Texas Tech University Athletics
Toppin earns Big 12 Player of the Week
February 16, 2026 | Men's Basketball
TEMPE, Arizona – For the fourth time this season and sixth in his career, JT Toppin has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week. This week may have been the easiest selection of all of them.
Toppin is coming off a dominant performance with 31 points and 13 rebounds to help lead Texas Tech to a 78-75 overtime win at then-No. 1 Arizona on Saturday after matching a career-high with 18 rebounds and scoring 16 points in a home win over Colorado. He also earned Big 12 Starting Five honors for the sixth time this season. Toppin, who scored eight of Tech's 12 points in overtime, leads nation with 226 field goals made and the Big 12 with 16 double-doubles, 11.0 rebounds per game and 4.25 offensive rebounds per game. His 21.9 points per game ranks third in the Big 12 and ninth nationally going into a Tuesday night matchup at Arizona State.
A Dallas, Texas native, Toppin earned 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was a Consensus Second Team All-America last season before returning this season where he was named the 2025-26 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and AP Preseason All-America. Toppin has recorded a double-double in nine of 12 conference games this season and has 47 in his career which ranks as the second most among all current NCAA players. Toppin has already amassed 1,573 points, 899 rebounds and 155 blocked shots through 93 career games.
Toppin's performance against Arizona was only the second time in NCAA history a player recorded a 30-point double-double in a road win over a No. 1-ranked opponent – joining North Carolina's Luke Maye who had 30 points, 15 rebounds in a win at Duke in 2019 – while also being on the second Big 12 player in the conference's history to do it in any game against a No. 1 with West Virginia's Devin Williams posting the first in 2016. Toppin now has six games this season with a 30-point double-double and nine in his career. Last season, he scored a career-high 41 points and had 15 rebounds in a double-overtime win over Arizona State in Lubbock.
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 TechÂ
Jan. 12 – Richie Saunders, BYU
Jan. 19 – JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Jan. 26 – JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Feb. 2 – Brayden Burries, Arizona
Feb. 9 – Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Feb. 16 – JT Toppin, Texas Tech
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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
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
Feb. 2 – Brayden Burries, Arizona
Feb. 9 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Feb. 16 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU
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Big 12 Starting Five:
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
AJ Dybantsa, BYU (newcomer)
Rob Wright, BYU
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
JT Toppin, Texas Tech (player)
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