It was a busy night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, home of the 2026 NBA Draft. It was also a record-breaking night for the Big 12 Conference, with nine of the 30 first round picks coming from its ranks.
WVU Men’s Basketball has yet to have a name announced, but Honor Huff remains on the board with the second round on the horizon. Here is a list of all nine Big 12 picks from Tuesday. Read more: Big 12’s big night at the NBA Draft: first round picks.Â
The Mountaineers became all too familiar with several names on the list, dealing with the gauntlet of a conference schedule on a year-to-year basis.
No. 1 (Washington Wizards): AJ Dybantsa – BYU
There was great debate regarding who would go first between Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. The former BYU Cougar dazzled in his lone season at the collegiate level, averaging 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The 19-year-old forward led the Cougars to a 23-12 overall record, complete with two Big 12 tournament wins and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Dybantsa faced WVU twice, getting the last laugh in the conference tourney after falling in Morgantown. He scored 20 and 27 points respectively.
Related: WVU upsets No. 19 BYU, 79-71
Related: WVU goes one-and-done in Big 12 tournament, loses to BYU by 20
He takes his talents to the nation’s capital, with the Wizards using their first No. 1 overall pick since 2010 to secure the young star.
No. 2 (Utah Jazz): Darryn Peterson – Kansas
Someone had to go second.
Peterson, also 19 and heading to the league after his freshman season, finds himself in Utah to help a rebuilding Jazz squad. The 6’5 guard averaged 20.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG. He was more efficient than flashy, which should serve the Canton, Ohio native well at the next level.
The former Jayhawk has a past in the Mountain State as well, playing for Huntington Prep for a season. It served as one of three high school stops along the way to Kansas for Peterson.
He only made one trip to Hope Coliseum, with WVU utilizing home court advantage and conjuring demons of the Jayhawks’ past trips to the venue, forcing KU to fall apart. Despite the loss, Peterson led No. 22 Kansas with 23 points in the 86-75 Mountaineer victory.
Related: Full team effort propels WVU past No. 22 Kansas in instant classic, 86-75
Peterson has a lot to live up to in Salt Lake City, with plenty of Jayhawks in the Jazz’ past. Notably, the No. 2 pick joins Jazz greats in Greg Ostertag and Danny Manning.
No. 8 (Atlanta Hawks): Kingston Flemings – Houston
The trend of one-year stops at the collegiate level rolls on with Flemings, who took his creative style of play and helped Houston to a Sweet 16 berth.
Flemings shot over 50% from inside the arc and 47.6% overall, averaging 16.1 PPG.
Houston dominated WVU in a 77-48 trouncing on January 16, but Flemings had a rather quiet outing. The San Antonio native finished the game with 10 points.
Related: WVU humbled by Houston in 77-48 loss
The 6’4 guard joins a Hawks franchise in the extended aftermath of trading team cornerstone Trae Young, where he aims to make an immediate impact.
No. 10 (Milwaukee Bucks): Brayden Burries – Arizona
Burries joins a Bucks team that looks completely different than it did last week.
Milwaukee is fresh off trading the best player in team history, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the Heat and needed to make a splash in the draft.
Another one-year player, Burries led the Arizona Wildcats to the Final Four in 2025-26. The California native shares the same PPG average as Flemings, and an even better rate from the field (49.1%).
Related: Arizona cruises past West Virginia, 88-53
Arizona, fronted by Burries, destroyed WVU 88-53 back in January. He led in points (22) and assists (7) in the contest.
No. 18 (Charlotte Hornets): Christian Anderson Jr. – Texas Tech
The first player of the Big 12 bunch who has more than one year under his belt, Anderson averaged 14.5 PPG through 68 games.
He made quite the jump in his sophomore year, averaging more than 18 PPG and earning the Big 12 Most Improved Player honor. While he is not playing for his hometown Hawks, Anderson will only be a few hours up the road in Charlotte.
Related: Texas Tech too much for WVU, 70-63
Anderson wreaked havoc in Morgantown, most recently on February 8. The Georgia native did not lead the Red Raiders in scoring, but finished with a 13 point/11 assist double-double in the 70-63 road triumph.
Further first round frenzy
- No. 24 (New York Knicks): Cameron Carr – Baylor (traded to Lakers)
- No. 27 (Boston Celtics): Chris Cenac Jr. – Houston
- No. 28 (Minnesota Timberwolves): Joshua Jefferson – Iowa State (traded to Nets)
- No. 30 (Dallas Mavericks): Koa Peat – Arizona (traded to Suns)
What’s next
While WVU did not have anyone taken, the second round gets going Wednesday. Huff has the best chance to represent the Mountaineers at the next level.
Related: A year for the record books: WVU Athletics’ 2025-26 in review
Whether a WVU alumnus is taken in the draft or in free agency, WV Sports Nation will have it covered.
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