Late-game heroics make Bryce Alford the Pac-12 player of the week

After two dramatic last-minute shots last week, there was little drama surrounding Bryce Alford on Monday.

Alford was named the Pac-12’s player of the week, in a less-than-shocking vote by conference media members.

Alford averaged 21 points and five assists over two games against Arizona and Arizona State. He shot 55% from the field.

On Thursday, his three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left gave UCLA an 87-84 victory over the Wildcats. And on Saturday, against Arizona State, he hit another late three-pointer from nearly the same spot on the court to seal the game.

The opposing coaches in each game offered unusually glowing praise of Alford in their post-game press conferences.

“What a player he is,” Arizona State Coach Bobby Hurley said. “There may not be another player who’s in the physical condition that Alford is in. The way he moves off the ball, he’s relentless with his movement and he’s hard to guard.”

Arizona Coach Sean Miller argued that “if Bryce Alford had a different last name and played for a different team, in my opinion, the accolades and respect he would get nationally would be far more than what he gets right now playing for his dad at UCLA. He dominated the game.”

Twitter: @zhelfand