Deandre Ayton named Pac-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player

Deandre Ayton was named the Pac-12 Tournament‘s Most Outstanding Player on Saturday night after the Arizona Wildcats successfully defended their Pac-12 Tournament crown against the USC Trojans.

Ayton has been an absolute monster all season for Arizona, yet somehow his performance in Las Vegas this week may have been the most impressive. Ayton recorded a modest 10 points and 6 boards in the quarterfinals against Colorado, but followed up with an absurd 32-point, 14-rebound game against UCLA.

Even more impressive was Ayton’s performance in the championship game against the Trojans. The big man ended up with another 32 points to go along with 18 rebounds. Among the 32 points were two monster alley-oops that brought the mostly-UA crowd in T-Mobile Arena to its feet.

The two 32-point performances tie Ayton’s career high in his short time at Arizona.

This performance will also help his position in mock drafts across the country. Ayton is already widely considered one of, if not the, best players in June’s NBA draft.

Ayton and the Wildcats now head into the NCAA Tournament with momentum and will likely be a 3, 4, or 5 seed.

Ayton has a chance to leave an even greater legacy in Tucson with continued dominance in the Big Dance.