OSU’s Cunningham Named Big 12 Player Of The Year

Oklahoma State’s star freshman Cade Cunningham has been named the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Cunningham is the fourth freshman to be selected as the Big 12 player of the year by the league’s coaches.

Cunningham was also named to the 2020-2021 Men’s Basketball All-Big 12 First Team, along with OU’s Austin Reaves, West Virginia’s Derek Culver, and Baylor’s Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell.

The last freshman picked by Big 12 coaches as the league’s top player was Marcus Smart, also from Oklahoma State, in 2013. The others were Michael Beasley from Kansas Sate in 2008, a year after Kevin Durant from Texas was player of the year.

Cunningham, averaging 19 points per game, 6 rebounds on the season, has helped lead the Cowboys to an 18-7 record, including back-to-back wins over in-state rival OU.

Cunningham is also on the watchlist for men's basketball's Wooden Award. OSU is ranked #12 in the latest AP poll and the Cowboys poised to have a high seed in the NCAA tournament.