John Calipari defends Oscar Tshiebwe's on-court behavior

Kentucky star center Oscar Tshiebwe usually gets attention for his play on the court, but in the Wildcats’ regular-season finale versus Arkansas, he got it for his extra circulars after the whistle. Tshiebwe threw an elbow and a forearm at two different Razorback players during the contest, both of which were reviewed and resulted in a double-foul and technical on Arkansas and a flagrant-1 foul on Tshiebwe.

Tshiebwe’s fouls were a result of frustration and emotion getting the best of him and leading to retaliation. And heading into the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky head coach John Calipari was asked if it’s become the MO for teams to bully his star center in an attempt to get him to retaliate.

“It isn’t that. You guys have watched him play all this time, has he ever done that?” Calipari asked. “So what does that tell you that’s happening? Did you see the play where the kid grabbed him and held him? No the one where they pushed two hands in his face when he hit, what do you want him to do?”

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It’s no secret that Tshiebwe is a menacing physical force that gives most centers issues when defending him. He’s no stranger to contact on the court, but may have reached his breaking point versus the Razorbacks, which Calipari has a simple solution for.

“Now I know he’s 255 pounds, what are they gonna do? Foul! Just call a hundred fouls and they don’t, so he finally had enough,” Calipari said.

Calipari’s remark got a laugh out of reporters, but he has a point, as 52 combined fouls were called in their game versus Arkansas, and Tshiebwe only just two free throws.

“And this is the nicest kid ever, but like I said, it’s hard for me to say what are you doing, it’s hard,” Calipari said. “I’m watching it too, he’s looking at me and I said, ‘I can get thrown out of the gym or keep trying to coach you’.”

Tshiebwe bounced back with a 19-point, 15-rebound performance in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals versus Vanderbilt, but it was not enough to get the Wildcats a win. Kentucky is now set to face Providence in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats and Friars tip off Friday at 7:20 p.m. ET on CBS, in a game where strong performance by Tshiebwe will likely be crucial.