Filling out a first-team, All-Big 12 ballot never has been quite the no-brainer that is is this year. You don’t need to look at statistics, mull over any tough decisions or worry that you’re leaving off someone deserving.
Try it in your office or wherever you’re having lunch. Write down the 10 names of the Big 12 schools and my guess is that within three minutes you’ll come up with the same five names as I did. All stats listed below are for conference games only because that’s the only fair way to compare players.
The five names that surely will be announced as first-team Big 12 selections:
**Frank Mason (Kansas):** Leads the Big) 12 in scoring (20.9) and 3-point percentage (.524), is second in free-throw percentage (.850) and minutes (36.9) and consistently leads the team running away with the conference title late in close victories. Definite Big 12 player of the year.
**Josh Jackson (Kansas):** There isn’t a player in the conference he wouldn’t volunteer to guard and not a player who would not have a difficult time guarding him. Ranks sixth in scoring (17.1), rebounding (7.1) and steals (1.9), seventh in field-goal percentage (.486), 13th in blocked shots (1.0) and 15th in assists (2.9).
**Monte Morris (Iowa State):** His 7.4 assists-to-turnovers ratio looks more like a typo than any statistic in college basketball. He leads the conference in minutes (38.3) and ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 16.9 points per game.
**Johnathan Motley (Baylor):** Is second in rebounding (10.1) behind only KU’s Landen Lucas and is third in scoring (17.4), fifth in field-goal percentage (.519) and ninth in blocked shots (1.3).
**Jawun Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State):** Leads Big 12 with 6.6 assists, is eighth in scoring (16.9), ninth in steals (1.6) and his relentless aggressiveness is the primary reason the Cowboys have won 8 of 9 games to put themselves in position to make the NCAA tournament field, despite starting Big 12 play with an 0-6 record.