Honor Named to Big 12 Starting Five
December 15, 2025 03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas' Melvin Council Jr. was voted as Big 12 Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week by a panel of media who cover the league. He is joined on the Big 12 Starting Five by Arizona's Brayden Burries, BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Texas Tech's JT Toppin and West Virginia's Honor Huff.
Council Jr. scored a career-high 36 points while making nine 3-pointers, the most for a Big 12 player in a single-game since the 2022-23 season. The senior transfer from St. Bonaventure scored the Jayhawks' final 13 points in regulation, and 18 of the team's final 25 points, in the 77-76 overtime win at North Carolina State. The guard from Rochester, New Jersey added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in the game, while not committing a turnover in the contest. These are his first career Big 12 weekly awards and the first for a Jayhawk this season.
Burries maintained Arizona's No. 1 national ranking with 28 points and seven rebounds in the 96-75 rout of No. 12 Alabama in Birmingham. Dybantsa's week was highlighted by a 28-point showing at Madison Square Garden in a thrilling 67-64 win over Clemson. Toppin had 30 points and 11 rebounds against No. 17 Arkansas in the American Airlines Center, while Huff scored 24 points in each of the Mountaineers' games this week.
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
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
Big 12 Starting Five:
Brayden Burries, Arizona
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Melvin Council Jr., Kansas (player and newcomer)
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Honor Huff, West Virginia
Council Jr. scored a career-high 36 points while making nine 3-pointers, the most for a Big 12 player in a single-game since the 2022-23 season. The senior transfer from St. Bonaventure scored the Jayhawks' final 13 points in regulation, and 18 of the team's final 25 points, in the 77-76 overtime win at North Carolina State. The guard from Rochester, New Jersey added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in the game, while not committing a turnover in the contest. These are his first career Big 12 weekly awards and the first for a Jayhawk this season.
Burries maintained Arizona's No. 1 national ranking with 28 points and seven rebounds in the 96-75 rout of No. 12 Alabama in Birmingham. Dybantsa's week was highlighted by a 28-point showing at Madison Square Garden in a thrilling 67-64 win over Clemson. Toppin had 30 points and 11 rebounds against No. 17 Arkansas in the American Airlines Center, while Huff scored 24 points in each of the Mountaineers' games this week.
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
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
Big 12 Starting Five:
Brayden Burries, Arizona
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Melvin Council Jr., Kansas (player and newcomer)
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Honor Huff, West Virginia
Players Mentioned
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