Player of the Week
Gabe Madsen, Utah Utes
The Utah Utes will go as far as Gabe Madsen takes them. The senior from Minnesota is averaging around 10 three point attempts per game, and he’s making over 42% of them. Last week he had a season high 28 points against Eastern Washington which is not far off from his season average of 21.8 points per game. It’s only a matter of time until he has a 30 point performance. His defense has also made an impact for the Utes with a steal per game. As crazy as it sounds, Utah has a chance against any opponent just because of how hot Madsen can get from 3, it will be interesting to see the upsets they pull during Big 12 play.
Who’s Hot
Moustapha Thiam, UCF Knights
Thiam will be a household name around college basketball circles in a matter of time. The 7’ 2” freshman from Senegal is averaging 2.5 blocks per game, and is projected to go in the early second round of the 2026 NBA Draft. This week he had a pair of double digit scoring performances in games where he saw over 30 minutes of court time. With Thiam’s playing time going up, it will be exciting to see how well he can play.
Curtis Jones, Iowa State Cyclones
The fourth year senior is the leading scorer for the third ranked Cyclones. He’s had a massive role in his team’s offense ever since his sophomore year at Buffalo, averaging over 30 minutes per game. He had a season high 23 points at Iowa on Thursday on ⅝ shooting from three. Curtis Jones will be making huge plays for the Cyclones until their tournament run in March. Jones is a guy whose draft stock could skyrocket if he continues to perform and Iowa State continues to win.
Who’s Not
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks have lost two straight since starting out the season 7-0. Hunter Dicksinson will have to be the veteran leader that he’s shown he can be if they want to keep pace with teams in a competitive Big 12. It will be interesting to see how they fare against NC State on Saturday.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona had high hopes coming into this season, but have only been faced with adversity time and time again. They’ve started off the season 4-4 with zero quality wins. Their losses have come to Oklahoma, Duke, Wisconsin, and West Virginia, so their losses have been against solid teams, but their wins have been against some bottom of the barrel squads. The Wildcats may just be an average team this season.
Top 5 Steal Leaders in the Big 12
1. Darius Johnson, UCF Knights (3.1)
Senior guard has been a driving force behind the Knights hot start.
2. Dug McDaniel, Kansas State Wildcats (2.6)
McDaniel has three games with 4+ steals this season.
3. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State Cyclones (2.6)
Lipsey has averaged over 2 steals a game in his three seasons with the Cyclones.
4. Jaden Bradley, Arizona Wildcats (2.5)
The Alabama transfer has been improving defensively since he joined the team last season.
5. VJ Edgecombe, Baylor Bears (2.4)
The freshman has had a hot defensive start to his college career.