LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Oscar Tshiebwe delivered his sixth double-double in seven games this season as No. 9 Kentucky rolled to an 85-57 win over Central Michigan on Monday night at Rupp Arena.
Tshiebwe, a 6-foot-9 junior center/forward, scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to their sixth straight win.
"He's a load. What he's done on the backboards hasn't been seen in college basketball in years, if not decades," Central Michigan coach Tony Barbee said of Tshiebwe, who leads Division I in rebounds at 16 per game.
Freshman guard TyTy Washington added 15 points and six rebounds for Kentucky (6-1), which played once again with a short-handed roster due to an illness that has worked its way through the team. Grad senior guard Davion Mintz missed his third straight game, and junior forward Keion Brooks retired to the bench after giving it a go in the first half but lacking the strength to continue playing.
"It's been a grind," UK coach John Calipari said. "... We're getting a little break, and it comes at a good time because we're sick. Today, Daimion (Collins) didn't do the shootaround because he had a high fever. Keion, we didn't know would play until right before the game, and you could tell he was tired.
"Lance (Ware), I think that ankle is still bothering him. Davion, hopefully he'll be ready for the game next week. Bryce (Hopkins), his back has been bothering him. Jacob (Toppin, an ailing shoulder). I mean, we have been beat up. We need now a couple of days. They're going to have off tomorrow and have off Wednesday, an individual work day, and then we'll figure out what we're doing Thursday."
Despite being at less than full strength, Kentucky opened the game in impressive fashion. The Cats made seven of their first eight shots from the field to grab an early double-digit lead. They took a 51-25 lead into the half but shot only 32% in the second half and were unable to stretch the margin beyond 34.
Calipari attributed the drop-off in offensive production to facing a heavy dose of zone defense for the first time this season. "Oh yeah, this will help."
Central Michigan (1-5) was led by grad senior guard Jermaine Jackson Jr. with 11 points. He was the lone Chippewa in double figures as CMU struggled from the field (41%) and was outrebounded 47-30.
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In this CI Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
GAME BALL:
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky -- The big man from the Democratic Republic of The Congo continues to dominate the glass unlike anyone we've seen in recent UK memory. He's had 10-plus rebounds in every game this season. He also had another impressive offensive night, going 6-for-8 from the field and 8-for-11 at the free-throw line.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Kentucky player (Oscar Tshiebwe) to grab 10 or more rebounds in seven straight games since Julius Randle posted a 10-game streak in February and March of 2014.
2-for-12 - Combined 3-point shooting for UK's Kellan Grady and Dontaie Allen.
3-0 - UK's record in the all-time series with CMU.
6 - Turnovers by the Cats, a season-low.
18-6 - Second-chance points advantage for the Cats.
20-4 - Advantage in fast-break points for UK. The Cats have outscored their last three opponents 61-7 in transition.
QUOTABLE:
"They are as physically imposing as Gonzaga across the floor. And when you've got guards who can put pressure on the ball defensively like TyTy and Sahvir (Wheeler) and can also put pressure on the rim and in the paint like those two can, that's hard to handle. And then their front line is one of the most dominant in the country, starting with Oscar, a guy who's a coach's dream. He impacts the game without ever needing the ball." -- CMU coach Tony Barbee, who was asked to compare Kentucky and Gonzaga after playing both teams this season.
UP NEXT:
The Cats return to action next week when they face Sean Woods' Southern U. squad on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in a 7 p.m. ET tipoff at Rupp Arena. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network. The game will mark the start of the five-year "Unity Series." The series will feature annual games between UK and schools from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities. The games will seek to raise awareness of the missions of the HBCUs and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions.
