Texas Basketball: 3 overreactions after the huge road win over WVU
Marcus Carr will duke it out with Markquis Nowell for Big 12 Player of the Year
The type of season that Carr is having is one that most Texas fans couldn’t even fathom during some of the more difficult stretches he faced last season. Carr was one of the more up-and-down scorers in the fold for the Longhorns in the last few seasons, which showed when Texas went on some of those long scoring droughts.
But Carr has turned into the type of guard that Texas can rely on to get cooking at key points game in and game out this season.
Thanks to his 23-point performance in the win over West Virginia, Carr was able to continue his streak of games scoring in double figures to 11. This also marks his fifth outing of the season with at least 20 points and three assists.
Yet, it’s not just the scoring that has put Carr in the realm of some of the Big 12’s best this season. He’s also getting it done as a facilitator and on the defensive end of the floor for the Longhorns. Carr is averaging a career-high 1.7 steals per game and a career-high 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Carr’s play this season has definitely put him in the midst of the Big 12 Player of the Year candidates. At this point, I think there is a legitimate top-five in the running for the Big 12 POY honors this season.
- Markquis Nowell (Kansas State), 4.0 win shares
- Marcus Carr (Texas), 3.4 win shares
- Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), 3.3 win shares
- Jalen Wilson (Kansas), 3.2 win shares
- Adam Flagler (Baylor), 3.0 win shares
If I had to pick a top two out of that group, though, it would be Nowell and Carr. According to Sports Reference, Nowell and Carr are the only two players in the Big 12 this season that are averaging at least 16 points per game, four assists, and one steal.
Next. 3 players off to disappointing starts to Big 12 play. dark
Carr was also named to the midseason watch lists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Naismith Award, which are both obviously very high honors. He’s deserved the recognition to make it on these two watch lists as he’s performed at a level that very few have in the Big 12 this season.