The finalist round has began. Oscar Tshiebwe, the heavy favorite, remains in the final four standing for the award.
Oscar Tshiebwe, who leads the country in rebounding, joins Ochai Agbaji (Kansas), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin) and Keegan Murray (Iowa) as the potential award winners.
He finished his first year as a Wildcat with 16 straight double-doubles, the longest streak since complete game-by-game rebounding records were kept dating back to 1969, and totaled for 28 double-doubles this season which is also a new UK single-season record.
His contribution to Kentucky was unmatched, which supports why he is so deserving of the award. Big O led the team in points per game (17.4), rebounds per game (15.1), steals per game (1.8), blocks per game (1.6) and field-goal percentage at 60.6% (minimum of 100 attempts), including being responsible for 37.8% of all of UK's rebounds for the entire season.
You can help push Oscar over the edge by voting online at www.naismithfavorite.com, which accounts for 5% of the total voting. Voting officially ends at 6 p.m. EST on March 29th. Fans can vote up to one time a day.
The winner will be announced at the Final Four in New Orleans on April 3rd.
Cats Coverage's postseason coverage is brought to you by Mad Mushroom, the home of the original cheesestix. You can use our promo code 'CAT5' to receive $5 off a purchase of $20 or more at select locations in Lexington and Richmond, Kentucky, including 2 more locations in Indiana.