KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC has announced the recipients of the 2025-26 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, representing achievement in the classroom by men’s college basketball teams and individual players.
The NBAC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior or graduate student men’s basketball players who finished with 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.”
The Cougars earn the NABC Team Academic Excellence for a fourth straight season after going 23-12 in 2025-26 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for a 33rd time in program history. They were one of six schools from the Big 12 to earn the honor.
Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker were named to the NABC Honors Court. Saunders earns the honor a second time as the 32nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft finished his four-year career in Provo with the 17th most points in program history, 1,544, while ranking eighth all-time in 3-point field goals made and attempts. Baker appeared in six games for the Cougars in 2025-26, averaging 7.5 points per game before suffering a season-ending injury against Miami.
Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.