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In , the Big 12 also placed three Wildcats on its 10-player all-league team: Bradley, guard Brayden Burries and center Motiejus Krivas, while freshman forward Koa Peat made the five-player third team.

Peat and Burries were also named to the Big 12’s all-freshman team, while Bradley and Krivas were named to the all-defensive team. Freshman wing Ivan Kharchenkov, who has emerged as one of UA's best and most versatile defenders, did not make either the freshman or defensive team, which had only five players each.

The Big 12 moved last season from five to 10 players on its first all-Big 12 team, with five-player second and third teams. That put a total of 20 players on all-conference teams, while Awaka was an honorable mention for the second straight season.

While coaches typically weigh a team's success heavily in voting for postseason awards, the POY award for Bradley might still have been a surprise. He hasn’t been one of the Big 12’s top 25 scorers this season, and he ranks only 10th in assists. His scoring average of 13.4 points in conference games is considerably less than leading scorer AJ Dybantsa of BYU (24.5)

Still, the Wildcats have largely considered Bradley the engine behind their Big 12 title and 29 regular-season wins.

“No one's been a more consistent performer in the country than Jaden,� Lloyd said recently.

The award was yet another honor for Bradley despite starting the season in relative anonymity.

Bradley wasn’t named among the top 25 point guards on a preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award just before the season began. After Bradley had 27 points and five assists to lead UA over Florida in its Nov. 3 season opener, Lloyd asked during his postgame press conference address, “How in the world do they not have Jaden Bradley as one of the top 20 point guard in the country?�

Bradley’s clutch play and ability to get to the free-throw line also led the Wildcats to wins over UCLA and UConn early in the season, among other games, though his primary role has been playmaking and leadership while Burries (16.0) and Peat (13.8) have become the team’s leading scorers.

Bradley has averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 assists in both Big 12 games and overall. In conference games, he ranks 11th in assists, eighth in assist-turnover ratio (2.6) and seventh in steals (1.6)

When he posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists – with only one turnover – against South Dakota State on Dec. 20, Bradley shrugged it off in typical fashion.

“The numbers are numbers,� Bradley said. “I like getting my teammates involved and the rest just takes care of itself.�

By Feb. 2, when UA was 22-0, February, Bradley was added to the Cousy midseason watch list, which had only 10 point guards on it at that point. He was also one of 20 players named to the Wooden Award “late midseason� watch list on Feb. 10 and one of 25 players named to a midseason list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

Finally, last week, Lloyd backed off his critical stance of that preseason Cousy watch list when asked if Bradley played with a chip on his shoulder.

“Guys, no one wants to be on a preseason list. Who cares? That’s for you guys,� Lloyd said. “We actually have to go out and play and coach, so we want to be on postseason lists. That's what matters. Maybe some guys that start on the list have a little head start, but I'll tell you what, consistent performance speaks way louder than a preseason list.�

Awaka, who was a unanimous choice as Sixth Man of the Year, started for the Wildcats most of last season before accepting a reserve role this season when Krivas fully recovered from a foot injury suffered in the 2024 offseason.

Together this season, Awaka and Krivas have been central to UA’s identity as a powerful inside-oriented team that is complemented by Burries’ scoring punch on the perimeter, Bradley’s steadiness and Peat’s often-unstoppable offense within 12 feet.

In all games, Krivas is averaging 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, while Awaka has become the nation’s leader in offensive rebounding percentage, collecting his teammates’ misses 20.6% of the time when he’s on the floor. Awaka is also the third-leading overall rebounder in Big 12 games with an average of 9.5

“Rebounding is something we really value, and Tobe’s just got a knack for it,� Lloyd said on Jan. 31, after Awaka had 13 rebounds to help UA beat ASU 87-74. “He’s also always had a relentless pursuit and effort for the ball.

“And I give him credit. He’s a rugged, tough player, but he's also getting a little more savvy and some touch to offensive rebounding without just throwing guys to the ground. I appreciate his growth as a player.�

The full list of Big 12 honors (*indicates unanimous selection):

Major awards

Player of the Year: Jaden Bradley, Arizona

Defensive Player of the Year: Flory Bidunga, Kansas

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

Freshman of the Year: AJ Dybantsa, BYU

Newcomer of the Year: Melvin Council, Kansas

Sixth Man Award: Tobe Awaka*

Most Improved: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

All-Big 12

First team

• Jaden Bradley, Arizona

• Brayden Burries, Arizona

• Motiejus Krivas, Arizona

• AJ Dybantsa, BYU*

• Emanuel Sharp, Houston

• Kingston Flemings, Houston*

• Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

• Flory Bidunga, Kansas

• Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

• JT Toppin, Texas Tech*

Second team

• Richie Saunders, BYU

• Baba Miller, Cincinnati

• Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

• Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State

• Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Third team

• Koa Peat, Arizona

• Cameron Carr, Baylor

• Rob Wright, Baylor

• Themus Fulks, UCF

• Xavier Edmonds, TCU

Honorable mention

Arizona: Tobe Awaka; Baylor: Tounde Yessoufou; BYU: Egor Demin; Cincinnati: Moustapha Thiam; Colorado: Isaiah Johnson; Houston: Joseph Tugler, Milos Uzan; Kansas: Melvin Council; Kansas State: PJ Haggerty; Oklahoma State: Parsa Fallah; TCU: David Punch; Texas Tech: Donovan Atwell; West Virginia: Honor Huff; Utah: Terrence Brown

All-Defensive team

• Jaden Bradley, Arizona

• Motiejus Krivas, Arizona

• Emanuel Sharp, Houston

• Joseph Tugler, Houston

• Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

• Flory Bidunga, Kansas

(Tie in voting resulted in six players being chosen)

All-Freshman team

• Brayden Burries, Arizona*

• Koa Peat, Arizona

• AJ Dybantsa, BYU*

• Kingston Flemings, Houston*

• Darryn Peterson, Kansas*

All-Newcomer team

• Cameron Carr, Baylor

• Themus Fulks, UCF

• Baba Miller, Cincinnati

• Melvin Council, Kansas

• Donovan Atwell, Texas Tech