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Oscar Tshiebwe's support for Kentucky remains strong: "I love my team."

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrim•about 12 hours
VU-186361
Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

Loyalty has been a fascinating talking point for Kentucky basketball this season, people forced to pick sides following John Calipari‘s move to Arkansas and Mark Pope‘s hire in Lexington. Can you still love both? Do you root for the coach and man, but not the Razorbacks? What about the former players trading out their blue for red? Is it bitter all around, anyone transitioning to Fayetteville now enemies? For fans, it’s one thing. How about those who played for Coach Cal as Wildcats themselves?

We’ve seen Willie Cauley-Stein proudly pick the Cats and say he refuses to root for the Hawgs. Reed Sheppard said he was neutral, rocking the most polarizing outfit of the year — an Arkansas shirt with Kentucky shorts — as he said he was “rooting for Kentucky” but “also pulling for Coach Cal.” Then you have guys like TyTy Washington seemingly celebrating Calipari’s ability to walk into Rupp Arena, the venue Washington once called home, and leave with a win.

Where do things stand with Oscar Tshiebwe, an all-time fan favorite in Lexington after putting together a historic career in blue and white? There is no denying where the former National Player of the Year’s allegiance lies — he’s a Wildcat through and through.

As Kentucky put together its gutsy win at Oklahoma with Otega Oweh stealing the show against his former team, closing out the performance with a game-winning runner in the final seconds, Tshiebwe was celebrating the whole way.

Just as he did for two all-time seasons in blue and white, he praised this group’s fight with the odds stacked against them down the stretch in Norman.

“I love my team,” Tshiebwe said of the Cats. “We gonna keep fighting.”

As for Oweh’s individual effort, finishing with a career-high 28 points on 12-21 shooting with six rebounds, one block and one steal against his old team, he couldn’t love it more if he tried.

“That boy is a problem,” Tshiebwe added.

Tshiebwe has been celebrating big wins for the Cats all season long, tweeting about Oweh’s monster poster against Texas A&M in January — “On his head,” he said — plus the road victory in Starkville, adding “We want all the smoke.” How about when he congratulated Mark Pope on his 200th win as a coach? That was pretty cool, too.

This one may be the best of all.

It was a bad day to be a Gator(s), indeed.

Tshiebwe is in the midst of a record-shattering season with the Salt Lake City Stars — the G League affiliate for the Utah Jazz — breaking the franchise’s double-double record this week.

Earlier this month, he broke the franchises all-time single-season rebounding record, too.

In four game appearances for the Jazz this season on a two-way deal, Tshiebwe is averaging 4.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per contest.

It’s time for the big fella to get his first guaranteed deal as a pro.

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2025-02-27