KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Before the Big 12 Tournament tipped off Tuesday, commissioner Brett Yormark made a case for BYU’s AJ Dybantsa as the national Player of the Year.
“He's had an outstanding year and should absolutely be part of those conversations,” Yormark said. “He currently leads the nation in scoring and is on track to be the first underclassmen to lead the nation in scoring since 2021. He's had a fabulous season.”
But his conference’s own coaches, perhaps weighing the regular-season championship heavily, already voted Arizona’s Jaden Bradley as the conference’s Player of the Year.
Still, on a national level, and with voters who aren’t coaches, Dybantsa probably does have a compelling case.
He led the Big 12 in scoring with an average of 24.7 points, was 13th in rebounding (6.7), ranks 27th nationally by drawing an average of 7.2 fouls per 40 minutes and ranks sixth for minutes played in conference games at 36.3.
If nothing else, Dybantsa could become the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick next June, if Kansas’ Darryn Peterson doesn’t get it.
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa drives on Arizona guard Jaden Bradley during the first half of an NCAA game, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Tucson.
“While I don't know who the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft will be this year, I do know one thing — he plays for a Big 12 team,” Yormark said. “So I’m excited about that.”
Other topics Yormark and Big 12 VP of men’s basketball Brian Thornton addressed during what was essentially a state-of -the-conference press conference:
– Yormark said the Big 12’s new player availability reporting system has gone relatively well, since issues had not “hit my desk.”
However, Thornton acknowledged a “situation” surrounding UA’s Feb. 9 game at Kansas, when the Jayhawks did not list standout freshman Darryn Peterson on its pregame availability reports even though Kansas coach Bill Self said “we knew it was 50-50” the day before the game whether Peterson would be able to play.
Asked directly why Peterson wasn't listed, Self said it was “because we thought he'd go.... I thought adrenaline would kick in and he would go,” Self said. “He was at shootaround today. You could just tell he didn't feel great, but we were all hopeful that he'd kick in and be ready to go.”
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas goes up to swat away a shot from BYU forward AJ Dybantsa in the second half of their Big 12 game, Feb. 18, 2026, Tucson.
Self addressed a reporter who asked why Peterson wasn't on the report by saying, “You sound like you bet on the game, but no, there was no ploy with that at all.”
Under Big 12 rules, players who are considered 50-50 are required to be listed as “questionable” at 7 p.m. Arizona time the night before a game, and if they are still uncertain in the hours leading up to the game, they are required to be listed as a “game-time decision.”
Thornton said the availability reporting system is still something the conference is continuing to monitor.
“It's something that we have to continue to talk through,” Thornton said. “This is new for all of our institutions as well. They're trying to figure it out. Understanding that player availability is about availability and not injury is a key component to think about. Somebody is available, but they're not injured. Those are kind of two different things, but it is a work in progress.”
– The NCAA is instituting a similar reporting system for the NCAA Tournament, and Thornton said the conference would be studying how it goes.
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) can’t hold back Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) from scooping up the turnover after he left the ball on the court on a drive in the second half of their Big 12 game, Feb. 18, 2026, Tucson.
While President Donald Trump suggested college sports go back to the pre-NIL rules after meeting with Yormark and other industry executives last week, Yormark spoke mostly about the proposed SCORE Act that would give college sports some legal protection in an environment where lawsuits have been driving change.
“I never look back. I'm not that type of guy. I like to look forward,” Yormark said.”I thought the meeting was very constructive. He's due to put out an executive order, or at least he said he would in a week's time. We're working very hard on the score act, so that's really what I'm focused on.”
– Yormark defended the Big 12’s glass floor playing surface, which can be programmed to display any number of logos, stats and colors. The grayish playing surface has an almost sandpaper feel that is intended to replicate the grip of a regular wood floor.
“When you innovate, and you want to disrupt, in a positive way, you're never going to get 100% buy-in,” Yormark said. “It's interesting. Whenever we innovate, we really encourage all key stakeholders, student athletes, coaches, whoever, to give us their feedback, and we listen intently.
“So we're very happy about where we are, but we're monitoring that feedback, and we're making the necessary adjustments where we can.”
– Yormark said the Big 12 games on ESPN Big Monday lineups have averaged 1.7 million viewers, up 100% from a year ago. Arizona played at Kansas and hosted Iowa State on Big Monday.
