JT Toppin Earns Unanimous All-Big 12 First Team Honors for Texas Tech
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Texas Tech junior forward JT Toppin was named to the All-Big 12 First Team Monday, and was one of three unanimous selections.
All-Big 12 First Team for JT Toppin 🔥
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 9, 2026
Dominant every time he stepped on the floor.
21.8 PPG. 10.8 RPG. 54.8% from the field. 16 double-doubles this season. pic.twitter.com/u3UAgDpkJr
Toppin played 25 games this season before suffering a torn ACL in his right knee against Arizona State. Prior to his season-ending injury, Topping was averaging a career-high in points (21.8) and rebounds (10.8) per game, while shooting 54.8 percent from the field.
He is only the third Red Raider in program history to earn multiple All-Big 12 First Team honors and the first since Jarrius Jackson in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 season.
Toppin also recorded nine double-doubles in conference play, six of which features 20-plus points. The forward was in the National Player of the Year conversation before being sidelined for the season.
JT Toppin Snubbed For Big 12 Player of the Year
There was some speculation Toppin could win Big 12 Player of the Year, but the accolade went to Jaden Bradley of Arizona. It is important to note that despite missing the last five games of the regular season, Toppin scored 52 more points than Bradley in Big 12 play.
Sophomore guard Christian Anderson was named most improved and was also a All-Big 12 First Team selection. Senior guard Donovan Atwell earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 and was named to the Newcomer Team.
Anderson and Atwell have both had to carry the burden of Toppin's absence, which was apparent in Texas Tech's loss to BYU in the regular season finale. With Toppin, there would be no way the Red Raiders fall 82-76 to the unranked Cougars.
However, Saturday's loss was a prime example of why there is no more impactful player than Toppin in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have shifted to a more guard-centric lineup without their All-American big man, which has affected their rebounding and interior defense.
"They haven't been playing their best basketball but I thought they had a second half where they played great," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said following the team's loss in the regular season finale.
"This environment really made a difference in this game. I love our team and love what we can be, but when you give up 20 offensive rebounds and get crushed in the paint like we did today, it's going to be hard to win. This was a real game against a great team that I thought found their edge tonight in a physical way. They didn't shoot it great early but they didn't looked discouraged and their switch ability caused us problems. What they did on the glass was the difference."
Tech heads into the postseason ranked No. 16 nationally and the squad currently has the sixth best odds to win the Big 12 tournament. The Red Raiders will have to find their footing, and must do so quickly as teams who find success in the NCAA Tournament come in red, hot.
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Valentina Martinez is an On SI writer. She has in depth knowledge of the college sports community and has covered professional sports extensively. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and covered Sun Devil Football, Men's Basketball, Baseball, Women's Volleyball and Softball.