#OscarWorthy: This #OscarSeason, the clear leader for National Player of the Year is Kentucky forward: Oscar Tshiebwe.
Domination is a term not used lightly in sports, especially one with the parity that has come to define college basketball.
And yet machine-like domination: in the paint, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, forcing steals and getting buckets, is just what Tshiebwe has brought to the 2021-22 Wildcats.
Kentucky's "#OscarWorthy" favorite for National Player of the Year is Oscar Tshiebwe.
Major Honors So Far:
- NCAA Consensus All-America First Team
- USBWA First-Team All-America
- NABC First-Team All-America
- Associated Press First-Team All-America
- Sporting News First-Team All-America
- NABC All-District 20 First Team
- Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
- All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
- All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
- USBWA District IV Player of the Year
- USBWA All-District IV team
- USA Today National Player of the Year
- USA Today First-Team All-American
- The Athletic’s National Player of the Year
- Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
- The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
- The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
- College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
- USA Today SEC Player of the Year
- USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection
- Naismith Defensive Player of the Year midseason watch list
#OscarWorthy
The honors began rolling in this week for Oscar Tshiebwe.
The burly Kentucky junior, who has 28 double-doubles this season -- including the last 16 games in a row -- was named National Player of the Year and first-team All-America by Sporting News, National Player of the Year by College Hoops Today, along with Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team in balloting by league coaches.
These honors are likely the tip of the iceberg for Tshiebwe, who is on the radar for at least three more National Player of the Year awards -- Naismith Trophy Finalist, Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 and Lute Olson Midseason Watch List -- plus the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Top 5 list for the best center in the country. He's also been named among the 5 semifinalists on the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year.
It's easy to see why he's getting all the attention. Tshiebwe is not only averaging a double-double but doing so with a considerable margin -- averaging a team-best 17.4 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per game. He is the first Division I player to average at least 15.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season, and the first Wildcat to do it since Bob Burrow tallied 19.1 points and 17.7 rebounds per game in 1954-55.
In addition to his offensive and rebounding prowess, on the defensive end Tshiebwe is the only major conference player averaging at least 1.4 blocked shots and 1.4 steals per game. He has also snared 77 more rebounds than the next closest player this season, through games on March 20.
Setting records what seems like every other night, Tshiebwe has captivated the country with his relentless work ethic and never-ending fight to grab every rebound and loose ball.
But has the fact he continually produces a double-double every night and has snared double-figure rebounds in all but two games begun to be overlooked by some?
"I would say there may be a couple players that are having more of an impact on games than him, but I'd have to see them, and I'd have to say over the long haul, he's doing things that haven't been done for 45 years," UK head coach John Calipari said recently.
What Tshiebwe has done for the entirety of the season is not only historic, but it has impacted the Wildcats and turned them into a top-10 team in the eyes of the voters and a top-10 team in terms of efficiency per KenPom.com.
"There was actually a moment on the bench ... I was like, 'Yo, Oscar is really good.' It wasn't the fact we were surprised, but sometimes you've got to take the time to appreciate what somebody does," teammate Keion Brooks Jr. said after his eye-popping performance Jan. 11 at Vanderbilt. "Oscar has been tremendous for us all year. He's playing exceptionally well."
When Tshiebwe told everyone before the season that his goal was to average 20 rebounds per game, it was understandable for everyone to chuckle and chalk it up to a little hyperbole.
"We all laughed," teammate Davion Mintz said. "Like, c’mon man. Twenty rebounds?"
Nobody -- most notably opponents -- is laughing now.
"Big O," as his teammates call him, now has five performances of 20 or more rebounds this season, including back-to-back outings to open the season and two straight vs. Western Kentucky and Missouri.
"Now, it’s normal," Mintz said. "We’re expecting him to get 20.”
It seems unreasonable to expect it on a night-in and night-out basis considering the attention the opposition is paying him, but Tshiebwe continues to raise the bar -- and it's not just rebounding now.
On Jan. 25, Tshiebwe had a 21-point, 22-rebound showing in the overtime win vs. Mississippi State, the first 20-20 game for a Wildcat in 46 years, when Mike Phillips produced two such outings in 1976.
Another eye-popping stretch was a combined 59 points and 30 rebounds in wins vs. Georgia and at Vanderbilt on Jan. 8 and 11. A game after posting 29 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia -- the first UK player with at least 29 points and at least 17 rebounds in a game since Jamal Mashburn totaled 38 points and 19 boards vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 8, 1992 -- he went for 30 points and 13 rebounds at Vanderbilt. That marked the first 30-point, 10 rebound-game for a Wildcat since Patrick Patterson did it vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 22, 2008. The back-to-back performances also marked the first time a Kentucky player has scored at least 29 points in consecutive Southeastern Conference games since Kenny Walker in February 1985.
Tshiebwe has corralled at least 10 boards in all but two games this season, and is in the midst of a stretch of 15 straight games with double-digit rebounds. That's a record for the Wildcats dating back to the 1967-68 season with complete game-by-game rebounding records. Dan Issel had two stretches of 12 such games. It's also the longest stretch by any SEC player since at least 1996-97.
In addition to the season-long honors, Tshiebwe has earned national player of the week distinction from four outlets, the Naismith Trophy (Jan. 31), ESPN's Dick Vitale (Jan. 31), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (Dec. 28), NCAA March Madness (Dec. 28 and Feb. 14) and ESPN's Jay Bilas (Dec. 28).
Tshiebwe has been elite on the glass from the very beginning of the season. He set new records for the Champions Classic and UK debut with 20 boards vs. Duke in the season opener, nearly tied the Rupp Arena record with 20 rebounds in his first home game, and then shattered that Rupp record with 28 boards vs. Western Kentucky. That easily surpassed Shaquille O'Neal's previous mark of 21. It's worth noting Tshiebwe did that primarily against the tallest player in college basketball, Jamarion Sharp, who stands at 7-foot-5
With 20 boards the following game against Missouri, his 48 boards tied for the most over a two-game span by any Division I player over the last 25 seasons (according to ESPN Stats & Info).
"I think you can call me a beast for a little bit," Tshiebwe said after the WKU game. "I don't think I qualify as a machine yet. If Coach Cal let me go for those two rebounds, then if I go out with 30, maybe you can call me a machine. Right now, probably call me a beast."
Machine, beast, whatever way you slice it, what Tshiebwe is doing on the boards is historic.
His 19 rebounds against Florida on Feb. 8 were the most yielded by the Gators since O'Neal had 19 on Feb. 5, 1992.
"He was unbelievable," said Florida head coach Mike White.
With 515 rebounds on the season, Tshiebwe has the third-most in one season in UK history. Two players have corralled more than 500 in a season (Bill Spivey -- 567 in 1951 and Cliff Hagan -- 528 in 1952).
The last player in school history to average at least 14 boards per game in a season at Kentucky was Ed Beck with 14.1 in the 1956-57 season. Bob Burrow owns the Kentucky single-season record of 17.7 rebounds per game, which was set during the 1954-55 season. Only two players under John Calipari have averaged double-figure rebounds for a season: Anthony Davis (2012) and Randle (2014) who both hauled in 10.4 per game.
"Everybody wants to do fancy, different things, but for me, rebounding means a lot," Tshiebwe said. "Rebounding can help your team to win the game. You give one more chance to your team. Since I figured it out, if I have to fight, I have to work for the rebound, I'm going to fight for that rebound like no one believes."
Tshiebwe's focus on rebounding has paid dividends with second-chance scoring opportunities. He has scored at least 20 points in a team-high 12 games. He is the first UK player to register three straight games of 20 or more points since Immanuel Quickley in February of 2020 and is also the first Wildcat to score at least 30 points in a game since Quickley had 30 at Texas A&M on Feb. 25, 2020. He's also the first player since Quickley to have a stretch of at least 13 straight games scoring in double-figures.
Tshiebwe is in the midst of notching 16 straight double-doubles, the longest streak for a UK player since at least 1968, which is the date that complete game-by-game rebounding records are available. Tshiebwe is just the seventh player to amass at least 20 double-doubles in a single season. Issel has the record with 26 in 1969-70. Through games on March 20, Tshiebwe was first in the country with 28 double-doubles.
"National PERSON of the Year."
Sahvir Wheeler on Oscar Tshiebwe being up for National Player of the Year consideration.