Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) slaps hands with Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) after a bucket during the first half against Davidson on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Three Kansas men’s basketball players garnered All-Big 12 honors from a poll of the league’s coaches, the results of which were released on Monday afternoon.

Kansas sophomore Flory Bidunga and fifth-year senior Melvin Council Jr. received three distinctions each. Bidunga, a forward from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in his second year with the Jayhawks, was named the league’s defensive player of the year while also earning a spot on the 10-member all-league first team and a unanimous selection to the all-defensive team. Council, a transfer guard from St. Bonaventure, is the Big 12 newcomer of the year, as well as an all-league honorable mention and a member of the all-newcomer team.

The Jayhawks’ third honoree is freshman guard Darryn Peterson, an All-Big 12 second-team pick and unanimous all-freshman selection.

In his first year as a full-time starter, Bidunga has made a significant jump to average 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game. As much as the 6-foot-10 forward has grown as a rim protector and also cultivated a more sophisticated offensive game, his biggest improvement — and one of the keys to KU’s overall defensive success — might be his ability to switch onto opposing guards and defend them on the perimeter with his lateral quickness.

It hasn’t been long since KU had a Big 12 defensive player of the year, as Dajuan Harris Jr. earned the honor in 2023, although the last post player to win the award as a Jayhawk was Joel Embiid in 2014.

Council is KU’s second newcomer of the year in three seasons after Hunter Dickinson in 2024. The point guard from Rochester, New York, has become an instant fan favorite in his lone year as a Jayhawk, but he’s also supplied plenty of on-court production with his 13.4 points, 5.2 steals and 4.9 rebounds per game. Council’s speed in transition helps push the pace for the Jayhawks on offense, and he also serves as arguably KU’s most consistent perimeter defender at the other end.

Peterson, one of KU’s most gifted scorers in its recent history, is a surefire top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and so his second-team result likely originates from his inconsistent availability this season, as a variety of injuries and most notably a recurring cramping issue have cost him 11 full games this year and the second halves of quite a few others. However, Peterson has played five full games in a row, and on the season is averaging 19.9 points and 4.2 rebounds with 38.7% shooting from beyond the arc. He has scored at least 20 points on nine occasions.

The Jayhawks will begin their postseason efforts in the Big 12 tournament against a yet-undetermined opponent at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Regular-season champion Arizona claimed several of the conference’s most prominent awards. Its point guard Jaden Bradley was the player of the year, head coach Tommy Lloyd was coach of the year and forward Tobe Awaka was sixth man of the year. Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey earned scholar-athlete of the year honors, while BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, who is Peterson’s top competition for the No. 1 pick in the draft, won the title of freshman of the year. Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson was the league’s most improved player.