Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji and K-State’s Nijel Pack shared Big 12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week while Texas Tech’s Kevin Obanor was voted Newcomer of the Week. Agbaji collected his fourth career honor and third of the season, including consecutive weeks. Pack and Obanor were recognized for the first time.
In Kansas' two come-from-behind road wins, Agbaji averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. In the win at Oklahoma, he left the game in the first half with a wrist injury when he collided with the scorer’s table. His 10 points for the game came in the final 5:25. Kansas trailed 52-50 when Agbaji scored eight straight for KU with his eighth tying the game at 58. He then made a basket to put KU up 62-60 and later made the assist that led to what would be the game-winning three-pointer by Christian Braun. At Kansas State, the senior guard tied his career-high with 29 points. He scored seven of Kansas' final nine points, including the go-ahead field goal with nine seconds remaining. Agbaji later iced the victory making two free throws with 1.1 seconds left.
Pack averaged 25.5 points on 57.6 percent shooting, including 58.8 percent from 3-point range, in splitting games at No. 23/22 Texas and at home against No. 7/7 Kansas. After helping the Wildcats hand the Longhorns their first home loss with 16 points, he followed that with a near-historic effort against the Jayhawks, scoring a career-high 35 points on 12-of-18 field goals, including 8-of-12 from 3-point range. The guard’s 35 points tied for the seventh-most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game, while it tied for the fourth-most by a sophomore in school history. He is just the sixth Wildcat to score 35 or more points ever against Kansas. Pack’s eight made 3-point field goals tied his career-high and were tied for the most made in a conference game by a K-State player. Only one Wildcat has ever made more than eight 3-pointers in a game (Askia Jones' school-record 14 in 1994).
Obanor led Texas Tech with 15 points and eight rebounds in its win over No. 15 Iowa State on Tuesday before going off for 18 points in the win over West Virginia on Saturday. The senior forward hit six shots in both games and was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line against WVU as the Red Raiders improved to 12-0 at home with the win. Obanor's 18 points against WVU are the most he's had in a Big 12 game this season and were just two shy of his season-high. A transfer from Oral Roberts, he has 1,495 points and 777 rebounds in his career.
Big 12 Co-Players of the Week
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas, G, Sr.
Nijel Pack, Kansas State, G, So.
Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech, F, Sr.
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