Oscar Tshiebwe named Preseason All-American by CBS Sports

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Today, CBS Sports released its preseason All-America teams for the sport of men’s collegiate basketball, and Kentucky’s own Oscar Tshiewbe earned recognition. Tshiebwe was named to CBS’s Preseason All-America First Team alongside Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Marcus Sasser (Houston), and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA).

Matt Norlander wrote, “The reigning National Player of the Year is the central force in Kentucky’s chase for its first national title in more than a decade. Tshiebwe was the first Kentucky player in program history to sweep every major NPOY award, doing so by becoming the first player in more than four decades to average more than 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds. Tshiebwe’s line: 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks on 60.6% shooting. Winning a national player of the year award in back-to-back seasons is a rarity. If Tshiebwe can do it, he’ll be the first in men’s basketball since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson three-peated in the early ’80s.”

No other Kentucky player earned a spot on any of CBS’s three preseason All-America teams. Its second team includes Trayce-Davis Jackson (Indiana), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Kendric Davis (Memphis), Caleb Love (North Carolina), and true freshman Nick Smith (Arkansas); and on the third team, Zach Edey (Purdue), Adam Flagler (Baylor), Keyonte George (Baylor), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), and true freshman Derek Lively III (Duke).

Read more at CBSSports.com.

Tshiebwe to miss the Blue-White Game

At SEC Basketball Media Day, John Calipari confirmed Tshiebwe is still on crutches as he recovers from a preseason knee procedure, and he will not participate in this Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage. When asked if Tshiebwe will be back in time for the first exhibition game on October 30, Calipari replied, “To be honest, I can’t tell you because when I saw him yesterday, I just busted out laughing like, ‘you know, you’re supposed to be swelled, you’re supposed to be on crutches for a week.’

“He’s walking around, showing, ‘look, I’m fine and I’ve got no swelling,’ and so I just don’t know. You know me well enough; I’ll keep him out longer than he probably should. But he’s pretty resilient.”