Hinrich, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Sioux City, Iowa, and Collison, a 6-9 power forward from Iowa Falls, Iowa, were unanimous picks to the AP team announced Monday.

They were joined on the first team by fellow unanimous choices T.J. Ford of Texas and Hollis Price of Oklahoma. The only first-team player not named on all 24 media ballots was Texas Tech’s Andre Emmett.

The five players didn’t disappoint this season after being named preseason all-league performers.

“We’re extremely pleased for Nick and Kirk to have made first-team all-conference, in this, the best year of the history of the league,” KU coach Roy Williams said Monday. “I think it’s well-deserved for them.

“They’ve led our team on and off the court. What they’ve accomplished in league play — winning the league outright — is very satisfying to all of us, and what they’ve accomplished individually is very well-deserved. They’re great young men, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I know that they will feel very honored because of the caliber of players and teams in this league.”

No Jayhawks were on the second team. Sophomores Aaron Miles and Keith Langford earned honorable mentions.

Collison leads KU in scoring and rebounding at 18.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Hinrich ranks second at 17.9 ppg and leads the Jayhawks in three-point field goal percentage (43.9). He also logs 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.

“They are two of the great, great kids I’ve ever coached,” Williams said.

Price, a 6-1 guard from New Orleans, averaged 19.4 points this season and as a four-year starter helped guide Oklahoma to an overall record of 105-25. One of the nation’s best foul shooters, he set the Big 12 record this year by hitting 36 in a row.

The 5-10 Ford led the league with 7.2 assists a game while averaging just under 15 points. He was also third in the league in steals.

The 6-5 Emmett scored a career-high 34 points in an 82-73 loss at Missouri, the highest total of the year for any Big 12 player.

“I was really, really pleased with Andre, because we’ve been trying to get Andre to play with patience and to have more movement without the ball,” Tech coach Bob Knight said.

The second team consists of Missouri’s Arthur Johnson, Colorado’s Michel Morandais, Texas’ James Thomas, Oklahoma State’s Victor Williams and Bernard King of Texas A&M.

Entering the Big 12 tournament this week in Dallas, King has 1,967 career points to Collison’s 1,941.

“The league hasn’t been around that long,” Collison said, “but it would be an honor (to surpass King).”

At the same time, Collison is 13 rebounds ahead of Colorado senior Stephane Pelle for the Big 12’s all-time rebound lead with 1,037.

Hinrich, Price and Emmett are all first-team repeaters from last year.

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NABC taps Collison: KU’s Collison was named a first-team All-American Monday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was joined by Ford, Price, Xavier’s David West and Wake Forest’s Josh Howard. Hinrich was named third-team All America.

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Wooden finalists: Collison and Hinrich are two of 22 finalists for the Wooden Award and Wooden All-America team. Other Big 12 players on the final ballot are Price and Ford. The All-America team will be announced April 1, and the top five candidates will be invited to attend the awards ceremony April 12 in Los Angeles. List in Scoreboard, 7C.

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Specialty awards: Hinrich was named to the Big 12 all-defense team in specialty awards handed out by the conference. KU’s Langford made the all-underrated team.

— Doug Tucker of the Associated Press compiled the all-Big 12 team and contributed to this report.