Oscar Tshiebwe opened the year with a 17-point, 20-rebound performance against Duke in the Champions Classic, firmly solidifying his status as a top frontcourt player in all of college basketball from day one. From there, the 6-foot-9 center rewrote the record book at Kentucky, going on to average 17.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 assists per contest to close out the regular season.
Tshiebwe proved to be more than an elite big man at the collegiate level or even one of the top players in the nation. Those accolades were established in the opening months of the season.