ESPN.com - NCB - Jacobsen plays his way out of the Pac

It had been growing for some time, the hunger to prove that NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina last year was more fluke than reality. Growing like, well, his game. Casey Jacobsen approached his team's matchup with Duke on Dec. 23 with one goal:

Show he belonged at the same party with the nation's elite players.

"I wanted to prove I could play against a team of that caliber," Jacobsen said. "I took that game very personally."


	The Cardinal's rise to No. 1 has been fueled by Casey Jacobsen's consistency.

He scored 26, made 11-of-19 shots and hit the game-winner with four seconds left.

He doesn't just belong now. He is one of the hosts.

Stanford is No. 1 and its leader is a sophomore wing who no longer must prove his worth on every dribble-drive. The 6-foot-6 Jacobsen is ESPN.com's pick for Pac-10 Player of the Year and he should receive strong consideration for first-team All-America and other national awards.

He is no longer just the kid whose shooting range begins once the ball crosses half-court.

"I think the big thing is that he was much more comfortable this season," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "Casey was always a really good shooter, but he made himself into a better all-around player. He made himself a lot better off the drive. He came back this season much more confident. He had been through everything as a freshman. He had seen it all."

Everything included the loss to UNC in the second round of NCAA Tournament play, a nightmare for Jacobsen. He scored five points on 2-of-12 shooting. He made 1-of-8 three-pointers. He didn't look very elite.

But confidence defines most good shooters and it oozes from Jacobsen. His sprint towards All-American status this season began against Duke, when his 6-foot, pull-up bank while driving left found net and beat the then-No. 1 Blue Devils.

Jacobsen averages 17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shoots 50 percent from the field, 45 percent on three-pointers and 80 percent from the line. He is bigger and stronger and, yes, smarter than his freshman season.

And it is unanimous among conference coaches: Jacobsen's numbers could be even better -- much in some cases -- if Stanford's scheme called for it.

But the Cardinal is more balanced than a new set of Radials. They're like a group of grade-school children putting on a play. Everyone contributes.

	What You Think
	Read who the fans picked as the Pac-10's best. More ...

Jacobsen just happens to play the leading role.

"He is as competitive a player at his age as I've ever seen," Washington State coach Paul Graham said. "Every time Stanford needs to get a rebound or loose ball or have someone get to the line or make a big shot, he does it.

"You can't coach a lot of the things he does."

Stanford coach Mike Montgomery will try, at least for next season. Jacobsen recently said he will return to Stanford. He dreams of playing in the NBA. He knows he can score in the NBA. He just isn't ready for everything else.

There is, in his mind, more to prove. More to win.

"I'll be disappointed if we don't win a national championship, because I know we're good enough to do it," Jacobsen said. "We'll do everything we can not to let what happened against North Carolina last year happen again."

The hunger grows.

It's just a different kind now.

The West's Best
Here's a closer look at ESPN.com's player of the year picks from other conferences out West:

Mountain West: Selecting the best individual here is like selecting the best team. Complete tossup.

You could put as many as five to six names in a hat, draw one and wouldn't receive much argument no matter the name. But consistency is key and our nod goes to Wyoming junior forward Josh Davis. He has averaged close to a double-double (13.2 ppg, conference-best 9.2 rpg), is shooting 48 percent, ranks among the league's top 10 players in steals and has kept the Cowboys in the championship picture down the stretch.

WAC: It's tough to look anywhere but at Fresno State, although Texas-El Paso fans will offer senior forward Brandon Wolfram (league-leading 22.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) as a solid candidate. He is, and there is a good chance he'll win the award when coaches vote.

But the call here goes to Fresno State forward Melvin Ely. He doesn't receive the publicity of teammates Chris Jefferies or Tito Maddox, but Ely has quietly ranked among the league's top eight players in scoring (16.2), rebounding (7.6), shooting (57 percent) and blocks (league-best 2.85 average).

Oh, yeah. And his team is about to win a championship.

West Coast: There is no need to disagree with conference coaches, who this week named Gonzaga senior forward Casey Calvary the league's best player.

Calvary led the Zags to a regular-season championship, averaging 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. There is a word for players like Calvary: Pro.

Big West: A memorable season for UC Irvine is due in large part to junior guard Jerry Green. The Anteaters can win a regular-season title outright by beating either Cal State Fullerton on Thursday or Idaho on Saturday.

Green, four times the league's player of the week this season, is averaging a conference-best 18.8 points, including 21.4 in league play.

Games of the Week

Utah at New Mexico
Saturday
The Utes are tied with Wyoming for first and BYU is a game out as the Mountain West prepares to play its final two days of the regular-season Thursday and Saturday. It's a tough call, who between the Utes and Cowboys have a more difficult finish on the road. Utah plays Air Force before ending in Albuquerque. Wyoming gets an inspired San Diego State team (one that just beat UNLV by 17) before meeting the uninspired Rebels. Up for grabs: A No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas.
Stanford at UCLA
Saturday
The Bruins have won seven straight and are 7-0 in conference at home. Again, UCLA's press could have a big influence on who wins here. In beating Stanford in Maples Pavilion, the Bruins defended well and matched any physical play from the Cardinal. That said, Stanford had just come off a close win against USC, one that saw Jason Collins play 35 minutes and Jarron Collins 33. UCLA's Billy Knight scored 22 in the first meeting with Stanford. UCLA is executing its offense even better now, with more structure and emphasis on getting the ball to scorers (see: Jason Kapono) when and where they prefer.
WCC Tournament Final
Monday (ESPN, midnight ET) Our best guess: Many eyes from the NCAA Tournament selection committee will tune in (even at the late hour of midnight Eastern), especially if you get the expected Gonzaga-Pepperdine matchup from the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. The Zags swept the regular-season series, but each team thinks it is deserving of an at-large bid should it not win here. The RPIs (Gonzaga at 85, Pepperdine at 72) suggest a very long week heading to Selection Sunday for whoever doesn't get the title. And if neither doesn't make the final game, well, the NIT is still a nice little tournament.

Around the West
Stanford coach Mike Montgomery might have found the secret to UCLA's recent success:

"Maybe they've gotten past the point of needing a crisis to get them motivated," Montgomery said. "They have been pretty consistent recently."

Yeah. Ever since this: UCLA 79, Stanford 73.

The rematch is Saturday in Pauley Pavilion, where the Bruins could climb into a first-place tie with the Cardinal. UCLA (19-6, 12-2) hosts Cal and Stanford (25-1, 13-1) plays at USC on Thursday.

Think back to Feb. 1, when Cal embarrassed visiting UCLA by 29. Two days later, the Bruins handed Stanford its first (and only) loss to this point. It has often defined UCLA under coach Steve Lavin, this pattern of getting blown out, regrouping and winning a game no one thinks it can.

"We know it will take a great effort to win," Montgomery said. "They came into our place with their backs against the wall and played very well."

Meanwhile, consider: Should UCLA win out and either tie for or clinch the Pac-10 title outright, the Bruins could offer an argument for the No. 1 seed in the NCAA's West Region.

"We avoid playing the crystal ball with our kids," Lavin said. "But I do think if we win out -- and it's a very challenging schedule -- it would put us in position for a very high seed."

Who's Hot

Tulsa: Four wins in the last five games. And the WAC Tournament is in the Reynolds Center. Hmmm. Very, very interesting.

Randy Holcomb: San Diego State's junior forward ranks among the Mountain West's top six in scoring and rebounding. Not bad for a guy who has been double- and triple-teamed since November.

Who's Not

UNLV: A flight attendant talking about overhead masks and emergency exit rows doesn't go through the motions like the Rebels are right now.

St. Mary's: And so the horror flick ends in the West Coast Tournament against Gonzaga on Saturday.

Quote to Note
"I don't have any problems with walk-ons. No one here has a problem with walk-ons. You guys made the problems. When people don't do things well, they have a tendency to blame others. I talk to my team all the time about being responsible. Now, if I have five starters who leave my basketball team, that's a problem."
-- USC coach Henry Bibby.

Thought for the Day
Why would five starters leave the Trojans? After all, they get pizza.

Ed Graney of the San Diego Union-Tribune is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at ed.graney@uniontrib.co.

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