Kansas State’s strategy for their upcoming game against Kentucky is clear: focus on Oscar Tshiebwe. The Wildcats are well aware of Tshiebwe’s ability to dominate the glass, as he recently reset Kentucky’s record for rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game with an impressive 25. The NCAA hasn’t seen that level of rebounding since the 1970s. However, for Kansas State, rebounding is a weakness, and their preference for stretching the floor makes them vulnerable at the rim. Tshiebwe is not an ideal matchup for the smaller-sized team.
Keyontae Johnson, who has been friends with Tshiebwe since high school, acknowledges the challenge ahead. “It’s going to be a team effort. We know he gives them a lot of second-chance points, so we just have to limit their offensive rebounds, box him out, find him when they get shots up. He is going to get his no matter what. That’s what he does. He was National Player of the Year last year.” Nae’qwan Tomlin agrees, adding, “We have to make sure we rebound, all five guys in the paint, so we can limit them from getting second-chance points. So just offensive rebounding. Definitely a team effort.”
Tomlin, a waif-thin 6-10 forward, will play a critical role in Kansas State’s plan to keep Tshiebwe from setting any more rebounding records. He describes Tshiebwe as a physical player with a high motor, unlike anyone he’s encountered in the Big 12 Conference. “You just have to limit him getting deep paint touches. We need to limit him from being close to the rim. You just have to box him out.” However, Tomlin’s focus on Tshiebwe seems to leave little room for considering other aspects of the game. When asked which team will dictate the style of play on Sunday afternoon, Tomlin replied, “I don’t think it will be something that will be much of a challenge besides Oscar, but, you know…”
Jerome Tang, tasked with preparing Kansas State for Tshiebwe, admits that he is struggling to find a suitable comparison for the Kentucky star. “We have, like, individual comps,” he said. “Like each guy plays similar to another. We were unable to find a comp for Oscar Tshiebwe in our league.” Tang, who recruited Tshiebwe and then coached against him while at Baylor, knows firsthand the challenge his team will face. “You can’t wrestle with Oscar, right? You’re going to lose that. We don’t have anybody on our team that can go into a physical wrestling match with him, so we’re going to have to use our speed and our quickness to make it difficult for him, and then we’re going to have to gang rebound.”
It remains to be seen whether Kansas State’s strategy of focusing solely on Tshiebwe will pay off. While Tshiebwe is undoubtedly a formidable opponent, Kentucky has a deep and talented roster that could pose a challenge to the Wildcats in other areas of the game. Even if KSU’s focus is on Oscar, the UK has three other offensive threats with Reeves, Toppin and Wallace. If any of these three catch fire then it is game over for KSU.
And, let’s not forget about Chris Livingston. He’s been one of the most consistent players for UK all season. He does the little things on the court that don’t show up in the stat sheet and can pick up a few boards on his own. He’s also a consistent scorer. Not an elite scorer but consistent.
The Kentucky Wildcats have a lot of weapons but they will need a complete team effort from everyone to beat KSU. If the Cats from earlier in the year show up, look confused or lack floor leadership then UK will not make it to the next round.
The Kentucky Wildcats take on the KSU Wildcats today at 2:40 PM.
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