IRVING, Texas – For the second time this season, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson swept both the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Player and Newcomer of the Week honors after leading the Jayhawks to an 83-81 victory against TCU in the conference opener on Jan. 6.
Dickinson also swept the honor, voted on by a media panel that covers the league, on Nov. 20, 2023. Prior to the Nov. 20 selection, Dickinson was the first Big 12 player to win both awards since Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington on Dec. 27, 2021.
After making two free throws with 57 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 79-79, Dickinson made a layup with 3.4 seconds remaining to give KU the victory. For the game, the general studies major from Alexandria, Virginia, recorded his Big 12-best ninth double-double of the season with 30 points on 13-of-20 (65.0 percent) shooting and 11 rebounds. Dickinson has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in six-straight games and the double-double was the 40th of his career. The six-game stretch of double-digit rebounds is the longest of his career. Dickinson’s eight offensive rebounds against TCU were a season high by a Jayhawk and the most since David McCormack grabbed 10 offensive rebounds on Jan. 15, 2022 vs. West Virginia. The 30-point effort was Dickinson’s second game of the season with 30-plus points (31, Nov. 20, 2023 vs. Chaminade) and the fifth of his career.
Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is second nationally in rebounds per game at 12.4. His nine double-doubles are sixth nationally. A five-time Big 12 weekly award honoree this season, Dickinson 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.
No. 2 Kansas (13-1, 1-0) will play at UCF (9-4, 0-1) on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Tip from Addition Financial Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.