Oscar Tshiebwe makes Wooden Award Late Season Top 20

Oscar Tshiebwe‘s case for National Player of the Year grows stronger with each game. Fresh off another big week, Oscar made the latest cut for the Wooden Award, the Late Season Top 20. He is also on the watch list for the Lute Olson Award and one of 10 finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honor. Additionally, he was named midseason All-American by The Sporting News and The Athletic.

From here, 15 players will make the national ballot for the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank their top 10 from that list. Voting will open prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early-round games. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented following the NCAA Tournament in April.

Given the run Oscar’s on, he should be considered the frontrunner. He leads the country in rebounds per game (15.1), offensive rebounds per game (5.1), offensive rebounding percentage (20.1%), and defensive rebound percentage (36.5%). He also leads Kentucky in scoring with 16.3 points per game and is shooting 61.5% from the floor, which ranks ninth nationally. Oscar is on pace to become the first Div. I player to average at least 15.0 points per game and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season. His five 20+ rebound games tie Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan for the most by a major-conference player since 1996-97. Only one other player in the country has at least two such games.

Oscar holds a strong lead in KenPom’s Player of the Year standings. His kPOY rating is 1.802, well above Ohio State’s EJ Liddell‘s 1.538. The metric shows a player’s value to their team through a combination of offensive rating, possessions used and stops on defense.

“[Oscar] is a much better rebounder than his stats show”

Yesterday, Oscar won Naismith Trophy Player of the Week for his performances in Kentucky’s wins over Mississippi State and Kansas. On Sunday, Dick Vitale also named him his National Player of the Week. Oscar averaged 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 3.5 steals over the two games, finishing with double-doubles in each. In Tuesday’s win over Mississippi State, Oscar had 21 points and 22 rebounds, the first 20-20 game by a Kentucky Wildcat since Mike Phillips in 1976. He followed it up by scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the Cats’ dominant showing at Kansas.

“Oscar is different and we’ve known this all along,” Bill Self said after Kentucky’s 80-62 win in Lawrence. “He doesn’t get 14, 15 rebounds a game. He really gets about 25 because he keeps balls alive on the ones he doesn’t get that his teammates clean up. He’s a much better rebounder than his stats show and his stats show he’s the best rebounder hands down in the country.”