Oscar Tshiebwe ties UK single-season record with 26th double-double

Oscar Tshiebwe wasn’t able to reach his season averages on Friday night, but he did more than enough to make history.

During Kentucky’s Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday night, Tshiebwe etched his name in the program’s history books. The 2022 SEC Player of the Year finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds on 5-9 shooting in the 77-71 win, his 26th double-double of the year, which ties him with Dan Issel (1969-70) for the most ever in a single season for a Wildcat.

Tshiebwe also recorded five blocks in the process, a career-high for the junior big man. He’ll have a shot to surpass Issel’s double-double record when Kentucky takes on Tennessee for the third time this season during Saturday’s semifinals. Tipoff for that game is set for 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Tshiebwe, who is arguably the frontrunner to win National Player of the Year, has recorded a double-double in 14 consecutive outings. But a more impressive stat might be the fact that he has yet to get outrebounded by an opposing player all season long, per ESPN Stats & Info. Tshiebwe is still on pace to haul in more rebounds this season than any other Division I player over the last 40 years.

Through 32 games played this season, Tshiebwe is averaging 17.1 points and 15.3 rebounds on 60.5 percent overall shooting. He’s also averaging 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per outing, one of just a handful of players in college basketball with those numbers.