2016 Academic All-Big 12 Teams

IRVING, Texas ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Baylor men's basketball sophomore guard Al Freeman was named to the 2016 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team, as announced by the league office Wednesday.

Freeman was also honored on the second-team in his first year of eligibility as a redshirt freshman last season. He's the fourth player in program history to be recognized in consecutive seasons, joining Andre White (2002-03), Josh Lomers (2008-10) and Brady Heslip (2012-14).

All told, Baylor has now had 14 first-team honorees and 10 second-team selections in the Big 12 Conference's 20 seasons.

A Health, Kinesiology & Leisure Studies major from Charlotte, N.C., Freeman has started all 28 games this season and ranks third on the team and 18th in the Big 12 with 11.8 points per game. He also ranks third in the Big 12 with an .852 free throw percentage and seventh with a .418 3-point percentage.

Freeman has made significant strides in his first year as a starter, increasing his 3-point percentage by 10 percent from .323 last year to .418 this season and boosting his free throw shooting by 15 percent from .702 last year to .852 this season. He's also improved his assist-to-turnover ratio from 0.85 as a freshman to 1.40 as a sophomore, and he's doubles his steals total from 10 to 20.

Freeman's current .418 3-point percentage ranks as the eighth-best in Baylor single-season history, and his .852 free throw percentage is ranks fifth on the Bears' single-season charts.

The Big 12 Conference named 24 honorees for 2016, with 14 on the first team and 10 on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

No. 19/16 Baylor (20-8, 9-6 Big 12) has three remaining regular season games. The Bears play road games Saturday at TCU and Tuesday at Oklahoma before returning home for Senior Day on March 5 against West Virginia. Baylor has won 20-plus games for a fifth consecutive season, and the Bears have been ranked in 28 consecutive polls, including the entire 2015-16 season.

BAYLOR'S ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 HONOREES

FIRST TEAM
1997 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Doug Brandt
1998 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" John Perkins
2002 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Logan Kosmalski
2004 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Robbie McKenzie
2006 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Mark Shepherd
2008 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Josh Lomers
2008 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Mark Shepherd
2009 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Josh Lomers
2010 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Josh Lomers
2012 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Fred Ellis
2013 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Brady Heslip
2013 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Jacob Neubert
2014 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Brady Heslip
2014 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Logan Lowery

SECOND TEAM
2002 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Chad Henry
2002 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Kevin Henry
2002 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Andre White
2003 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Andre White
2006 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Aaron Bruce
2012 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Brady Heslip
2015 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Kenny Chery
2015 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Al Freeman
2015 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Royce O'Neale
2016 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Al Freeman