"Javon Small snubbed" "The only correct decision": College hoops fans left divided as Texas Tech's JT Toppin wins Big 12 Player of the Year award

Texas Tech sophomore forward JT Toppin has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by the conference’s coaches. The announcement was made on Monday, just a day before the league’s 16-team postseason tournament begins.

The reactions to Toppin winning the award were mixed. Some fans believe West Virginia’s Javon Small was snubbed for the Big 12 Player of the Year award. Others believe Toppin was the rightful winner.

"Javon Small snubbed! But not surprised never any love for WVU" another fan commented.

"The only correct decision" another fan commented.

A couple of fans strongly believed Small was more deserving.

"It’s always how these awards are. It’s about being the best player on one of the top teams. With that said, if you put JT Toppin on WVU (with no Small) the team probably goes 5-15 in conference. Put Javon Small on Texas Tech and they’re a Final Four team… at worst." one fan wrote, seemingly advocating for Small.

"This is Javon Smalls award and you know it." one fan commented.

Meanwhile, others thought Toppin was the right pick for the award.

"As a Houston fan, I think the conference got this right. Toppin is a beast!" another wrote.

"Bunch of non-ball knowers in here.. scoring the most points doesn’t equal player of the year. Toppin averaged 18.1 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. Had 14 double-doubles." another fan wrote.

JT Toppin, who transferred from New Mexico, is the only player in the Big 12 ranked in the top three for both scoring (18.1 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game).

As for Small, he had an outstanding season, leading the Mountaineers with 18.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Houston's Kelvin Sampson, Baylor's VJ Edgecombe join JT Toppin as Big 12 award winners

Joining JT Toppin in the list of Big 12 awardees is Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, who was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, the second-ranked Cougars (27-4, 19-1 Big 12) dominated the conference, securing back-to-back regular-season titles in their first two years since joining the league.

Houston is the first team to accomplish this feat in a major conference since Idaho won consecutive Pacific Coast Conference titles in the early 1920s. The Cougars also earned individual honors, with forward Joseph Tugler named Defensive Player of the Year and guard LJ Cryer recognized as the conference’s top scholar-athlete.

Other award winners include Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, BYU’s Richie Saunders as Most Improved Player, and Iowa State’s Curtis Jones as Sixth Man of the Year.