Oscar Tshiebwe did all he could for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament

There are plenty of explanations as to why Kentucky has struggled in the postseason over the last two seasons, but none of them anything have to do with Oscar Tshiebwe.

Tshiebwe appeared in just three NCAA Tournament games during his two seasons with the Wildcats. He went 1-2 in those outings, with the lone win coming when he scored just eight points. In those three do-or-die games, Tshiebwe averaged 21 points, 19.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per contest while shooting 59 percent from the field and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.

There was never any doubt from Kentucky fans if he was going to show up when the lights were the brightest.

The 6-foot-9 senior dropped 30 points and 16 rebounds in the infamous loss to Saint Peter’s a year ago, then went for 25 points and 18 rebounds in Sunday’s loss to Kansas State. In the one game that Kentucky did win — a 61-53 victory over Providence on Friday — Tshiebwe grabbed more rebounds (25) in a single game than any player in the NCAA Tournament in over 45 years. But in spite of his incredible individual efforts, Tshiebwe was never able to fulfill his dreams of taking Kentucky on a deep run in the Big Dance.

“I’m gonna say sorry to the BBN because I came here and my dream was to do something great,” Tshiebwe said in the locker room after the loss to Kansas State. “But two years in a row, it did not happen. I’m very happy to be a part of Kentucky.”

He certainly did everything he could, too. Tshiebwe also averaged 37.7 minutes per game during his NCAA Tournament appearances. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough. There’s a strong possibility that Sunday was his final time ever wearing a Kentucky jersey. Head coach John Calipari even said he guesses that all six of this season’s seniors will leave in the offseason.

Dead silence in the Kentucky locker room. Oscar Tshiebwe alone, facing his locker.

Phew. pic.twitter.com/q1CEeAWWWs

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) March 19, 2023

It’s been an incredible two-year run in Lexington for the former West Virginia transfer. From being named the unanimous National Player of the Year in 2021-22 to a consensus Second-Team All-American this season, Tshiebwe will go down as one of the program’s all-time greats. He’s arguably the most talented rebounder college basketball has seen in at least 50 years, but it was his off-the-court impact and attitude that will etch his name in the Kentucky history books forever.

His time at Kentucky, if it were to end this way, is something that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone who was lucky enough to watch him play — even if it didn’t end how everyone had hoped.

“I came back this year, my dream was to win,” Tshiebwe said. “I did not care (about) National Player of the Year or all this record-breaking. I came back to win, but it did not go as planned.”

There is still a chance Tshiebwe could return for a third full season at Kentucky. However, that decision won’t be made anytime soon. He was asked multiple times in the locker room after Sunday’s loss about his timeline for making that call, but he’s unsure right now as to what that might look like. Even though he’s a senior, he could technically return for one more season of college basketball as a result of the extra year of eligibility handed out to student-athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The future, I don’t know,” Tshiebwe added. “I have to go pray and just spend time with God. I don’t know. Maybe at another time God will speak to me.”