Big 12 Basketball: Who is the 2017-18 star player on each team in the conference?

West Virginia – Jevon Carter

13.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.5 spg, 39 3P% (72 makes)

Jevon Carter is West Virginia’s best player by a wide margin and is the main reason that the Mountaineers are still in people’s preseason top-25 rankings. Carter’s stats do not do him justice even though he led West Virginia in scoring, assists, steals, and 3-pointers made.

The 6’2″ guard has played a substantial role for the entirety of his West Virginia career, but it wasn’t until last season where he earned some national recognition. Carter was the National Defensive Player of the Year due to his tenacious on-ball defense. He also earned All-Big Defense team honors in each of his first three seasons. This hard-nosed style is synonymous with West Virginia basketball and opposing teams know that they are in for a long and physical night when playing the Mountaineers.

Related Story: Jevon Carter is a defensive superstar

Expect Carter to increase his scoring and assist numbers as he does not have the same caliber of supporting cast he is used to. Senior Daxter Miles is the only other proven player in the West Virginia lineup since forward Esa Ahmad is suspended. The Mountaineers will rely on sophomore Lamont West and an assortment of junior college transfers to round out the lineup. It would not be a surprise to see him put up Frank Mason-esque numbers (20ppg and 5apg). If Carter does make an offensive jump and maintains his elite defense, it would be awfully hard to award Big 12 player of the year to someone else.

If West Virginia is as good as most project, then Carter will also be in play for the National Player of the Year Award, which would be a remarkable feat given how unheralded he was coming out of high school. There is no way to deny Carter’s enormous impact on West Virginia.