Big Ten Men’s Basketball Players Named 2025-26 Academic All-Americans

The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced the 2025-26 Academic All-America men’s basketball teams on April 14, 2026, recognizing student-athletes who excelled both on the court and in the classroom. Among the honorees, two players from the Big Ten conference, Sam Hoiberg of Nebraska and Nick Martinelli of Northwestern, were named to the First Team.

The Academic All-America honors are reserved for athletes who maintain a high standard of academic achievement while serving as starters or key reserves for their respective programs. For the 2025-26 season, this includes a diverse group of standouts across NCAA and NAIA divisions.

Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg Makes History

Sam Hoiberg’s selection to the First Team marks a significant milestone for the Nebraska program. Hoiberg is the first Husker men’s basketball player to earn first-team Academic All-America honors since Shavon Shields in 2015, and 2016. His achievement is the 10th Academic All-American award earned by a Nebraska basketball player, the first since Kobe Webster received third-team honors in 2021.

The honor also represents a rare family achievement, as Sam’s father, Fred Hoiberg, was also a first-team Academic All-American while playing at Iowa State in 1995.

On the court, Hoiberg played a pivotal role in leading Nebraska to the most successful season in program history. The Huskers finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 28-7 record and secured the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Hoiberg started all 35 games during the season, contributing the following statistics:

• 9.3 points per game
• 5.3 rebounds per game
• 4.5 assists per game
• 2.0 steals per game

Hoiberg’s performance placed him second in the Big Ten in steals and eighth in assists per game. He set a school record and finished ninth nationally with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.74-to-1. Hoiberg, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, graduated in December 2025 with a degree in sports media and communications.

Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli Earns Repeat Honor

Nick Martinelli of Northwestern has achieved a rare feat by earning First Team Academic All-America honors for the second consecutive season. In doing so, Martinelli joins Shon Morris as the only players from Northwestern to claim this specific honor in back-to-back years.

Martinelli, a Communications Studies major, is the fifth player in Northwestern history to receive first-team honors, joining a distinguished list that includes Drew Crawford (2014), Mike Campbell (1980), Jim Burns (1967), and Morris.

Additional Academic All-American Recognitions

Beyond the Big Ten first-team selections, other players from the conference and across the country were recognized for their academic and athletic balance. Tobe Awaka, a forward for Arizona, was named to the second-team Academic All-American list. Awaka, who received the Big 12’s Sixth Man Award, posted a 3.59 GPA and is expected to graduate in the fall with a degree in business administration.

Awaka is the sixth player in Arizona program history to receive the honor and the second under fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd. To qualify for the Academic All-America honor, players must be a starter or key reserve and maintain at least a 3.5 grade-point average.

Other Big 12 players recognized on the first- or second-team lists included Tamin Lipsey of Iowa State and JT Toppin of Texas Tech, both of whom were named to the first team. Other first-team honorees included Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s and Nick Martinelli of Northwestern.