would be the leader," Bilas said.

West still has one and potentially two more national TV opportunities before the NCAA Tournament begins. Xavier plays host to Temple at noon Saturday (ESPN). If the Musketeers advance to the final of the A-10 Tournament, that will be on ESPN March 15.