Minutes ago, the Big 12 announced its men's basketball awards, and the No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks were littered throughout.
Flory Bidunga’s defensive dominance
To start things off, forward Flory Bidunga was handed the Defensive Player of the Year as his 2.71 blocks per game ranked second in the nation. As a unit, the Jayhawks held opposition to a 38.7% field goal rate, which led the Big 12. Bidunga is the first KU player since former guard Dajuan Harris to win the award, as Harris collected the honors in 2023.
Bidunga was also nominated to the All-Big 12 First Team, and was the only Jayhawk to do so. The Sophomore also found himself on the All-Defensive Team.
Melvin Council Jr’s energizing play
Transfer guard Melvin Council Jr. won the Newcomer of the Year, as the transfer finished with 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Council is Kansas’ fourth Newcomer of the Year and the team’s second in the past three years, as former center Hunter Dickinson won the award in 2024. Council was also named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Team.
Darryn Peterson’s performances get deserved plaudits
Former five-star guard Darryn Peterson was selected to the All-Freshman team following a season where the Prolific Prep alum notched 19.9 points per game, along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Peterson did it on all a stellar 45.7% rate from the field.
While injuries hampered Peterson’s campaign, things look to be finally getting in order as he has averaged 31 minutes over the last five games.
Peterson is the seventh KU player to be selected to the All-Freshman team, and he is the 23rd Jayhawk to be selected as a member of the All-Big 12 Second Team.
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