Oscar Tshiebwe Sounds Off on UK's Lack of Fight in South Carolina Defeat: 'Worst Loss in History of Kentucky'
If there is anyone on the face of the planet that knows a thing or two about what it means to fight, it's Oscar Tshiebwe.
Ever since the supposedly-unpolished center from Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo transferred to Kentucky from West Virginia in 2021, all you've ever heard the eventual unanimous National Player of the Year talk about is having fight on the basketball court. No matter the outcome, either.
Measly non-conference wins over mid-majors — "we have to fight."
Huge victories and defeats against rivals — "we have to fight."
Even following the historic loss to Saint Peter's in the NCAA Tournament — "we have to fight."
Tuesday night's earth-shattering loss to South Carolina saw the big man echo those same thoughts, but in a bit different manner. Tshiebwe had some choice words when discussing the fight — or lack thereof — of his team.
"Some of us — we’re not willing to fight, some of my teammates, we just got to be able to fight. I told them you put on (the) Kentucky (jersey) for good reason. Kentucky in front of you means a lot, you come here to chase greatness. If you’re not willing to fight in this place, it’s gonna be tough,” he told reporters. “Some of us are taking things for granted."
The lack of fight has been evident over the course of the season from the Wildcats. From the first few moments of the Gonzaga spanking onward, there has been no classic Kentucky edge to the team. The Cats are consistently getting out-worked, out-hustled, out-everything'ed. There seems to be no end in sight, either.
South Carolina worked for all 32 of its rebounds, out-boarding UK as six Gamecocks wrangled down three or more on Tuesday. A whopping 15 of those rebounds came on the offensive end, further hammering home the point. The scrappiness that Lamont Paris' team had showcased what fighting for the name on your jersey is all about — something that Kentucky has blatantly lost sight of.
“We cannot come in and just lose to South Carolina. It gets me so mad when you see some teammates, some of them are not willing to fight. You gotta fight, you come here for a very good reason. We cannot do it if some people are not willing to commit to it,” Tshiebwe said, going on to add that Tuesday night's defeat was the "worst loss in the history of Kentucky."
That may come with a bit of recency bias, given the game had just taken place, but those are words that came from the mouth of a man who was on the court when the Peacocks shocked the world inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse last March. Tshiebwe's short tenure as a Wildcat has now witnessed two of the more brutal defeats in the program's long lineage.
As he answered questions from reporters just minutes after the staggering loss, all Tshiebwe could come back to was that one word that has encapsulated his illustrious career in blue and white: fight.
It's the way he's wired, but clearly the will to fight hasn't transitioned over to his teammates as much as he'd like. So much so that he no longer cares who's playing alongside him — just as long as they fight with him on the court.
“One thing I’m asking is we just gotta fight, I was telling coach (Calipari), you put somebody in who is not willing to fight — put some walk-on in, I’ll fight with them," he continued. “If somebody is not willing to fight to give what we need, I’m gonna ask coach to put him on the bench. If we’re gonna lose with the people who are fighting, even the walk-ons, we’re gonna lose with them but at least we’re fighting."
The South Carolina loss follows a 26-point blowout at the hands of Alabama — one that saw Tshiebwe manage just four points and six rebounds, the worst performance in his UK career. He bounced back with 19 points and 12 boards, going on to note postgame that his play could be more congruous going forward.
That Alabama showing was seemingly a blip for the reigning NPOY, but it was just another game with many of the same inconsistencies for many of his teammates.
As many times as Tshiebwe has mentioned fighting when speaking with media over the last season and-a-half, it's always felt like a motto, describing the identity of UK and what makes he and the Wildcats tick on a basketball court. Tuesday night's words from Tshiebwe felt like more of a plea, than anything.
Kentucky is losing the fight. It lost the fight to a team that entered Rupp Arena with a sub-.500 record that included losses to Colorado State, Davidson, Furman, East Carolina, George Washington and UAB.
The Gamecocks were considered the basement-dweller of the SEC by many — myself included. Perhaps the conference laughing stock was in the building on Jan. 10, it just may not have been wearing the jerseys that everyone expected.
More on the South Carolina defeat HERE.
More on Cason Wallace's injury HERE.
Everything John Calipari said after the loss HERE.
WATCH: Tshiebwe, Fredrick and Collins post-SC loss
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