Oscar Tshiebwe makes Kentucky history vs. Arkansas

Oscar Tshiebwe may not have led Kentucky to a victory on Saturday, as the Wildcats fell 75-73 to the Arkansas Razorbacks, but Tshiebwe still had one of the best games of his career, polishing his player of the year application and making Kentucky history in the process.

Tshiebwe played 39 minutes in a losing effort, and he finished with 30 points, 18 rebounds (eight offensive boards), two assists, a steal and three blocks, all while not committing a single turnover. With his heroic performance, Tshiebwe became the first Kentucky basketball player to have at least 30 points and 18 rebounds in an SEC road game since Dan Issel did the same at Ole Miss on February 7, 1970, as he poured in 53 points and 19 rebounds, per Cory Price.

Tshiebwe, averaging 16.4 points, 15.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.9 steals per game, is currently one of the frontrunners to win the Naismith Player of the Year award. A 6-foot-9, 225-pound center, Tshiebwe was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

John Calipari doesn’t mince words on dependence on Oscar Tshiebwe vs. Arkansas

No. 6 Kentucky struggled in the first half of Saturday’s loss to Arkansas, as the Wildcats fell behind by double digits, prompting John Calipari to heavily rely on Oscar Tshiebwe for the remainder of the game.

And for a good portion of the second half, it seemed like a sound strategy. Tshiebwe was having his way with Arkansas’ defense, finding ways to both score on the Hogs and pull down offensive rebounds en masse, eventually leading Kentucky to a come-from-behind second-half effort. The Wildcats took a lead over Arkansas in the second half, and while the lead eventually dissipated, Calipari acknowledged that Tshiebwe was a large reason why Kentucky found itself in a close game to begin with — because, as Calipari explained, if everyone else on the roster was “timid,” he instructed them to just throw the ball in the paint to Tshiebwe.

“After I saw the start of the game, I said, ‘We’re throwing it to Oscar every single time we can. If you’re timid and you don’t want to do stuff, throw it to him,’” Calipari said. “So that’s what we did.”

Credit to Tshiebwe, too — while Kentucky may have lost 75-73 to Arkansas, he put up a monstrous stat line for the Wildcats, finishing with 30 points on 13-of-21 from the field, coupled with 18 rebounds (eight offensive boards), two assists, a steal and three blocks. Tshiebwe led the team in minutes played, too, as he was a constant in Kentucky’s lineups for 39 minutes.

Truth is, Tshiebwe hardly had much help on the offensive side of things. TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler, coming off injuries, managed to contribute a combined 24 points, but due to their recoveries, Calipari opted to start neither of the ailing guards. Instead, he started Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz, who combined for just three points from the two starting guard spots.

For Arkansas, the story was much of the same, as JD Notae provided the Hogs with enough offense to knock off a ranked Kentucky team at home. Notae finished with 30 points on 13-of-27 from the field, while adding eight assists to his final tally.

With the los, Kentucky fell to 23-6 overall, with a 12-4 SEC record — and if Auburn finds a way to defeat Tennessee on the road, the Tigers could very well lengthen their lead over the Wildcats in the competition for the regular-season SEC crown. Arkansas, on the other hand, improved to 23-6 overall, with a 12-4 SEC record, bringing the Razorbacks into a tie with Kentucky for second place in the SEC.