Woods, a 7-foot-1-inch center from St. Louis, Mo., is averaging 15.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field for the 24-6 Wildcats (13-3 and second place in the Pac-10). He has recorded a school record 102 blocked shots this season, which is the third best total in the history of the Pac-10 Conference. Against Oregon on Feb. 3, he tied an NCAA record for blocked shots in a game with 14, while adding 16 points and 10 rebounds for the first triple double at Arizona since 1995 and just the 12th by a Pac-10 player since the league began keeping track of this stat in 1985.

He also had 10 blocks in a game once this year and had seven swats three different times. Before going down with a back injury and missing the past four games, he had eight double-doubles and 23 consecutive double-digit scoring games.

This is the first time that an Arizona player has been named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year since the award started in 1993.