SEC鈥檚 top 10 basketball players with month left in season
1. Oscar Tshiebwe, F, Kentucky
Tshiebwe entered the season as one of the top returning talents in college basketball, and a favorite for player of the year. He will likely still earn that distinction in the SEC, and is in a battle with Zach Edey among others in the national player of the year race. Giving Edey a leg up might be the team success Purdue is having, but suddenly, Kentucky is beginning to round into form as they typically do around this time of year under John Calipari. Currently, the Wildcats sit at 16-8 overall and 7-4 in SEC play, winning six of seven games 鈥� including a road victory at Tennessee 鈥� before a recent loss to Arkansas.
As was the case when the Wildcats earned a No. 2 seed in last year鈥檚 NCAA Tournament, Kentucky鈥檚 success is again being driven by Tshiebwe. On the year, the 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward is averaging 15.5 points and 13.3 rebounds 鈥� the latter of which is the top mark in the country. Also averaging a block and 1.6 steals on defense, Tshiebwe is a true force on both ends. He has over a dozen double-doubles this season, and has played in just five games where he hasn鈥檛 grabbed double-digit rebounds. Kentucky will have a chance come March because Tshiebwe has the capability to do things other players in the country simply can鈥檛, as evidenced by a ridiculous 37-point, 24-rebound game against Georgia in January.
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— Kentucky Men鈥檚 Basketball (@KentuckyMBB)
