Making Case for Arizona State Big 12 Award Snubs

The Sun Devils should have had numerous players at least mentioned in the end-of-season award reveal.

Arizona State Sun Devils Moe Odum (5) looks at the net before taking a shot during a game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Nov. 4, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The end of the Big 12 regular season inevitably means that regular season awards were imminently going to be revealed - the Arizona State Sun Devils were hopeful to be represented, at least on a small scale.

This ended up being anything but the case, as the Sun Devils became the lone Big 12 team to not even receive a mention in the official awards reveal on Monday.

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley with center Massamba Diop (35) against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona State on SI makes a case for three players that got snubbed from significant honors below.

Moe Odum: All-Big 12 Team

Yes, the Big 12 features the most impressive collection of star players of any conference. Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Koa Peat are just three of the elite players in the league - all three are freshman.

However, Odum wasn't even included in the honorable mentions, where players from the bottom two teams in the conference in P.J. Haggerty (Kansas State) and Terrence Brown (Utah) were given nods.

Arizona State guard Moe Odum (5) drives toward the hoop against Cincinnati guard Day Day Thomas (1) during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Odum ranks 11th in the conference in points per game (17.1), third in assists (5.9), and inside the top 20 in steals, while also shooting over 39% from three-point range. To top everything off, Odum played in every game this season and put together numerous season-defining performances, including 23 points in the win over Kansas.

It's entirely puzzling why Odum was entirely left out of the equation - a potential explanation would be fascinating to hear.

Massamba Diop: All-Defense Team

As covered above, there are numerous elite players in numerous aspects of the game. The all-defense team was well-represented by the two best teams on that end in the league in Arizona and Houston, although Diop was a conspicuous snub.

The talented freshman certainly has the raw stats to be considered on its own merit (top 25 in blocks per game in the nation), but his overall impact has been felt throughout the season - especially over the last month. While ASU's defense as a whole has taken a major step forward in the last few weeks, Diop played an integral role in rising up from the mid 130's to the mid-60's in defensive rating according to KenPom - that simply cannot be ignored.

ASU Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) celebrates his 3-pointer against the Kansas Jayhawks at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, on March 3, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Anthony "Pig" Johnson: Sixth Man of Year

It's certainly understandable that Tobe Awaka of Arizona won the award, as the forward nearly averaged a double-double playing just over one half of the game on average for one of the best teams in the country.

However, it can be argued that Johnson was more integral to ASU's success this season, as the senior guard averaged 13.3 points per game, took nearly six free throw attempts per game. and secured 1.4 steals a game in a display of the defensive value he brought to the table in the regular season.

Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) goes to the basket against Utah Utes guard Obomate Abbey (21) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

Please follow us on X when you click right here, as well as @khicks_21 for nonstop Arizona State coverage!