The Arizona Wildcats might have received some extra motivation for the Big 12 tournament Monday, when guard Caleb Love was one of 10 players named to the all-Big 12 first team, but the Wildcats were shut out of nearly all other postseason honors in their new league.
UA post players Tobe Awaka and Henri Veesaar were both named honorable mention all-conference, but the Wildcats did not win any of the Big 12’s major awards nor have anyone on the all-defensive, all-newcomer and all-freshman teams.
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka snares a rebound between Colorado’s Harrison Carrington, left, and Andrej Jakimovski in their Big 12 game in Tucson on Jan. 25.
In voting by the league’s 16 head coaches released Monday afternoon, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year after transferring from New Mexico, while Houston’s Kelvin Sampson was named Coach of the Year after the Cougars won the league title by four games and went 19-1.
In other awards, Houston’s Joseph Tugler was named Defensive Player of the Year, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe was the Freshman of the Year, BYU’s Richie Saunders was named Most Improved, Iowa State’s Curtis Jones received the Sixth Man Award and Houston’s LJ Cryer was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Pac-12 Player of the Year last season, Love has dipped in scoring average (from 18.0 to 16.4) and in shooting percentage this season. He shot 41.3% overall and 33.2% from 3-point range last season but has hit just 37.6% overall and 31.8% from long range so far this season.
Still, Love has improved defensively and with his ballhandling this season. Love’s average assists have risen from 3.4 to 3.5 per game, while his turnovers have dropped from 2.1 to 2.0, and his steals have risen from 1.2 to 1.3.
Most notably, though, Love remains an explosive scorer when he’s hot. Love set the Matthew Knight Arena scoring record with 36 points at Oregon last season, and this season opened Big 12 play by dropping 33 on TCU at McKale Center on Dec. 30.
Love’s biggest highlight this season came when he hit a 60-foot buzzer-beater to put UA’s Jan. 27 game with Iowa State into overtime, then hit two 3s in overtime to help the Wildcats take an 86-75 win.
“Best moment of my life,” Love said after that game.
UA coach Tommy Lloyd has said Love gives the Wildcats “gravity,” lifting his teammates up when he plays well, noting how he played well both offensively and defensively in UA’s 83-66 win over Utah on Feb. 26, when Love scored 26 points, hit 6 of 12 3s and helped limit Utes’ shooter Gabe Madsen to 2 of 10 shooting from 3-point range.
“Caleb obviously gives us a higher ceiling when he plays with that energy and focus at both ends of the floor,” Lloyd said.
After Love and ASU’s BJ Freeman were ejected from the Wildcats’ Feb. 1 game in Tempe, Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley hinted that he wouldn’t vote for Love in all-conference honors. But Love still received enough votes to put him among the league’s top 10.
The Big 12 moved this season from five to 10 players on its first all-Big 12 team, with five-player second and third teams. That put a total of 20 players on all-conference teams, while Awaka and Veesaar were among 14 others listed under honorable mention.
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) hangs onto the rim after dunking on a Houston defender at McKale Center, Feb. 15.
The full list of Big 12 honors:
Major awards
Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Tugler, Houston
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: LJ Cryer, Houston
Freshman of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Sixth Man Award: Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Most Improved: Richie Saunders, BYU
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Houston
All-Big 12
First team
- Caleb Love, Arizona
- Norchad Omier, Baylor
- Richie Saunders, BYU
- LJ Cryer, Houston
- J’Wan Roberts, Houston
- Curtis Jones, Iowa State
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
- Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
- Javon Small, West Virginia
Second team
- VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
- Keyshawn Hall, UCF
- Milos Uzan, Houston
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Chance McMillian, Texas Tech
Third team
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Zeke Mayo, Kansas
- Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Honorable mention
Arizona: Tobe Awaka, Henri Veesaar; Baylor: Robert Wright; BYU: Egor Demin; UCF: Darius Johnson; Cincinnati: Jizzle James; Colorado: Julian Hammond III; Houston: Emanuel Sharp; Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr.; Kansas State: David N’Guessan; Oklahoma State: Bryce Thompson; TCU: Noah Reynolds, Ernest Udeh Jr.; Utah: Gabe Madsen
All-Defensive team
- Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
- J’Wan Roberts, Houston
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Sencire Harris, West Virginia
All-Freshman team
- Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
- VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
- Robert Wright, Baylor
- Egor Demin, BYU
- Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
All-Newcomer team
- Norchad Omier, Baylor
- Keyshawn Hall, UCF
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Zeke Mayo, Kansas
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
