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POSTED: February 23, 2026 -- 2:16 p.m. CT
BYU's AJ Dybantsa was named Big 12 player and newcomer of the week, after a pair of standout performances for the Cougars.
Dybantsa averaged 32.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in a pair of games against ranked opposition, playing all but 45 seconds of the two contests. Against then-No. 4 Arizona, the freshman phenom scored 35 points, the fifth-most by a BYU player against a top-25 opponent since 1996. He came an assist short of a triple-double against then-No. 6 Iowa State, adding 29 points and 10 rebounds in the 79-69 win. He is the nation's leading scorer at 24.9 points per game, and only trails Trae Young, Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant and Buddy Hield in Big 12 single-season scoring average. While it is his second player of the week nod, it marks his third consecutive newcomer selection, and his sixth this season.
Dybantsa was joined on the Big 12 Starting Five, which honors strong performances across the league, by Arizona's Anthony Dell'Orso, UCF's Themus Fulks, Cincinnati's Moustapha Thiam and Colorado's Bangot Dak.
Dell'Orso had a pair of 22-point games in ranked wins against then-No. 23 BYU and then-No. 2 Houston, adding four rebounds against BYU and four steals at Houston.
Fulks helped the Knights crystallize their at-large hopes with wins against TCU and Utah, averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 assists, including making the game-winning free throws to complete a 24-point showing in the 73-71 win at Utah.
Thiam had a career-high 28 points with eight rebounds as the Bearcats handed then-No. 8 Kansas an 84-68 loss in Allen Fieldhouse.
Dak scored 17 points, his high total for a Big 12 game this season, with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks in the 83-69 win against Oklahoma State.
Big 12 Weekly Honors
Date |
Player of the Week |
Newcomer of the Week |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 10 | Koa Peat, Arizona & Christian Anderson, Texas Tech | Koa Peat, Arizona |
| Nov. 17 | Kingston Flemings, Houston | Kingston Flemings, Houston |
| Nov. 24 | P.J. Haggerty, K-State | Koa Peat, Arizona |
| Dec. 1 | Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State | Moe Odum, Arizona State |
| Dec. 8 | Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State | Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor |
| Dec. 15 | Melvin Council Jr., Kansas | Melvin Council Jr., Kansas |
| Dec. 22 | Christian Anderson, Texas Tech | LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech |
| Dec. 30 | AJ Dybantsa, BYU | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
| Jan. 5 | JT Toppin, Texas Tech | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
| Jan. 12 | Richie Saunders, BYU | Honor Huff, West Virginia |
| Jan. 19 | JT Toppin, Texas Tech | Darryn Peterson, Kansas |
| Jan. 26 | JT Toppin, Texas Tech | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
| Feb. 2 | Brayden Burries, Arizona | Brayden Burries, Arizona |
| Feb. 9 | Flory Bidunga, Kansas | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
| Feb. 16 | JT Toppin, Texas Tech | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
| Feb. 23 | AJ Dybantsa, BYU | AJ Dybantsa, BYU |
Big 12 Starting Five (Feb. 23):
Anthony Dell'Orso, Arizona
AJ Dybantsa, BYU (player and newcomer)
Themus Fulks, UCF
Moustapha Thiam, Cincinnati
Bangot Dak, Colorado
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