Texas Tech University Athletics
Toppin earns Big 12 Starting Five honor
December 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Texas Tech junior JT Toppin has earned his second Big 12 Starting Five honor of the season after leading the Red Raiders with 30 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots against Arkansas last Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Toppin secured his fifth double-double of the season in the game where he 14-for-22 from the field and also had seven offensive rebounds. He currently leads the Big 12 with 11.4 rebounds per game and is second in the conference with 21.8 points per game. Nationally, Toppin ranks fifth in rebounding and seventh in scoring coming into the week. Toppin came into the season as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year after a sophomore season where he secured Consensus Second Team All-America along with being the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. His first Big 12 Starting Five honor this season came after he put up 35 points and 11 rebounds at Illinois.
Along with Toppin, this week's Big 12 Starting Five includes Brayden Burries (Arizona), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Melvin Council (Kansas) and Honor Huff (West Virginia). Council earned Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after going for 36 points in a win over NC State on Saturday. A transfer from St. Bonaventure, Council made nine 3-pointers and scored the final 13 points of regulation for the Jayhawks.
Toppin and the No. 19-ranked Red Raiders are down to three non-conference games with two this week. Tech hosts Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena before taking on No. 3 Duke at 7 p.m. (CST) on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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
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
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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
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