Around the Pac-10

Stanford coach Trent Johnson admitted that he told his former assistant, current Nevada coach Mark Fox, not to play WSU this season when the Wolf Pack had a chance to schedule the game in the fall. Johnson said he knew the Cougars would be improved, and that the game would be a tougher win than Fox might have thought. … The conference player of the year race is probably down to Oregon’s Aaron Brooks and a pair of UCLA guards in Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo, although it’s tough to call any one of them a definitive favorite. Going into the last week, Collison might have an edge.… The race is similarly muddled for newcomer of the year honors, with freshmen Spencer Hawes of Washington, Taj Gibson of USC, Ryan Anderson of California, Chase Budinger of Arizona and either one of the Lopez twins at Stanford legitimate possibilities. … Oregon’s Tajuan Porter needs one more 3-pointer to tie the conference record of 82 by a freshman, set by UCLA’s Jason Kapono.