Oscar Tshiebwe named Naismith Trophy Player of the Year semifinalist

Kentucky star center Oscar Tshiebwe is one step closer to being named Naismith Trophy Player of the Year.

Seen as the runaway favorite for the award, Tshiebwe has been named a semifinalist, joining Ochai Agbaji (Kansas), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin, Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), E.J. Liddell (Ohio State), Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona), Keegan Murray (Iowa), Jabari Smith (Auburn) and Drew Timme (Gonzaga).

The Naismith Trophy finalists — four players are set to make the list — will be announced on March 21. A winner will be named in April.

Tshiebwe averages a team-high 17.3 points and a nation-leading 15.3 rebounds per game, on pace to become the first Division I player to average at least 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season. He’s also on pace to be the first major-conference player to average at least 16.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in a season since Bill Walton at UCLA in 1972-73.

The standout center would be the first Wildcat to do it since Bob Burrow averaged 19.1 points and 17.7 rebounds per game in 1954-55.

Tshiebwe’s record-breaking season at Kentucky has paved the path for him to earn a surplus of national and conference awards, a list that grows by the day:

• Sporting News National Player of the Year
• Sporting News First-Team All-America
• Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
• All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
• All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
• Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
• The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
• The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
• College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
• USA Today SEC Player of the Year
• USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection
• Naismith Trophy Player of the Year semifinalist
• John R. Wooden Award finalist
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Final Five
• Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist

One step closer.