Texas G Sir’Jabari Rice named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year

Texas Longhorns guard Sir’Jabari Rice joined Kai Jones as the only players to earn Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year honors on Sunday, the Big 12 Conference announced on Sunday.

Two other players also received recognition in the All-Big 12 awards as guard Marcus Carr was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and forward Timmy Allen earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12.

League coaches voted for the All-Big 12 awards, but could not vote for their own players.

Rice, a 6’4, 180-pounder transfer from New Mexico State, finished the regular season ranking second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), fourth in assists (63) and minutes (24.2 mpg), and tied for fourth in rebounding (3.5 rpg). From the floor, Rice converted 46.9-percent (123-262), including 38.2 percent (50-131) from beyond the arc, and 87.0 percent (94-108) from the line. In the last 11 games, Rice topped the 20-point mark five times, his total for the entire season, while reaching double figures 20 times.

A standout at Minnesota before transferring to Texas in 2021, Carr started all 31 games this season, leading the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), assists (129), steals (51), and minutes (33.2 mpg) while shooting 43.7 percent (172-394), including 36.5 percent (70-192) from three-point range, and 78.8 percent (89-113) at the line line. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 19 and Jan. 2), Carr notched a 2.74 assist-to-turnover ratio (129 assists, 47 turnovers) and scored in double figures 27 times, topping the 20-point mark six times in Big 12 play and eight times overall, including at least 27 points four times.

Allen also started all 31 games this season, leading the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and finishing second in assists (109), tied for second in steals (28), third in blocks (15) and minutes (28.0 mpg), and tied for third in scoring (10.5 ppg), reaching double figures in scoring 18 times.