The issue was settled last weekend, when he scored 28 points after halftime, made the winning shot and led Stanford into the Sweet 16. Brook Lopez is the best player in Cardinal history — at least based on my definition of history.

I never saw Rich Kelley or George Yardley or Hank Luisetti, whose one-handed shot revolutionized the game. But in the two decades since Stanford became a player on the national scene, Lopez is the best — at least based on my definition of best.

And that's this: If you had to win one game, Lopez would be your first pick.

Ahead of Todd Lichti, who had the best career of any Cardinal: He's one of three players in Pacific-10 history to be named all-conference four times.

Ahead of Adam Keefe, who had the best statistical season: He averaged 25.3 points and 12.2 rebounds (while shooting 56 percent from the field) in 1992.

Ahead of Josh Childress, who had the best all-around game: He's the only Cardinal to be named Pac-10 player of the year.

And ahead of Brevin Knight, who was the most influential: He took Stanford to the Sweet 16 in `97 and made it cool for inner-city African-Americans to play for the Cardinal.

That's the first five, in my mind. The next tier includes Arthur Lee, Casey Jacobsen and Jason and Jarron Collins.

But to win one game — or to make one shot, for that matter — I'd take Lopez ahead of them all.

How many times has he scored in the final minutes of close games when everyone in the building knows where the ball's going and Stanford clears out the right side and the defense slaps on the double team ... and Lopez still scores.

Saturday wasn't the first time he has carried the Cardinal. He pumped in 31 of Stanford's 65 points at Washington and 23 of its 67 at Arizona. In the three-game sweep of Washington State — which, by the way, is in the Sweet 16 — Lopez scored 73 of 202. That's 36 percent of Stanford's total.

And in the final five minutes of close games, his production skyrockets. He scores, gets fouled or finds a cutter to the basket (his passing out of double teams has improved dramatically this season).

Granted, Lopez has the advantage of playing next to his talented twin brother, Robin. And his play didn't garner him Pac-10 player of the year honors (that went to UCLA's Kevin Love, the best player on the best team). Nor is he a finalist for the Wooden Award — an early season academic suspension rendered him ineligible for the award.

What sets Lopez apart from Stanford's other top-tier players is that he has done the most against the toughest competition. The Pac-10 was as good this season as it has ever been, stocked with NCAA tournament teams, first-round draft picks and first-rate coaches.

Yet Lopez was usually the dominant player on the court.

He averaged 15 points in three games against a UCLA defense that was designed to stop him and ranks among the best the conference has seen.

He averaged 19 in two games against a Cal frontline featuring two future first-round picks (Ryan Anderson and DeVon Hardin).

He averaged 24 in three games against a Washington State defense that just held Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, the Big East player of the year, to 10 points.

And Lopez has done it all without much diversity to his game.

He's not much of a facing-the-basket shooter. His range doesn't exceed 10-12 feet. He rarely turns over his right shoulder (when his back is to the basket), and he basically scores from one area on the floor: the low post, right side.

But he's so big and strong and agile and has such a nice touch — as exhibited by the game-winner against Marquette — that he's almost impossible to stop with one defender and sometimes two.

Stanford has never had a player like him.