Oscar Tshiebwe vs. E.J. Liddell: Battle between NPOY candidates

Kentucky’s matchup this Saturday against Ohio State will be filled with subplots. How will UK respond after a tough loss to Notre Dame, particularly the guard play of Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington? Will the three-point shooting show up? How will UK slow down OSU’s highly efficient offense? There will be significant NCAA tournament-seeding implications on the line.

But arguably the most interesting aspect of this weekend’s Las Vegas showdown with the Buckeyes will occur in the paint. UK’s Oscar Tshiebwe and Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell will be a battle between national player of the year candidates.

Starting with Liddell, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior forward is leading KenPom’s National Player of the Year Standings. He’s averaging 20.6 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the floor and 31.4 percent from distance. Liddell is one of the toughest players in the country to defend when he’s charging towards the rim. He hauls in 7.2 rebounds while blocking 3.0 shots per outing, as well. There isn’t a teammate of his who controls more of Ohio State’s possessions; Liddell is impressively efficient with that responsibility, too.

Unlike Kentucky’s early-season schedule, Ohio State has been tested often. Through 10 games, the Buckeyes have already faced six opponents ranked among the KenPom Top 100: Xavier, Seton Hall, Florida, Duke, Penn State (all in a row), and most recently against Wisconsin last weekend. OSU went 4-2 in those performances–beating Seton Hall, Duke, Penn State, and Wisconsin–with Liddell posting 20.6 points, 7.6 boards, and 3.7 blocks on 54.5 percent shooting and 35.3 percent from deep. He dropped 28 on two separate occasions against Seton Hall and Wisconsin. He blocked eight shots against Xavier and pulled in 14 rebounds against Duke.

Liddell has a tendency to execute against top-tier competition.

In short, even at 6-foot-7, he’ll be an absolute load for Kentucky to handle down low. Luckily for the Wildcats, the perfect counter to Liddell will be wearing blue and white.

Tshiebwe currently comes in ranked No. 6 in KenPom’s National Player of the Year Standings. And while the 6-foot-9, 255-pounder has only played two top 100 opponents (three if you want to sneak in No. 104 Ohio), he sure does live up to the hype in those outings.

Against Duke, Tshiebwe dropped 17 points and 20 rebounds before pouring in 25 points and seven rebounds against Notre Dame. He did this with a combined shooting percentage of 67.9 percent shooting. On the season, the former West Virginia transfer is averaging 16.3 points and 14.4 rebounds per night on 67.8 percent shooting overall. Not counting his issues with foul trouble against Ohio, he’s been either the Wildcats’ best or second-best player in every game.

Tshiebwe vs. Liddell will be a battle of brutes; two of the toughest and strongest basketball players in the country. While they might not guard each other on a possession-by-possession basis (that might be Keion Brooks Jr.’s job early on), the impact they’ll make on the offensive end will play a major factor in the outcome.

Liddell can beat defenders through multiple avenues. He’s highly capable of running the pick-and-roll as both the ball handler and roll man. A good chunk of his scoring will come directly out of PnRs. His bag contains several post-up moves, face-up jumpers, and good vision when attracting double teams. Liddell pulls about three triples per game; enough to keep the defense honest with average efficiency. On defense, his athletic shot-blocking ability provides momentum-shifting energy.

Completely shutting down E.J. Liddell isn’t likely for Kentucky. He’s far too good with a track record to prove he’ll play at a high level. UK just has to limit his contributions. As the old saying goes: make someone else beat you.

Kentucky fans know exactly what they’re getting out of Tshiebwe. If he can avoid foul trouble as he did against Notre Dame, another 20-plus scoring effort feels necessary for a Wildcat victory.

This actually won’t be the first time they’ve played each other, either. West Virginia beat Ohio State when Tshiebwe was a Mountaineer back in Dec. 2019. But Tshiebwe played just eight minutes while Liddell scored a mere two points. This time around, all eyes will be on these two as they face-off in Sin City on Saturday.

The National Player of the Year race is still in its infancy, but whichever player comes out on top will be remembered for it down the road.