Oscar Tshiebwe "feeling good" following minor hip injury

With a primetime matchup against the Duke Blue Devils now under a week away, Kentucky is going to need everyone as healthy as possible. The statuses of Jacob Toppin and C.J. Fredrick are still up in the air, but arguably the Wildcats’ most important player will be ready to roll.

Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe has been dealing with a minor hip injury the last several days, which limited him in UK’s first of two exhibition games. The 6-foot-9 junior played in just 17 minutes against Kentucky Wesleyan College on Friday. While Tshiebwe still managed to haul in 11 points and 10 rebounds, he wasn’t at 100 percent health.

“I know Oscar was out,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said after the 95-72 win over KWC. “Hip’s been bothering him so I left him out the rest of the game.”

Tshiebwe checked out at the 13:24 mark of the second half and did not return to the floor. But heading into Friday’s final exhibition matchup against Miles College, expect the West Virginia transfer to see the court more often.

“I’m feeling good, really good,” Tshiebwe told the media on Wednesday about his hip. “I do a lot of rehab and treatment and I practice and practice. It’s been good.

“Everything is good. Like I’m ready to go.”

Kentucky won’t necessarily need Tshiebwe against Miles College on Friday, but the ‘Cats sure will next week. UK will travel up to New York City for the anticipated showdown against Duke in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, in what is Mike Krzyzewski’s final season as the Blue Devils head coach.

Duke boasts arguably the best freshman in the entire country, 6-foot-9 Paolo Banchero, along with 7-footer Mark Williams. If Kentucky is to have any success limiting Duke’s frontcourt attack and making life difficult on both ends of the floor, Tshiebwe will have to be at full strength.

With six days to go, it sounds like he will be.