Five from the Missouri men’s basketball team were honored with 2012 All-Big 12 honors. Senior Marcus Denmon was named to the All-Big 12 first team for the second consecutive season, junior Michael Dixon was a unanimous selection as the Sixth Man of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team, senior Ricardo Ratliffe was named to the All-Big 12 second team and senior Kim English and sophomore Phil Pressey earned spots on the All-Big 12 third team.

Denmon joins Kareem Rush as the only Tigers named to the All-Big 12 first team twice. The senior leads the Tigers and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring at 18.0 ppg. The senior also ranks second in the league in free throw percentage (.888) and 3-point field goals made (2.94), third in steals (1.55), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.419) and pulls down an impressive 5.1 rpg. In his Mizzou career, Denmon has amassed 1,714 points, which ranks sixth all-time on the school scoring list. He also ranks first all-time at Mizzou in games played (137, tied with teammate Kim English), second in 3-point field goals (274) and 3-point field goals attempted (667), sixth all-time in steals (172), ninth in field goals made (574) and field goals attempted (1,255). Additionally, his 91 3-pointers made this season ranks fifth on MU’s single-season list.

Dixon becomes the second Mizzou player to win Sixth Man of the Year honors, joining Matt Lawrence, who claimed the award in 2009. The junior is having the best season of his career despite coming off the bench in all 31 of Mizzou’s games. Dixon ranks fourth on the team with 13.3 ppg., a number that ranks first nationally among sixth-men, to go along with 3.1 apg. and 1.2 spg. Additionally, Dixon is shooting 48.9 percent from the floor and a team high 89.5 percent from the foul line, while the latter ranks first in the Big 12. He has scored in double figures a career high 22 times this season, including the last 10 games.

Ratliffe earned a spot on the second team after one of the most efficient seasons in Missouri history. The senior averages 13.8 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. while shooting 70.8 percent from the floor. Ratliffe, who currently holds Mizzou’s all-time field goal percentage record (.638) will also break the single-season field goal percentage mark if he keeps up his current pace. He ranks first in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and offensive rebounds (3.1), fourth in rebounds, seventh in defensive rebounds (4.35) and10th in scoring and blocks (1.0). On the season, Ratliffe has seven double-doubles, including four in his last eight games.

English, in the midst of his most complete season as a Tiger, was named to the third team for the second time in his career, as he also earned the honors as a sophomore in 2009-10. The senior ranks second on the squad with 14.1 ppg., while shooting a career high 50.0 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from the 3-point line, all while playing out of position all season. English ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage and eighth in scoring, 3-pointers made (2.19) and steals (1.29). In his career, he ranks 13th all-time in scoring (1,499), first in games played (137), fourth in 3-point field goals attempted (586) and fifth in 3-point field goals made (229).

Pressey leads the Big 12 in both assists (6.2) and steals (2.1), while ranking second in assist-turnover ratio (2.45), to go along with averages of 9.6 ppg. and 3.3 rpg. The sophomore already holds Missouri’s single-season assist record with his 191 this year and is only 24 assists away from entering Mizzou’s career top-10 despite only two years in a Tiger uniform. Additionally, Pressey’s 65 steals this season ranks as the fifth best single-season output in program history. He needs 11 more to tie the single-season record of 76, set by Lynn Hardy in 1986-87. Pressey also holds Mizzou the single-season record for most 10-assist games (six) and stands as the only Tiger to post at least seven assists in four straight games.

Bill Self of Kansas and Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State were named co-coaches of the year as Frank Haith was shut out.

Story courtesy of MU Athletics