Texas Tech’s JT Toppin (player) and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa (newcomer) captured Big 12 men’s basketball weekly honors after their performances grabbed national headlines.
Toppin averaged 26.5 points and 8.0 rebounds as he led the Red Raiders to a pair of wins, including a 90-86 thriller over No. 6 Houston. With ESPN College Gameday in Lubbock for the first time since 2018, Toppin scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Cougars, marking his nation-leading fifth game of 30-10 this season. The junior from Dallas scored 22 points in the 92-73 win at Baylor, including 13 points in the second half. The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is the only player in the nation averaging a double-double this season, while picking up his second consecutive and third Big 12 Player of the Week honor in four weeks.
Dybantsa had the highest-scoring game in the Big 12 this season, dropping 43 in a 91-78 win over Utah. The forward from Brockton, Massachusetts shot 62.5 percent from the field and made four 3-pointers to post the highest single-game scoring total for a Big 12 freshman since Trae Young in 2017-18. His mark broke Danny Ainge’s BYU freshman scoring record and the Cougars’ program record for 30+ point scoring games by a freshman with his third. It is Dybantsa’s third newcomer of the week selection, all within the past five weeks.
Joining Toppin and Dybantsa on the Big 12 Starting Five, which honors strong performances across the league, were Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic and TCU’s Xavier Edmonds. Flemings scored 42 points in the game at No. 12 Texas Tech, joining Dybantsa as the first pair of freshmen to score 40+ points on the same day in Big 12 Conference history. Momcilovic led the Cyclones to a pair of victories, averaging 24.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in double-digit wins over UCF and at Oklahoma State. Edmonds averaged 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in a pair of crucial TCU victories over Oklahoma State and at Baylor, posting a double-double in each game.
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
Jan. 26 – 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
Jan. 26 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Big 12 Starting Five:
AJ Dybantsa, BYU (newcomer)
Kingston Flemings, Houston
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Xavier Edmonds, TCU
JT Toppin, Texas Tech (player)