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

1. Buddy Hield

A 6’4 wing from the Bahamas, Hield certainly made himself at home in Oklahoma’s backcourt. He had played high school ball in the states in Kansas before arriving in Norman in 2012. Hield was a solid contributor in that freshman season, but really blossomed into a national name by the end of his career, with that senior season in particular standing out.

As a sophomore, Hield averaged 16.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He had similar numbers as a junior, but the team was more successful, with Oklahoma advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. Year four for Hield was legendary. There was the 46-point performance in the triple-overtime loss at Kansas or the near-buzzer beater against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament. What really stood out was his performance in the NCAA Tournament, leading the Sooners to the Final Four, scoring 36 points against VCU in the second round and 37 on Oregon in the Elite Eight. He averaged 25.0 points per game that year and hit 46% of his 3-point attempts.

Hield won back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Year awards and was the nation’s top scorer in his senior season. He won the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award, and the Jerry West Award, clearly showing he was the nation’s best shooting guard. He scored nearly 2300 points in his career and it really felt like most of them came in that explosive senior season. His pure shooting numbers were astronomical and his impact at Oklahoma cannot be understated, carrying the Sooners to their first Final Four in over a decade.