Oscar Tshiebwe ranked No. 1 returning player in college basketball
The reigning consensus national player of the year is the No. 1 returning player in college basketball. Shocker, right?
In case you needed any further validation of Oscar Tshiebwe’s dominance and expected production in 2022-23, Andy Katz of NCAA March Madness has ranked the 6-9 center as the top returning player in the country. Tshiebwe came in at No. 1, followed by Drew Timme (Gonzaga) at No. 2, Armando Bacot (North Carolina) at No. 3, Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) at No. 4 and Marcus Sasser (Houston) at No. 5.
Tshiebwe, who swept all six major national player of the year awards as a junior in 2021-22, announced his return to Kentucky back in April. He becomes the first national player of the year in college basketball to return to school since Tyler Hansbrough came back to North Carolina in 2008.
The Wildcat superstar averaged a team-best 17.4 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per game to become the first Division I player to average at least 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in a season since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each accomplished the feat in 1979-80. He’s also the first major-conference player to average at least 16.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds in a season since Bill Walton at UCLA in 1972-73. Bob Burrow is the last Wildcat to hit those marks, averaging 19.1 points and 17.7 rebounds per contest in 1954-55.
Oscar totaled 515 rebounds last season, pulling down at least 10 boards in all but two games as a junior. He finished the year with 21 straight games with double-digit rebounds and 16 straight double-doubles to end the year. The 6-foot-9 center totaled 28 double-doubles this year, a new Kentucky single-season record.
He’s also just the fourth player since 1975 to record 500+ points and 500+ rebounds in a season, joining Kenneth Faried (Morehead State, 2010-11), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma, 2008-09) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston, 1983-84).
What will the Kentucky standout do as a senior in 2022-23?
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