The Big 12 Conference men’s basketball season is complete. All that is left is for us to convene in Kansas City for the Tournament, which starts on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center. The men get their shot on the new ASB GlassFloor that’s been the talk of the women’s tournament.
Arizona will be the No. 1 seed in the Tournament. The champion will get the automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
But, before that, it’s time to put together our Big 12 Conference men’s basketball superlatives for the season. Later this week, we’ll release our first team, second team, and other awards for the campaign.
Let’s dig in.
Player of the Year: F JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Stats: 21.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 bpg, 1.4 spg.
So, the first thing I had to ensure was whether Toppin qualifies for postseason awards, even though he missed the last five games of the season with a season-ending ACL tear. I waited until the Big 12’s statistics page turned over on Sunday morning. Toppin was included, so he qualifies. I don’t include players that haven’t played enough in either the regular season or in Big 12 action to qualify for postseason honors.
Toppin was one of the most dominant players in college basketball and, to me, the most dominant player in the Big 12. He was one of two players in the Big 12 to finish the season with a double-double (the other was Cincinnati’s Baba Miller). Toppin was the Big 12 Player of the Week four times, more than any other player. Plus, he was the only one to go back-to-back. He was one of the few players in the conference who could completely take over a game. At one point, he had seven straight double-doubles. From Dec. 7 until his injury, he had 13 double-doubles in his final 18 games.
He was superb all season. At times, Texas Tech was over-reliant on him. But how does a team not lean on a player like him? His future is in question, but when he accomplished this season shouldn’t be. He was the league’s most well-rounded player. Plus, he left the season in elite Big 12 company.
Freshman of the Year: A.J. Dybantsa, BYU
Stats: 24.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.0 spg.
The freshman class in this conference was otherworldly. My All-Big 12 team comes out on Monday, and I’m tempted to expand the freshman team. There were that many great players. But Dybantsa was a rather easy selection. While Toppin averaged his double-double, Dybantsa ended the season as the Big 12’s leading scorer. The NBA is salivating to get him in the league. He’s a three-level scorer with room to grow as a shooter at the next level.
As a scorer, it’s possible he had no peer in the Big 12. He was in double figures every game. He had six games of 30 points or more, including a 43-point game against Utah in January that got everyone’s attention. Only two Big 12 teams held him under 20 points in a game.
I did consider him for player of the year. But Toppin’s well-rounded game won out. The mind reels at Dybantsa staying in school for a couple more years and developing further. I know he’s teased it. But I fully expect him to head to the NBA.
Newcomer of the Year: G Brayden Burries, Arizona
Stats: 16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg.
I could have given this award to Dybantsa. Technically, he is a newcomer, and he won the weekly award several times this season. When I unveiled my women’s superlatives last week, I opted for a different player than Olivia Miles here because she was already my player of the year. The coaches voted her both player and newcomer. So, be prepared for a double-up from the coaches. I prefer to spread the wealth.
I also considered Kansas State’s P.J. Haggerty. But his standout season had no impact on K-State winning. To me that’s part of the equation when it comes to superlative awards, but less so when it comes to first team and second team, etc…
I could have gone a lot of different directions here, but after some thought, I gravitated to Burries, who has grown slowly but surely this season to emerge as one of Arizona’s most indispensable players as a freshman. What stood out was how well-rounded his game became during Big 12 play. He never really hit a freshman wall during conference action, and he proved to be a much better two-way player than I anticipated. Without him, Arizona doesn’t have the kind of season it had. Speaking of…
Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Arizona has been so good all season that we forget there were significant questions about this team going into the season. The Wildcats lost Caleb Love and Carter Bryant, among others. There was a question as to the development of big man Motiejus Krivas, who missed most of last season. Lloyd wasn’t being quiet about the potential of starting three freshmen. Plus, there was the memory of Arizona’s non-conference struggles the season before.
From the start, everything worked. Koa Peat announced his presence on opening night, but Burries ended up with the best season of the three freshmen. Ivan Kharchenkov, the third freshman, emerged as one of Arizona’s best defenders. Krivas was efficient inside. Tobe Awaka was, at times, the best sixth man in the Big 12 when he wasn’t starting.
Arizona won its first 23 games before losing back-to-back games to Kansas and Texas Tech. The Big 12’s desire for a back-loaded schedule to give its TV partners big games forced the Wildcats to play seven ranked opponents in their last 11 games. Arizona went 5-2. During that gauntlet, the Wildcats were without Peat and backup forward Dwayne Aristode. So, Anthony Dell’Orso stepped up and gave the Wildcats big minutes.
People made this argument about Houston’s Kelvin Sampson when he won the award last year — the Cougars have talent. They should be good. It minimizes the role of a coach to shape a team, or let it spin out of control. Lloyd and his staff constructed a terrific roster that fit well together, created a chemistry where highly regarded players like Peat and Burries strove to fit in and not stand out, and took on one of the hardest schedules in the country and lost two games. That left the Wildcats with a 14-2 record in Quad 1 games and an unassailable No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in Kansas City.
Several other coaches did a great job this year. I had UCF’s Johnny Dawkins penciled in for a while. Same with Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland. TCU’s Jamie Dixon deserves some love for that finish. But it’s hard to do what Arizona just did. Lloyd’s ability to blend freshmen with holdovers and get them to drive toward the same goal was masterful.
Defensive Player of the Year: F Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Stats: 13.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.7 bpg.
I don’t do a Most Improved award, but if I did, he might just get it. I was impressed with how much his game has grown from last season to this season. He was one of the best rim protectors in the Big 12 and led the conference in blocked shots. Defense isn’t just blocked shots. He had improved positioning on the block, better anticipation of game action as it came into the paint, and had a great sense of timing when it came to game-swaying plays. He also grabbed nine rebounds a game. On the defensive end, that’s part of the deal, and he made big rebounds in big moments.
The conference is filled with great defensive players. A Big 12 team can’t succeed without it. Given all the peaks and valleys with Darryn Peterson, Bidunga became ballast as Kansas managed to get a double bye in the Big 12 Tournament after a sub-par start.
