Alabama looking to contain -- not stop -- Oscar Tshiebwe on the glass

Kentucky and Alabama enter the day as the No. 9 and No. 20 rebounding teams in college basketball. The former averages 41.1 per game, with Oscar Tshiebwe leading the way with 15.2 boards per contest. As for the latter, the Crimson Tide are right behind at 39.9 rebounds per game, though no one on the roster averages more than 6.2 boards individually.

It’s a team that attacks the glass by committee, something they’ll likely have to do again when the Wildcats come to town.

The first order of business? Figuring out what the heck to do with Tshiebwe.

“I mean, he’s the best rebounder in the country,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said Friday. “I think if he averages 15 rebounds a game (to close out the season), that’d be the first time somebody in college basketball did that. He’s one of the best rebounders in the history of college basketball.”

Tshiebwe has now racked up 16 double-doubles on the year, including five games of 20-plus rebounds. He ranks first in offensive boards (5.09) and second in defensive rebounds (10.09) to lead the country with 15.2 boards per game, the most by nearly two rebounds.

If Alabama wants to pull off the home victory, junior guard Jaden Shackelford says the team will have to limit his production on the glass. At worst, they will have to fight and play with a winning mindset.

“They’re a really good team, like we all know,” Shackelford said. “They rebound the ball extremely well, they’ve got the best rebounder in the country. We have to go in there with a mindset that we’re going to go in there and do our best to limit his rebounds and with an overall fight we haven’t shown yet on the (glass).

“They’re a really good team that’s going to give us their best shot, so we’ve got to lock in and be ready for it.”

How will they slow down Tshiebwe? It won’t just be one player beating him one-on-one. Instead, it will have to be a joint effort across the board.

“We’re gonna have to box out the best we can, have to get five guys in there to help rebound,” Oats said. “It’s not going to be a one-man job. … You know, Charles (Bediako) has a little bit of length on him, but Tshiebwee’s obviously stronger with a bigger base. (James) Rojas has got some toughness to him, Noah Gurley does a decent job (rebounding).

“It might be one of those deals where the guy boxing him out doesn’t get many rebounds, but other guys come in and get them. We’ve got to get five guys in there and do a great job with team rebounding.”

Alabama, best known as a run-and-gun team averaging 30 3-point attempts, thrives on the offensive glass. Shooting an underwhelming 31.4 percent deep, it’s created more second-chance opportunities for the Tide.

Tshiebwe’s presence on the defensive glass certainly throws a wrench into things.

“The other issue is (Tshiebwe) rebounds on both ends, so we’ve got to figure out how to get some offensive boards too,” Oats said. “He gobbles up defensive rebounds, and offensive rebounding has been a big part of our offense this season with us not shooting as well as we’d like to.

“We’ve got to get the rebounding figured out as a team because he’s the best rebounder in college basketball.”

Tshiebwe is one piece of the puzzle, but what about the other five players for Kentucky who have scored at least 20 points in a game this season? That’s the scary part about playing this team, and Oats knows that.

Even if you manage to limit Tshiebwe, the roster is filled with other players capable of beating you on any given night.

“With us, you can’t just say you’re going to shut down Tshiebwe,” Oats said. “You gonna trap and double him every time, leave (Kellan) Grady wide open for threes? That’s going to be a problem. You also have to keep Wheeler out of the paint. It’s going to have to be an overall team effort, do a great job on the glass and keep Tshiebwe off the glass.

“We’ve got to keep Wheeler out of the paint, can’t give open shots to Grady, Brooks is doing a little bit of everything, TyTy Washington is one of the best freshmen in the country. He does everything, plays point, plays off the ball, really efficient and playing really well.

“They’ve got a great starting group, then have guys coming off the bench that would start for most teams in the country. They’re deep. There’s a reason they’re top-five in the country.”