Men's Basketball

NBA Draft Analyst Blames Oscar Tshiebwe For Kentucky’s Problems

Published

2 years ago

March 27, 2023

There were many ups and downs for Kentucky Basketball this past season. After being on the bubble for a couple of months, Kentucky found their footing, but ultimately struggled in March with a 1-2 postseason record for the second year in a row.

People have been trying to figure out what the main problem was for the Cats all season with many opinions. Fingers have been pointed to the defense and shot selection, and a lot has been put on John Calipari as well. However, NBA insider Sam Vecenie from the Athletic had a different theory as to what went wrong for Kentucky this past season.

He went on the Game Theory Podcast and gave his thoughts on Kentucky’s problems. “The problem for Kentucky is that this roster is too flawed to win a national title,” he said.

The roster flaws that he is referring to is largely due to roster construction. “It’s not gonna hate on a lot of these individual players. It’s just the fit together does not work in a manner that helps you win basketball games at the highest level,” Vecenie said.

One of the players he puts some blame on is Oscar Thsiebwe. Yes, the same Oscar Tshiebwe that averaged 21 points and 19.7 rebounds in his three NCAA tournament games.

“This is a roster that can be successful in the regular season, not the NCAA tournament, and the reason for that is kinda Oscar Tshiebwe,” Vecenie claims.

He then went on to say “I can win six games in a row in the NCAA tournament with Oscar Tshiebwe as your center. I don’t think you can win six straight games against coaching staffs that are trying to exploit every single thing you do poorly.”

Does he have a point?

Tshiebwe is a historically great rebounder and had moments where he absolutely dominated opposing teams on offense with his strength. However, he struggled mightily on the defensive end, and teams found ways to exploit those issues.

With that said, Tshiebwe was historically good, which made up for his weaknesses. One could argue a bigger issue is that Tshiebwe never had a healthy backcourt at the end of either of his two seasons at Kentucky, which stunted the development of the team and allowed opponents to put more focus on Tshiebwe.

At the end of the day, this roster was not talented enough to win a national championship and that falls on the coach. The new rules of college basketball have led to a more level playing field, with talent much more spread out.

Case in point, the Final Four consists of (three first-time participants): Florida Atlantic, Miami (FL), San Diego State, and UConn. Of those schools, three are ranked top 25 in offensive efficiency.

In today’s era of college basketball, you can’t rely on two to three players every game which Kentucky has done in recent seasons. Instead, you must take advantage of the hybrid recruiting strategy of high school and the transfer portal, and add many dynamic scorers as possible.

Related Topics:Oscar Tshiebwe Sam Vecenie

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball’s Practice Facility Sees Major Makeover

The Joe Craft Center, after years of casual criticism from Wildcats fans, has finally been given an upgrade.

Published

11 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Lane Mills

UK Athletics

Maybe the weirdest qualm of many that plagued John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky were the consistent complaints about the team’s practice facility, the Joe Craft Center.

From exaggerated rumors about leaks in the ceiling to general observations made about the court and facilities, fans, especially towards the end of that era, pointed to the Craft Center’s age as one of many signs of the times. Even in spite of occasional, supposed changes now and again.

In only his second year, Mark Pope has seemingly already addressed that complaint — at least to an extent.

The official Kentucky men’s basketball account recently posted a video across all social media platforms of the team during summer practice, featuring and obviously removed Craft Center court.

The court itself has been redone, in addition to the graphics and banners on the wall. Alongside the hanging threads celebrating the program’s eight national championships, a ninth one has been tacked onto the end.

It simply reads: “#9 – The Assignment.” If fans weren’t already excited enough for Coach Pope’s sophomore season, a ninth title banner being fixed in the renovation’s spotlight should send folks through the roof.

It may seem like a small thing, but given the program’s track record in the last few years, it’s the small things that feel the biggest. Mark Pope not only understands the assignment, but he’s making sure his team does, too.

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2025

Lane Mills

Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.

Men's Basketball

Archie Goodwin and Kahlil Whitney Set to Join La Familia This Summer

La Familia continues to add more firepower to the 2025 roster.

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2025

Kai McClelland

James Crisp (Left), Adam Hunger (Right) | Associated Press

As the start of the 2025 TBT Tournament inches closer, La Familia has been slowly but surely adding star Wildcats to the roster.

Usually, we see announcements for new additions to the squad roll out on social media in some form, whether it be a post from La Familia’s official accounts or in form of Ansley Almonor’s announcement, which took place on BBN Tonight.

However, this time, Archie Goodwin and Kahlil “The Dragon” Whitney were added to the roster on the TBT website without any announcement, surprising Big Blue Nation as the news leaked and began to circulate.

They were removed from the website afterwards, but as of Thursday, June 19, appear on the website as listed members of the roster.

Goodwin has been an active member for years, highlighted by his semifinals appearance last year where he averaged 13.8 points per game en route.

Whitney is a name that may cause some to shed a tear, with so much potential surrounding the former five-star leading up to his debut. Ultimately, he left the program after appearing in just 18 games for Kentucky.

La Familia is competitive as all get out, shown by chippy play with guys who have nothing to lose but everything to win for the place they call home. Goodwin and Whitney, now added to that list of guys, will look to redeem themselves with one goal in mind. Win.

The official La Familia roster as of June 19:

– Willie Cauley-Stein (2012-15)

– Doron Lamb (2010-12)

– DeAndre Liggins (2008-11)

– Aaron Harrison (2013-15)

– Andrew Harrison (2013-15)

– Ansley Almonor (2024-25)

– Archie Goodwin (2012-13)

– Kahlil Whitney (2019-20)