Makhi Mitchell helped Arkansas hold Oscar Tshiebwe to only seven points and seven rebounds in Rupp Arena. (Vicky Graff Photo)
When Arkansas smashed Kentucky 89-73 in Rupp Arena on Feb. 7 and outscored UK 47-33 in the second half, Oscar Tshiebwe was no factor for the Wildcats.
Kentucky missed 33 shots from the field and seven free throws but he had only three offensive boards — and seven total rebounds. He also scored only seven points — and managed to get off just six shots in 32 minutes.
That performance rekindled a fire in last season’s national player of the year that has led to big performances, including 21 points and 20 rebounds against Vanderbilt in Wednesday’s loss.
“I think he just got to be a little bit more active than last game (against Arkansas),” Kentucky associate coach Bruiser Flint said Friday. “Sometimes you have to go to the game instead of waiting for the game to come to you. That’s what he has been doing (since the Arkansas loss).”
Kentucky plays at Arkansas today on CBS-TV in a game it must win to be assured of a double-bye in the SEC Tournament after losing at home to Vanderbilt Wednesday.
Flint said Arkansas twins Makhi and Makhel Mitchell outplayed Tshiebwe in the previous game. Makhel had 15 points, five blocks and four rebounds in 29 minutes while Makhi had four points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
“The twins did a good job of being physical. They crowded him a lot,” Flint said. “It was sort of an eye opener (for Tshiebwe) that night. People were really criticizing him for having seven points and seven rebounds. It was not a Tshiebwe outing.”
Senior Jacob Toppin didn’t feel like he had a “Toppin outing” against Vanderbilt even though he had 10 rebounds. He was just 1-for-7 from the field and 5-for-7 at the foul line. He got beat to the basket with UK leading 66-64 in the 68-66 loss and also had a verbal exchange with coach John Calipari during the first half.
Toppin told UK fans on the postgame radio show that he blamed himself for the Vanderbilt loss.
“Jacob, that is the way he felt. He thought he didn’t have a good game,” Flint said. “He felt like if he played better, we could have won.
“He and Cal got into it on the bench. He apologized to all the coaches and everybody. He was just disappointed.”
One Response
Oscar has had a target on his back all season long. At the 5 spot, he gets doubled and triple teamed by everyone. He also gets pushed, held, hit, and it gets into his head at times…especially if he is going against a couple of taller guys. I would play Oscar at the 4 spot which would make those kind of muggings much harder. Let Lance play the 5 and Jacob play the 3. Antonio plays the 2 and either Cason or Thiero plays the point. Onyenso can back up the 5, Collins, the 4, Livingston the 3, Frederick the 2, and if Cason is not able to play, let Frederick play backup point. Teams are going to be scheming for Antonio now. Freeing up Oscar at the 4 makes it hard to key on both. Jason can play the 3 and be the third mismatch for opponents. I think CJ and Chris play better coming off of the bench and Damion and Onyenso can hold their own in relief roles. The wildcard will be Cason. If he isn’t ready to play, don’t play him; save him for the Big Dance. A healthy fourth mismatch would be nice to have there. Now if we could just figure out a way to keep Calipari off of the sidelines.