KU basketball’s Hunter Dickinson honored by Big 12 after big performance vs. TCU

Kansas senior center Hunter Dickinson was rewarded by the Big 12 Conference for hitting two free throws to tie TCU, then cashing the game-winning layup in crunch time of the Jayhawks’ 83-81 victory over the Horned Frogs on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

The 7-footer from Alexandria, Virginia, was named both Big 12 men’s basketball player and newcomer of the week on Monday in a vote by a media panel that covers the league.

Dickinson also swept the honor on Nov. 20, 2023. Before Dickinson’s November accomplishment, the last league player to win both awards in the same week was Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington on Dec. 27, 2021.

After hitting two free throws to tie the game at 79-79 with 57 seconds remaining, Dickinson scored with 3.4 seconds to play to give KU the victory.

He finished with 30 points, three off a career high, and 11 rebounds. Dickinson has a Big 12-best nine double-doubles. He has 10 or more rebounds in six straight games and the double-double was the 40th of his career.

Dickinson’s eight offensive rebounds against TCU were a season high by a Jayhawk and the most since David McCormack’s 10 offensive rebounds against West Virginia on Jan. 15, 2022.

Dickinson leads the Big 12 in rebounds per game at 12.4. He is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double at 20.1 ppg and 12.4 rpg. He also leads KU with 17 blocked shots.

KU (13-1, 1-0) will meet UCF (9-4, 0-1) at 6 p.m. Central on Wednesday in Orlando. The game will be streamed on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.