Big 12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

8. Jarrett Culver

A 6’5 wing from Lubbock, Culver didn’t even have to leave his hometown to become a college star. He was recruited to Texas Tech by Chris Beard and spent a pair of seasons with the Red Raiders. Not only did he turn into quite the college star, but he helped the Red Raiders reach the highest heights in program history.

Culver’s freshman season was pretty productive, averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds and hitting a decent clip from all over the floor. He had a 26-point effort late in the season against West Virginia and helped the Red Raiders to an Elite Eight run. Even more productive in year two, Culver averaged 18.5 points and 6.4 rebounds a game while helping take the Red Raiders to their first-ever trip to the national title game. He scored in double figures in all but one of the team’s games, helping fuel a torrid end to the season.

Culver averaged 18.5 points during that run to the title game and unsurprisingly was on the All-Tournament team. Before all that, he earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was named a Second Team All-American, evidence of an incredible jump as a sophomore. He was on campus for the two seasons where the Red Raiders rewrote the program’s record books and he played a significant role, leading the Big 12 in points and the entire nation in defensive win shares.