Texas Tech University Athletics
Toppin named AP National Player of the Week
February 18, 2025 | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH – Texas Tech sophomore JT Toppin has been named the Associated Press National Player of the Week after averaging 36.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in a pair of Red Raider wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma State last week. Along with the AP honor, Toppin was selected as the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by collegeinsider.com and is one of five on the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week list. The performances also earned him Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
A Dallas native, Toppin and the No. 9-ranked Red Raiders return to action at 7 p.m. tonight against TCU in Fort Worth. Toppin joins teammate Darrion Williams who earned AP National Player of the Week honors last season. The AP National Player of the Week runner-ups this week were Duke's Cooper Flagg and Tre Johnson from Texas.
Toppin scored 41 points with 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the 111-106 double-overtime win against Arizona State. The sophomore's 41 points tied the most of any Big 12 player in a Conference game since Trae Young's 44 in 2018. The Dallas native followed up with 32 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in a 93-55 win at Oklahoma State, making him the first player with back-to-back 30-point, 10-rebound performances since Blake Griffin in 2009. Over the two games, the forward was 29-of-39 from the field (74.4%) to earn his second newcomer award and first player of the week nod. He is the first Red Raider with back-to-back games with 30-plus points since Keenan Evans in 2018.
He is currently averaging 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and comes into Tuesday night's matchup at TCU with 10 double-doubles this season and 22 in his career after last week's performances. Toppin is on a streak of three straight double-doubles that started with 21 points and 13 rebounds at Arizona. He now has 807 points, 517 rebounds and 94 blocks through 57 career games. Toppin, who earned Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season, transferred to Texas Tech this year after playing his freshman season at New Mexico.
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