Alabama Defense Will Try to Keep Oscar Tshiebwe Guessing

Oscar Tshiebwe is not receiving as much National Player of the Year hype as he did a year ago, but he’s still producing like one. The Kentucky center is averaging 16.8 points per game and is once again leading the nation in rebounding with 13.8 boards per contest. Alabama head coach Nate Oats knows the Crimson Tide will have their hands full this afternoon at Coleman Coliseum.

“We gotta keep him off the glass. If we can’t keep them off the glass, we’re going to be in some trouble,” Oats said Friday afternoon. “If we’re expecting Charles (Bediako) or (Noah) Clowney or (Nick) Pringle to keep Tshiebwe off the glass one-on-one by themselves, it’s going to be a long night for us. We gotta have guards and wings help rebound the ball on the defensive end, like it’s gotta be a five-person effort.

“We had nine offensive boards ourselves against Ole Miss. Tshiebwe’s had a game in SEC play where he had nine himself, and he’s averaging eight.”

Alabama knows it can’t rely on one guy to box out the Big O. For Oats, the problem is finding the right balance of when to double team Oscar Tshiebwe or just play him straight up.

“The issue is, when you say you want to limit his touches, then you front him. If you front him, then you’re opening up a bunch of offensive rebounds. If you stay behind him so you can box him out better, then you gotta double (team). Well, they do have pretty good shooters,” said Oats. “You look at Wheeler’s shooting 42%. Cason Wallace is about 45%. Toppin hasn’t made a ton of threes, but he can make jumpers. Livingston can make a shot and Reeves off the bench is shooting it really well. They’ve got a really good team.”

Of course, mum’s the word on Alabama’s precise plan of attack against the reigning National Player of the Year. Expect the Crimson Tide to throw everything, even the kitchen sink, at Oscar Tshiebwe this afternoon.

“We obviously don’t want him to get a bunch of touches. The more he catches the ball deep in the post, the more primed it’s going to be for us. So limiting his touches is a big deal…” said Oats. “… I also think smart players, if you give them the same dose the entire game, they’re going to figure it out. So we’ve got different options we’re going to have to go to and see how he reacts to each of them.”