If you’re trying to pick up weekly conference honors, scoring 20-plus points in back-to-back games to help clinch a share of the Big 12 Regular Season title is one heck of a way to turn some heads. In the case of one of the Wildcats’ star freshman, that’s exactly what he did. Following wins at Baylor and versus No. 14 Kansas, Arizona guard Brayden Burries has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
After battling an illness in mid-February, Burries bounced back with a strong showing against the Baylor Bears in Waco. The freshman scored 24 points on 8-13 shots from the field and 7-11 from the free throw line. He also recorded five rebounds, four assists, and a steal in a team-high 39 minutes. He followed it up with another dominant performance at home against No. 14 Kansas. Burries finished with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double, his third of the season. He also dished out five assists and tallied another steal for the Wildcats, while connecting on 2-4 from deep and 6-6 from the charity stripe.
On the week, Burries averaged 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, while shooting a blistering 14-23 (60.9%) from the field combined.
It’s the second Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Award for Brayden Burries and third weekly honor he has received from the conference. He took home Player and Newcomer of the Week honors in early February following road wins over then-No. 13 BYU and ASU.
Arizona wraps up the regular season this week, hosting No. 6 Iowa State on Big Monday for Senior Day on March 2 at 7:00 PM MST on ESPN, before visiting Colorado on Saturday, March 9.