Marcus Smart has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year, becoming the first freshman to win the award since Michael Beasley in 2008 and Kevin Durant in 2007. Smart also was named Freshman of the Year.

Smart is joined on the All-Big 12 First Team by Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey of Kansas, Rodney McGruder of Kansas State and Romero Osby of Oklahoma.

On the All-Big 12 Second Team are Travis Releford of Kansas, Angel Rodriguez of Kansas State, Markel Brown of Oklahoma State, Will Clyburn of Iowa State and Pierre Jackson of Baylor.

On the All-Big 12 Third Team are Isaiah Austin of Baylor, Oklahoma's Amath M'Baye and Steven Pledger, LeBron Nash of Oklahoma State and Iowa State's Melvin Ejim.

Withey was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

West Virginia is restructuring Bob Huggins’ contract, which was agreed to in 2008.

Athletic Director Oliver Luck said the school is "looking at adding to both the length and the compensation."

Huggins’ current contract runs through the 2019 season and will pay him $2.3 million for the upcoming season.

"I want to do this as long as I'm excited about doing it, as long as I feel like I can bring the kind of passion to it that I've always brought," Huggins said. "When it comes to where I say, 'I just don't want to go in there and do this,' I need to quit."

Devin Williams has trimmed his list of schools to UCLA, Memphis, North Carolina State, Ohio State, and West Virginia.

 The 6-foot-8 Williams eliminated Xavier from consideration.

Williams has scheduled visits to West Virginia (Sept. 27), UCLA (Oct. 6) and Memphis (Oct.19).

Da'Sean Butler has been unsuccessful to date in coming back from a bad knee injury. Butler was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Heat.

Butler spent last season in the D-League.

Butler is currently serving as a graduate assistant at West Virginia as he recovers from a third surgery on his left knee.

Fran Dunphy of Temple is the most underrated college coach in the NCAA according to a poll of nearly 100 coaches.

Dunphy received 14 percent of the vote, while Randy Bennett of Saint Mary's received nine percent. 

Rick Byrd of Belmont, Bill Self of Kansas, Buzz Williams of Marquette and John Calipari each received seven percent.

Davidson's Bob McKillop and West Virginia's Bob Huggins received five percent of votes.

"His teams always win," said a coach of Dunphy. "They are just like him. Quiet, unassuming. He's a good guy and just wins."