Washington Basketball: Matisse Thybulle Earns Pac-12 Player Of The Week

Washington basketball’s Matisse Thybulle earns Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.

Matisse Thybulle joins Jaylen Nowell as the second member of Washington basketball to earn the Pac-12 Player of the Week award this season. Noah Dickerson earned the award last season as well.

Matisse Thybulle continues to elevate his game on a week to week basis. Already the Div. I leader in steals on the season with 3.5 per game, Thybulle has reached a new level this past week to earn his first Pac-12 Player of the Week award.

Washington defeated both Utah and Colorado at home, allowing an average of 50 points in the two games. This is the lowest two-game average that the Huskies have allowed in Coach Mike Hopkins’ tenure with the school.

Thybulle, as he has been for the last two years, was at the heart of the defensive effort. The homestand ended with six steals and four and a half blocks per game to go with 13.5 points on 50% shooting. Despite fouling out late against Colorado, he managed to lead Washington with 17 points.

Thybulle was recently named as Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semi-finalist. He is the only player from the Pac-12 to receive the honor. He’s done so by being the only player to average more than two blocks and two steals a game. While freshman sensation Zion Williamson of Duke is the only other player to find himself in the top 100 in both steals and blocks, Thybulle is first and 20th respectively.

The Senior from Issaquah is now in second place for all-time steals in the Pac-12 conference behind Oregon States’ Gary Payton. The Glove currently sits at 321, just 21 steals ahead.

With the victories over Utah and Colorado, the Huskies have secured their first Pac-12 regular-season championship since 2011-12.