Now that Heartland College Sports has released its Big 12 men’s basketball superlatives, here is the rest of our Big 12 awards for the 2024-25 season.
Below, you’ll find my first-team, second-team, third-team, all-freshman, all-newcomer, and all-defensive selections.
It’s never been harder to pick this team. In eight years of covering the league, it’s never had this much talent from top to bottom.
Let’s dig in.
First Team
JT Toppin, F, Texas Tech
J’Wan Roberts, F, Houston
LJ Cryer, G, Houston
Richie Saunders, G, BYU
Curtis Jones, G, Iowa State
There is a silly amount of talent in this conference, and the success of the team factors into the selections. All five players for teams that secured double byes in the Big 12 Tournament.
Toppin (18.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.) and Cryer (15.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg) were my finalists for player of the year, so they must be on the first team.
I don’t do a Most Improved Player award, but the coaches do, and Roberts will probably win it. He became a true offensive force in his final season (11.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg). No longer just a player that puts back rebounds, he can get his own shot, drive to the basket and shot 50% for the season. He was the differentiator for the Cougars.
BYU is a below .500 team in league action without Saunders (16 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 43.7% from 3-point). Jones (17.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg) was also my Sixth Man of the Year, and he is likely to win that award from the coaches, too.
Second Team
Caleb Love, G, Arizona
VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor
Javon Small, G, West Virginia
Chance McMillian, G, Texas Tech
Hunter Dickinson, C, Kansas
Love (16.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg) just missed the cut for the first team, but Arizona would have been lost in the weeds without their fifth-year guard. Edgecombe (15.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 spg) was also my freshman of the year. He emerged as Baylor’s best scoring option.
Small (18.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.6 spg) was a player-of-the-year quality candidate who, without Tucker DeVries, kept the Mountaineers in the NCAA Tournament hunt. McMillian (14.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 44.2% from 3-point) battled through some injuries but was one of the conference’s top 3-point threats.
Dickinson (17.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg) had another fine season, but it wasn’t worthy of being the preseason player of the year as he was selected in October.
Third Team
Milos Uzan, G, Houston
Keyshawn Hall, G, UCF
Keshon Gilbert, G, Iowa State
Darrion Williams, G, Texas Tech
Norchad Omier, F, Baylor
Uzan (10.9 ppg, 4.4 apg, 1.1 spg) emerged as the perfect point guard for Houston and ended up shooting 40% from the 3-point line. Hall (18.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.4 apg) was possibly the best pure bucket-getting in the league and had some insane games for a struggling team.
Gilbert (13.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.8 spg) and Williams (14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.2 spg) were the perfect off-guards for their respective teams. Omier (15.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg) had to play as an undersized five for the final month of the season and produced stellar games.
All-Freshman Team
VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor
Robert Wright III, G, Baylor
Egor Demin, G, BYU
Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech
Flory Bidunga, F, Kansas
All-Newcomer Team
Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State
JT Toppin, F, Texas Tech
Norchad Omier, F, Baylor
Zeke Mayo, G, Kansas
Keyshawn Hall, G, UCF
All-Defensive Team
Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State
JoJo Tugler, F, Houston
Terrance Arceneaux, G, Houston
DaJuan Harris Jr., G, Kansas
Sencire Harris, G, West Virginia
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
