BYU men’s basketball added another academic honor to its recent run, landing the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for a fourth consecutive season.
The announcement came from the NABC in Kansas City, Mo., as the organization released its 2025-26 Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, which spotlight classroom achievement across men’s college basketball. The team award goes to programs that finished the academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or better, while the Honors Court recognizes junior, senior or graduate student players who posted a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
“College basketball student-athletes do incredible things on the court, but their achievements in the classroom are equally worthy celebration,” said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. “Education is one of the NABC’s core values, and the hundreds of programs and thousands of athletes represented on these awards reinforce the commitment to academic success that exists across all levels of our sport.”
BYU qualified after a 2025-26 season in which it went 23-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time in program history. The Cougars were one of six Big 12 schools to receive the team academic honor.
Two BYU players also earned spots on the NABC Honors Court: Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker.
Saunders collected the recognition for a second time after wrapping up his four-year career in Provo as the 32nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He finished with 1,544 points, the 17th most in program history, and also ranked eighth all-time at BYU in both 3-point field goals made and 3-point attempts.
Baker played in six games for the Cougars in 2025-26 and averaged 7.5 points per game before a season-ending injury against Miami.
Across the country, more than 2,300 players were named to the NABC Honors Court, and more than 400 programs received Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.
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