×
×
homepage logo

No doubting Dybantsa: Big 12 Conference honors BYU’s AJ Dybantsa

By Big 12 Conference Sports Information - | Jan 26, 2026

Courtesy BYU Photo

BYU's AJ Dybantsa goes up for a dunk against Pacific in a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.

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)

Starting at $4.32/week.

Subscribe Today