We’re in the final week of the regular season, and ballots for the all-conference team and the Big 12 superlatives are due Saturday, presumably and ideally after all the games have been played … which isn’t a universal. But as we arrive at the bottom of the slope, it seems like it’ll be hard to keep Jaysean Paige off the first team.

It could happen. Taurean Prince, who was essentially Paige last season and won the sixth man award and led his team and all bench players in scoring, made the second team last season.

Prince’s 2014-15 and Paige’s 2015-16 are pretty similar. Paige scores better, Prince shot better, WVU already has as many Big 12 wins as Baylor finished with last season, but the first-team was loaded last season and it doesn’t figure to be the same this season.

Be that as it may, Paige is fourth in the league in scoring in Big 12 games and seventh in all games, and everyone above him plays more than Paige. (Aside: His scoreless game against Texas, when he hurt his ankle, cost him 0.5 points per game in his overall average and 1.1 points per game in Big 12 play, meaning he’d be third and sixth had he rolled the ankle in practice or in his hotel room and not played.)

Today, Paige was named the Big 12 player of the week for the third time. Only Buddy Hield, the forthcoming player of the year, has more such honors with four. Two of his came in non-conference play. All of Paige’s are within the conference season. No one else can say that, and I think you have to weight what happens in Big 12 play if you’re going to spend the entire season lauding the league.

It’s going to be close. Hield, Georges Niang and Perry Ellis are locks (right?). Paige is not as well-rounded as some others he’ll combat for a spot, but this is where you have to remember his role and his playing time and how WVU’s philosophy shapes his contributions. That will matter, and it’s fair to add his fate probably also rests in how the votes fall in favor of Monte Morris and Isaiah Taylor and/or how coaches vote with regard to multiple players from a team and how many backcourt and frontcourt players should be on the squad.