Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe is developing a reputation for being a dirty player, as there have been multiple instances recently where the big man appeared to throw cheap shots at opponents.
Tshiebwe and Vanderbilt forward Colin Smith were fighting for rebound position during Friday’s SEC Tournament game when Tshiebwe appeared to deliberately elbow the freshman in the face. The announcers felt Tshiebwe deserved a Flagrant 1 foul for the play, but he somehow avoided it.
Hey @SECOfficiating
How does Tshiebwe repeatedly hit people in the face multiple times and never get ejected?
It's *always* an accident? Always?
How's he *literally* the only player in the SEC that repeatedly has this issue?#Kentucky #Vanderbilt #SECTournament https://t.co/T4B7oC0nzL
— BasicallyClean r/MMA (@BasicallyClean) March 11, 2023
That was only one of a handful of plays where Tshiebwe has hit opponents in the face and head. After the cheap shot on Smith went viral, more clips surfaced of instances where Tshiebwe appeared to get away with flagrant fouls.
oscar tshiebwe playing dirty? what’s new pic.twitter.com/AAADP1mXWH
— Barstool Texas A&M (@BarstoolTexasAM) March 11, 2023
Kick him out! pic.twitter.com/Q0wNplNDT4
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 4, 2023
Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky on Friday to eliminate the Wildcats from the SEC Tournament. John Calipari’s must now prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
Tshiebwe is averaging 16.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game this season. It will be interesting to see if officials keep a closer eye on him during the Tournament.
