Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe named to AP All-SEC First Team

Another day — or hour, at this point — another postseason accolade for Kentucky star big man Oscar Tshiebwe. The 6-foot-9 center was named First-Team All-SEC by the conference’s coaches on Monday, then earned Third-Team All-America honors by The Sporting News on Tuesday.

Just a few hours later, The Associated Press named Tshiebwe to its All-SEC First Team, as well, a unanimous selection.

The Wildcat standout joins Missouri’s Kobe Brown, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV, Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith on the First Team.

FIRST TEAM

• Guard — Kobe Brown, Missouri, Sr., 6-8, 250, Huntsville, Alabama.
• u-Guard — Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M, So., 6-0, 185, Dallas.
• Forward — Brandon Miller, Alabama, Fr., 6-9, 200, Antioch, Tennessee.
• Forward — Tolu Smith, Mississippi St., Sr., 6-11, 245, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
• u-Forward — Oscar Tshiebwe, Sr., 6-9, 260, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

SECOND TEAM

• Guard — Ricky Council IV, Arkansas, Jr., 6-6, 205, Durham, North Carolina.
• Guard — Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee, So., 5-9, 171, Long Island, New York.
• Forward — Colin Castleton, Florida, Sr., 6-11, 250, Deland, Florida.
• Forward — Liam Robbins, Vanderbilt, Sr., 7-0, 250, Davenport, Iowa.
• Forward — KJ Williams, LSU, Sr,, 6-10, 250, Cleveland, Mississippi.

Coach of the Year — Buzz Williams, Texas A&M.

Player of the Year — Brandon Miller, Alabama.

Newcomer of the Year — Brandon Miller, Alabama.

Tshiebwe is leading the country with 13.1 rebounds per contest to go along with a team-best 16.4 points per game. Among Tshiebwe’s SEC-high 18 doubles, the senior has tallied six 20-point, 15-rebound contests this season after seven a season ago. He has 13 of the 55 such contests by SEC players in the last 10 seasons. Tshiebwe is the only player in the country averaging at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

In just 63 games for Kentucky, Tshiebwe ranks eighth in program history with 894 rebounds. He has registered a double-double in 46 of those 63 games, ranking third in program history behind Dan Issel (64) and Cotton Nash (48). Averaging 12.1 rebounds per game for his career, Tshiebwe joins Paul Millsap and Kenneth Faried as the only players since the 1996-97 season to average 12 rebounds per game for their career.

Despite recovering from a minor knee procedure to start the season, Tshiebwe has gone on to lead the Wildcats in scoring 14 times, rebounds 25 times and blocks on 11 occasions.

Oscar Tshiebwe’s 2022-23 Postseason Honors

• Sporting News Third-Team All-America
• All-SEC First Team (AP and Coaches)
• John R. Wooden Award finalist
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award late season list
• Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist
• Oscar Robertson Trophy late-season watch list