(Irving, TX) Sun Devil Men’s Basketball’s Paulius Murauskas was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The award, which is voted on by the other coaches in the league, shows the respect Murauskas has garnered after a fantastic 2025-26 campaign. This is the first time a Sun Devil Men’s Basketball player has been named Preseason Newcomer (or Freshman) of the Year in any league.
Not only was Murauskas tabbed as the conference’s top newcomer, he also landed on the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference First Team. He is one of 10 individuals to earn the accolade and he becomes the first Sun Devil to achieve the feat since the program transitioned to the Big 12. Here is a breakdown at the Big 12 Preseason Awards/Honors:
2026-27 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Honors
Preseason Player of the Year: Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Tyran Stokes, Kansas
2026-27 All-Big 12 Preseason Team
Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Robert Wright III, BYU*
Dedan Thomas Jr., Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Tyran Stokes, Kansas
Xavier Edmonds, TCU
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
*Indicates unanimous selection
Better call Paul-ius
Unanimously regarded as one of the premier transfer prospects in the 2026 portal class
No. 10 overall transfer prospect (No. 4 power forward) according to 247 Sports
No. 9 overall transfer prospect (No. 6 forward) according to ESPN
No. 8 overall transfer prospect (No. 2 power forward) according to Rivals ON3
No. 10 overall transfer prospect (No. 6 forward) according to CBS Sports
NABC First Team All-District (2025-26); NABC Second Team All-District (2024-25)
Two-time First Team All-WCC selection (2024-25, 2025-26)
Teamed up with new Sun Devil Head Coach Randy Bennett to finish a combined 56-12 (82.4%) with two NCAA Tournament appearances over the past two seasons
WCC Newcomer of the Year (2024-25)
Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Jan. 27, 2025)
USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Jan. 6, 2026)
Four-time WCC Player of the Week recipient (Dec. 9, 2024, Dec. 1, 2025, Jan. 5, 2026, Jan. 26, 2026)
Sixth-most points scored in a Single Season in Program History (606 in 2025-26)
Third-most made free throws in a Single Season in Program History (168 in 2025-26)
Appeared in every game for the Gaels in 2025-26, starting 32 of the 33
Team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.4 PPG and second leading rebounder at 7.6 RPG
Shot 48.2% from the field and 84% from the stripe in 2025-26
Scored in double-figures 30 times for the year
Reached 1,000 career points thanks to a career-best 32-point/15-rebound performance at Pacific (Feb. 14, 2026)
Recorded seven double-doubles in 2025-26, bringing his career tally to 20
Started and appeared in every game in 2024-25, finishing second on the team in scoring (12.1 PPG) and rebounding (7.7 RPG)
Led the WCC with 13 double-doubles in 2024-25
2024-25 Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
