Chevon Troutman was not one of the top 13 players in the Big East Conference before the season started. At least, that's what the coaches believed.

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The coaches voted for the preseason all-star teams back in the fall, and they treated Troutman as they have in their end-of-the-season voting the past two seasons: They snubbed him.

Only once in his four seasons at Pitt has Troutman been recognized by the coaches for his accomplishments. After his sophomore season in 2003, he was named to the Big East's third-team.

"It's been that way ever since he was being recruited," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "He's always been a guy who has been hard to define for a lot of people. His value sometimes goes underappreciated. But we appreciate him."

It's hard to imagine a scenario where the coaches will ignore Troutman after this season. At this point, he's pretty much a shoe-in for first-team honors. If they're paying close attention, the coaches could name him Big East Player of the Year.

Troutman's statistics make him worth of such consideration. A 6-foot-7 senior forward from Williamsport, Troutman is first in the Big East in field-goal shooting (60.7 percent), second in offensive rebounds (3.45 per game), tied for sixth in rebounding (7.9) and seventh in scoring (16.8).

Troutman has been spectacular over the past month, averaging 19.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field in a seven-game span.

He scored 29 points against Connecticut in a game he dominated with his strength and power in the second half, when he scored 25 points and rallied Pitt from a 17-point deficit. He had 25 against West Virginia and 20 Monday against Syracuse. Troutman registered his seventh double-double this season against the Orange.

"He's good inside, he's very strong," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "He's been good all year."

Troutman was 16 for 20 from the free-throw line against Syracuse. A career 58 percent free-throw shooter before this season, he is shooting 72.6 from the line, 76.1 percent in Big East play. He has 117 free-throw attempts. His previous high was 116 in 2002-03 (31 games).

"As a senior, Chevy has stepped up in a lot of different ways," Dixon said. "He's playing with a lot of confidence. He's a lot more confident at the line. A big part of it is his free-throw shooting. He's looking for contact more."

Troutman's numbers are not off the charts, but he is among a handful of player of the year candidates in a season without a clear-cut favorite.

Ryan Gomes of Providence was the Big East preseason player of the year. He is having a fine season, averaging a league-best 24.2 points per game, but his scoring has not translated into victories for the Friars, who are in last place with a 1-10 record.

If past history means anything, Gomes is a long shot to win the award. Only twice in the 25 years Big East coaches have handed out the award have they given it to a player from a team with a losing record in conference play.

Pat Garrity won it at Notre Dame in 1996-97, when the Fighting Irish were 8-10 in league play. Dan Calandrillo won it at Seton Hall in 1981-82 when the Pirates went 2-12.

More often than not, it goes to a player from a team at or near the top of the conference. Besides Gomes, the other contenders are Hakim Warrick (20.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg) of Syracuse and Craig Smith (16.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Jared Dudley (18.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) of Boston College.

"There are guys with numbers better than Chevy's," Dixon said. "Most of the time, it comes down to numbers."

Most of the time. One of those exceptions came in 2002, when Pitt's Brandin Knight shared the honor with Caron Butler of Connecticut. Knight's numbers: 15.6 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Sometimes, it's not about the numbers.