
By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
January 2, 2024
As a voter for the Pac-12 Players of the Week, my choices may occasionally differ from the official selections.
Either way, I want to share my picks and give brief explanations of why I voted the way I did for the Freshman and Player of the Week.
My Summaries appear below.
Player of the Week — Branden Carlson, Utah

The Utah big averaged 26.5 points per game against the Washington schools while the CU guard put up 27.5 ppg. I ended up going with Carlson for a few reasons.
First, he had more total assists (12 as compared to 9 for Simpson). Second, he had more total rebounds (15 versus 12). Carlson also had five blocks with Simpson posting zero.
Third, Carlson was more efficient in his shooting (20-for-38 as compared to 16-for-32). And lastly, Carlson had the stronger game against the better opponent.
Against Washington, Carlson scored 34 points on 14-of-23 from the field with seven assists. Simpson only scored 21 against the Huskies, although he did post a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Freshman Player of the Week — Kanaan Carlyle, Stanford

His production made this week’s vote relatively straightforward. Only three players were nominated, with the others being Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad and UCLA’s Berke Buyuktuncel.
Shelstad had a more consistent week and might be more deserving of the award. But Carlyle’s numbers against the then-No. 4 Wildcats were enough to earn my vote.
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