Baylor teammates James Akinjo and Kendall Brown along with Oklahoma’s Tanner Groves earned men’s basketball awards for the final week of the regular season. Akinjo picked up his fourth honor of the year and second as Player of the Week. Brown and Groves shared Newcomer of the Week, the second recognition for Brown and third for Groves.
 
Akinjo helped Baylor clinch a share of its second consecutive Big 12 regular season title by averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while playing a team-high 37.8 minutes per game. He led the Bears in points (19), assists (seven), rebounds (career-high eight), steals (two) and minutes (38) to help seal the 68-61 road win over Texas. In the victory against Iowa State, Akinjo had a game-high 20 points, four rebounds, six assists, and two steals. It took another strong second-half from the senior to fend off a comeback from the Cyclones with 13 points and four assists in the final 20 minutes. It was Akinjo’s 20th double-figure scoring game of the season and the 69th of his college career.
 
Brown averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field and making all three of his 3-point attempts in wins at No. 21 Texas and versus Iowa State. In the conference-clinching win over Iowa State, Brown notched his team-leading third double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. His 16 points were a career-high in Big 12 play and were punctuated with a pair of highlight-reel dunks, adding to his team lead with 41. The Cottage Grove, Minnesota native, began the week with 13 points and five rebounds in the win at Texas.
 
Groves tallied his second double-double in as many games against West Virginia. He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Sooners win back-to-back games in Big 12 play for the first time this season. The senior forward added 14 points, three assists and four rebounds in a 78-71 victory at K-State as OU beat the Wildcats in Manhattan for the first time since 2012. Groves shot 61.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep in two games last week.
 
Big 12 Player of the Week
James Akinjo, BU, G, Sr.
 
Big 12 Co-Newcomers of the Week
Kendall Brown, BU, G, Fr.
Tanner Groves, OU, F, Sr.