Oscar Tshiebwe makes history during loss vs. Kansas State
Oscar Tshiebwe certainly made his mark on college basketball. Few players, especially in the modern era, have dominated on the glass like the Kentucky center has over his last two seasons. Now, with the former unanimous Player of the Year’s collegiate career likely over, Tshiebwe left the court with one more broken record in his final game to add to his resume.
In Sunday’s loss to Kansas State in the Round of 32, Tshiebwe grabbed 18 rebounds. With what he did on the boards over his first three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, he became the first player in 50 years that grabbed 15-plus rebounds in each game.
This started a year ago in the well-documented upset for UK against Saint Peter’s. Tshiebwe did it all to keep the Wildcats from losing as he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 30 points.
Then, this time around in 2023, he opened the NCAA Tournament with a season-high 25 rebounds in Kentucky’s win over Providence. That effort put him in the UK history books as it was the most rebounds ever by a Wildcat in the big dance. It was also a March Madness record as it was the most rebounds in any NCAA Tournament game since 1977.
Still, even with 59 total rebounds and an average of 19.7 boards per game in his career in the NCAA Tournament, Tshiebwe will leave with just a 1-2 record on that stage. It’s just yet another accolade he gets to take with him on the next step of his journey when, really, his only interest was getting Kentucky to advance past the first weekend and beyond.
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LOOK: Oscar Tshiebwe dejected following Kentucky’s loss
Not all losses are created equally, and Kentucky suffered from a tough one on Sunday. The Wildcats were defeated by Kansas State in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s loss marks the third straight season Kentucky was unable to reach the Sweet 16. However, it could also mark the last game in the blue and white for star center Oscar Tshiebwe.
Tshiebwe returned to Kentucky this year after a stellar season with the Wildcats last season. In 2022, he took home the Naismith Trophy, the Wooden Award, and won National Player of the Year unanimously. He likely returned with a deep NCAA Tournament run heavy on his mind and heart. Still, unfortunately for him, that became a lost cause on Sunday.
He still had a classic Tshiebwe signature performance, ending the afternoon with 25 points and 18 rebounds. But his impressive performance was shadowed by the heartbreaking loss. Then, in the locker room, he was seen completely dejected following the game.