Texas Tech’s JT Toppin (player) and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson (newcomer) procured Big 12 men’s basketball weekly awards for games ending January 18.
Toppin had a pair of double-doubles, averaging 29.0 points and 13.0 rebounds for the week as the Red Raiders secured a pair of victories. The junior guard had 31 points and 13 rebounds in the 88-74 win against Utah, adding seven assists and a career-high-tying five blocks. It marked the first time since 2003 that a Division I player put up at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in a single game. The Dallas native extended his streak to seven consecutive double-doubles, with a 27-point, 13-rebound performance against No. 11 BYU. He finished the week shooting 61.0 percent from the field and 75.0 percent on 3-pointers. This is his fourth career Big 12 Player of the Week honor and his second in the past three weeks.
Peterson averaged 21.0 points in a pair of Jayhawk wins, highlighted by the 84-63 win over No. 2 Iowa State. Against the Cyclones, the guard from Canton, Ohio had 16 points with five rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes. The freshman scored 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the 80-62 win over Baylor, becoming the first Kansas freshman to score at least 25 points on 80.0 percent shooting since Josh Jackson in 2017. Peterson has scored 200 points in his first nine career games, the fifth-most in Big 12 history. It is his first newcomer of the week honor, and the second for a Kansas player this season.
Joining Toppin and Peterson on the Big 12 Starting Five, which honors strong performances across the league, were Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Themus Fulks (UCF) and Baba Miller (Cincinnati). Bradley helped Arizona extend its start to 18-0, the program’s best since 2013-14, by averaging 17.5 points in the most recent wins, including 23 points in the 84-77 win at UCF. Fulks had 30 in the game against Arizona, while holding averages of 21.5 points, 10.0 assists and 2.5 steals for the week. Miller helped Cincinnati to a pair of wins, scoring 16.5 points and grabbing 11.5 rebounds per game, including a 12-rebound performance in the 79-70 win against No. 2 Iowa State.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Nov. 10 – Koa Peat, Arizona & Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
Nov. 17 – Kingston Flemings, Houston
Nov. 24 – P.J. Haggerty, K-State
Dec. 1 – Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Dec. 8 – Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Dec. 15 – Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
Dec. 22 – Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
Dec. 30 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Jan. 5 – JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Jan. 12 – Richie Saunders, BYU
Jan. 19 – JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
Nov. 10 – Koa Peat, Arizona
Nov. 17 – Kingston Flemings, Houston
Nov. 24 – Koa Peat, Arizona
Dec. 1 – Moe Odum, Arizona State
Dec. 8 – Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
Dec. 15 – Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
Dec. 22 – LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
Dec. 30 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Jan. 5 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Jan. 12 – Honor Huff, West Virginia
Jan. 19 – Darryn Peterson, Kansas
Big 12 Starting Five:
Jaden Bradley, Arizona
Themus Fulks, UCF
Baba Miller, Cincinnati
Darryn Peterson, Kansas (newcomer)
JT Toppin, Texas Tech (player)