To me, Rafferty being named Player of the Year is a no-brainer ... in SoCon games only (which I believe is how the awards are tallied), MR is 5th in PPG, 3rd in RPG, 1st in FG%, 5th in APG, 7th in FT%, 1st in SPG, 11th in BPG, 5th in assist/turnover ration, 6th in offensive boards per game, 3rd in defensive rebounds per game and 7th in minutes per game.
Compare that to Cameron Jackson, who is 14th in PPG, 11th in RPG, 4th in FG%, 9th in APG, 13th in FT%, 5th in SPG, 4th in BPG, 4th in assist/turnover ratio, t-8th in offensive rebounds per game and t-12th in defensive rebounds per game. So Jackson is ahead of Rafferty in a whopping two categories (blocks and assist/turnover ratio).
Other comparison is Magee, who is 1st in PPG, 11th in FG%, 1st in FT%, 3rd in 3FG% and 1st in 3FGM. But does he make his team better as much as Rafferty does? No. Is he the all-around player Rafferty is? No.
My concern is that the league's coaches and media will feel obligated to give it to the flashy Magee, who's had a couple of buzzer beaters and plays on a team that will win the regular season crown and potentially go undefeated. But we will see. Rafferty really hasn't had any bad games this season ... a couple he hasn't scored a ton in, but he'll still fill up the stat sheet in other ways. I'm sure opposing coaches are recognizing it.